Chicago News Leader Fends Off Air Assault

Is the news battle in Chicago soaring to new heights, or perhaps sinking to new lows? Not likely, but it's still fun to imagine that the stations are spying on each other with drones. Chuck Goudie, WLS investigative team ace, spotted a drone caught in chicken wire outside the ABC station's headquarters. "NEWS SPIES?" he writes on Facebook. 

"Timing of the incident is very suspect right before the May ratings," quipped Goudie, before name-checking WBBM, WMAQ and WGN.

One commenter said drones make lousier spies than Aldrich Ames.

"They are loud as living hell & have bright flashing lights. They aren't used for spying," posted Mike Brooks.

Goudie told the fittingly titled TVSpy: “If it was indeed one of our competitors I presume they would have plastered it with a logo such as Drone5HD or CBS2WhirlyView. There is no logo.”

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.