Jouley says:

And people wonder why I refuse to watch local news? There’s a winner.

Emily says:

Maybe I missed something but that makes sense to me. The microwave dish used by the remote link can be blown around and make for an unreliable connection in a good wind.

Leland says:

Actually Andrew, the mast on a microwave truck should not be raised in high winds. Not only will the wobble at the end of the flimsy 40-some-foot mast repeatedly break the line of sight transmission chain, but if the winds are high enough it may damage the mast and pose a danger to the crew in the van.

Now would I have explained that on the web sight? Probably not.

Andrew says:

When I wrote this, the report was that one person had been killed. Now that the death toll is at least 22, it seems much more inappropriate.

Joe says:

Hello Andrew:
I am a reporter with WDBJ7, and was assigned to the microwave truck in Blacksburg on Monday. Because of high winds, we were not able to raise the mast completely. We were unsuccessful establishing a microwave shot from the first location we tried, a location we have used in the past. We had to lower the mast, and move to higher ground before we were able to establish the link.
Regarding your second post: early reports dealt with the initial shooting at West Ambler Johnston dormitory. It wasn’t until a news conference at noon, that we learned there were more than 20 fatalities at Norris Hall.
I hope this sheds some light on how our coverage of the story developed.