TV Newsman Is Angry at Crash Pictures Use

MINNEAPOLIS — A television news director whose station had footage of United Airlines’ fiery crash in Sioux City, Iowa, said Friday he will take action against stations that didn’t get permission to use the videotape.

“For those who didn’t ask, they are going to get billed substantially more than those who did,” said Van Carter, news director at KTIV-TV. “If they don’t want to pay it, then yes, we may wind up with legal action.”

KTIV, an NBC affiliate, intended the exclusive footage of the tumbling, burning DC-10 jet to be used only by NBC Nightly News and other NBC affiliates, Carter said.

But it played on stations across the country--including rival KCAU in Sioux City--after it was transmitted from Sioux City to NBC in New York via a satellite channel owned by Minneapolis-based Conus Communications.