Covering the Death of Heath Ledger: From Broadcast to Paparazzi

The news broke around 4:45pmET. Minutes later crews from local and national media had descended on the corner of Broome and Crosby in the Soho neighborhood of Manhattan to report on the death of 28-year-old actor Heath Ledger. TVNewser was on the scene just after 5pmET as local TV stations began setting up for live shots. The paparazzi were already there.

We returned around 6:30 (the apartment is around the corner from mediabistro.com HQ), just as the broadcast networks were going live on the east coast. Ann Thompson was on the scene for NBC Nightly News. When her live shot was finished, reporter John Noel of WNBC stepped in front of the camera preparing for a live report for New York Nightly News which airs at 7pm. Also on the scene, Pat O’Brien of The Insider as well as reporters from CNN, SkyNews, and TVGuide Network

TVGuide Network conducting interviews for a one hour edition of Hollywood 411 which aired at 9pmET.



A Sky News crew reporting from the scene in Soho.



Pat O’Brien of The Insider just after taping a stand-up for Wednesday’s show.

>More: Huffington Post’s Rachel Sklar has more coverage notes…

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion‘s Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook’s Morin Oluwole, and bitly’s Tim Devane. Register now.