There’s a good reason WSVN was all over the collapse of a outdoor deck over Biscayne Bay last night, the station is a few blocks away from Shuckers Bar & Grill in North Bay Village, between Miami and Miami Beach.
The collapse “in our neck of the woods,” as described by anchor Craig Stevens, happened around 9:30pm as WSVN was putting together the 10pm news. The station first reported the story just after 10pm, returning several times throughout the 90-minute newscast.
Tom Tuckwell, a director for WSVN, was at the restaurant along with about 100 others watching Game 4 of the NBA finals with the hometown Miami Heat taking on the San Antonio Spurs. Tuckwell phoned in reporting that he had his back to the bay when he heard an enormous roar, which was the deck falling into the bay. When he turned around, he saw people disappearing into the water, later describing the injuries he saw.
WFOR (CBS) and WTVJ (NBC) did extensive reporting through their 11pm newscast. WPLG’s (ABC) late newscast didn’t begin until 11:50pm, after the game. The hour-long newscast led with coverage of the collapse.