BBC's copter coverage fails to take off  The BBC has pulled out
all the stops today with its coverage of Gordon Brown's battle
for his political life, encompassing ministerial resignations,
the cabinet reshuffle and his party's clobbering in the council
elections. As a mark of the seriousness of the coverage, it has
even blown the cobwebs off the BBC news helicopter, which has
spent the day hovering over Downing Street zooming in on groups
of schoolchildren having their picture taken outside No 10. BBC
News bosses have been told to show restraint in their use of the
copter at a time of budget cuts and belt tightening,
particularly after one incident in which it was used to follow
pop singer Michael Jackson from central London to The O2 arena.
One BBC insider said that the budget for the chopper is paid,
for a certain number of hours, in advance and is shared with
ITN, with the commercial organisation paying 25% and the BBC the
remaining 75%. Both news organisations get to use the pictures,
but the Beeb gets e