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Where in the world is Matt Lauer? Airlines?
So far this is the routing that Matt Lauer has followed. Given the stops shown, these have to be charter flights. Does anyone know what carrier(s)/aircraft NBC is using for this years "Where in the world"?
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6120/...ec4537fe_b.jpg |
In a past year he mentioned flying on one of the company jets. I'm not sure if that's still the case, particularly since NBC has been spun off from GE.
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Originally Posted by chgoeditor
(Post 17414454)
In a past year he mentioned flying on one of the company jets. I'm not sure if that's still the case, particularly since NBC has been spun off from GE.
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The advance teams fly ahead, commercial / business class, and are in place a week ahead of time to prep the shoot. The go team, including Lauer, flies charter Gulfstreams or uses something from the corporate fleet. Getting the go team to the next location to make air is too important to rely on airline schedules, especially when the destinations are off the beaten track. This is not the Amazing Race.
The locations are chosen months in advance, and crews arrive to shoot the feature packages weeks ahead of air week. The tape is edited back in NYC and then, on day of air, rolled naturally into Lauer's live stand-ups as if it were all occurring casually in real time. The behind-the-scenes logistics of WITWIML are not publicized much because it's not exactly a man-of-the-people message for Lauer to be seen flying around the world in a Gulfstream. In fact the series was suspended 2009-10 for fear it wasn't seemly to do something so extravagant amid a giant recession. Matt has made no secret of the fact that this is not his favorite assignment. In fact, Monday from Namibia, he semi-grumbled that his co-hosts were asking "Where in the world is Matt Lauer" for "the fifth to last time." |
In one of the years, the location was Boeing Field in Everett, WA where Matt said several of their journeys have started.
Using private jets comes in handy when plans have to change. This year, for example, NBC had to switch the locations of Day 2 and Day 4 due to bad weather in whatever location the original Day 2 would have been. So Matt and company had to get up to Madrid instead of wherever the unrevealed location would have been. Trying to cover the distance on commercial flights at the last minute could be impossible for some locations. But commercial flights are used as well. There's rumors going around that Amy Robach flew Singapore Airlines to get to wherever tomorrow's location will be. And with some locations needing over 200+ boxes worth of equipment, ferrying all the supplies and crew by private jet for all the locations would get pretty expensive. |
Originally Posted by pittpanther
(Post 17415487)
You think Cabletown (Comcast) doesn't have any corporate jets?
Digging a little deeper, I see that Comcast owns at least 3 jets, though they might be, um, tied up for other flights & not available to shuttle Lauer & crew around: Comcast Corp. says for security, certain senior executives must use company planes for business and personal travel. Last July, the cable giant bought a third jet for its fleet, a new Dassault Falcon 900 that can cost upwards of $40 million. The plane was needed, a spokesman said, because the company anticipated more business travel after its acquisition of NBC Universal. The new jet's most frequent destination in its first six months, after its home base of Philadelphia, was the island of Martha's Vineyard, Mass., where CEO Brian Roberts has a house. The plane made 24 trips there in that period, mostly in the summer, FAA records show. Starting in October, the jet also began flying to Palm Beach, Fla., where Mr. Roberts has another home. Comcast is a major cable provider throughout the U.S., including in areas such as Martha's Vineyard and south Florida. By year end, nearly two thirds of the plane's flights were to or from those and six other resort destinations, including Augusta, Ga., Big Sky, Mont., and the Hamptons. (See results in the database.) Over the full four years, 42% of flights made by the Comcast fleet were to or from resort areas, among the highest percentage for the companies reviewed by the Journal. |
Originally Posted by LizzyDragon84
(Post 17416152)
...with some locations needing over 200+ boxes worth of equipment, ferrying all the supplies and crew by private jet for all the locations would get pretty expensive.
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Originally Posted by chgoeditor
(Post 17416777)
Comcast Corp. says for security, certain senior executives must use company planes for business and personal travel. Last July, the cable giant bought a third jet for its fleet, a new Dassault Falcon 900 that can cost upwards of $40 million. The plane was needed, a spokesman said, because the company anticipated more business travel after its acquisition of NBC Universal. By year end, nearly two thirds of the plane's flights were to or from those and six other resort destinations, including Augusta, Ga., Big Sky, Mont., and the Hamptons. (See results in the database.) Over the full four years, 42% of flights made by the Comcast fleet were to or from resort areas, among the highest percentage for the companies reviewed by the Journal. |
Originally Posted by LizzyDragon84
(Post 17416152)
There's rumors going around that Amy Robach flew Singapore Airlines to get to wherever tomorrow's location will be.
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Originally Posted by BearX220
(Post 17419685)
See what I mean about the need to preset everything at the location in advance.
And obviously having preset teams makes changing up the schedule easier, as they've had to do this year. Based on what folks have been tweeting, producers show up to the location at least a week in advance and the correspondents have been getting in about 4-5 days ahead of time. I'm sure other staff get out there even earlier then that. I can't wait to see where they end up tomorrow. |
Originally Posted by LizzyDragon84
(Post 17420923)
I can't wait to see where they end up tomorrow.
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Just updated the map. Looks like they had to backtrack through AUH. So no one knows the aircraft type they're using? It seems they can only do 3-4k mile segments hence all the fuel stops.
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For those who care, Lauer finished up in Barbados today... giving the downcast, cash-strapped, winter-wary American public the chance to watch an incredibly wealthy media figure throw himself a luxury beach party.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/1...n_1087944.html |
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