ATL87MA028

The owner/operator (oper) of a flying service provided acft for broadcasting stations in the area. A radio station had contracted with the oper to provide a helicopter (helo, N59610) & a plt to take a news rprtr on a local traffic watch. The oper rprtd that on the morning of the acdnt, the ceiling was ragged & he suggested to the news rprtr that the take- off be delayed until daylight. The rprtr rejected the suggestion, since an acft for a competing broadcasting station was already airborne. The oper had a policy of not flying a helo when the ceiling or vis was less than 300' or 1/2 mi, but the decision for flt was left to the plt. Bfr sunrise, N59610 was clrd as leader of a flt of 2 for a svfr departure in foggy conds. The plt was not instrument rated. After departing, N59610 entered dense fog & subsequently crashed on wooded, rising terrain about 1 mi south of the departure point. At Cincinnati, the 0555 wx was, in part: 600' overcast, 1-1/2 mi vis with fog; at 0655 the ceiling & vis were 200' overcast & 1/2 mi with fog.