WBBM Pre-Records Overnight Traffic

[Gregg.]

We understand in a world of radio cutbacks that even all-news stations pre-record some hours overnight. Among all-news stations, I believe only WINS, WTOP, KNX and KCBS are still live overnight. WBBM Chicago even admits on the air some hours are recorded, with the anchor saying something like "Whether you are listening live at 1 a.m or on the replay at 3 a.m., we're glad you've tuned in."

The other all-news stations that record some hours overnight still allow for live traffic reports. If you listen to WBZ Boston or WCBS New York, the traffic reporter is given 60 seconds. He has to make sure his reports time out, although with bed music, they can be a little short. And he includes the current temperature. So these stations still keep their commitment to "traffic and weather together every ten minutes, around the clock."

Listening to WBBM early this morning, I noticed the station only runs traffic every half hour. And it's only construction projects, all items that you'd know hours ahead of time. There's a lane closed until 5 a.m. on Michigan Avenue, and a bridge in Chicago is closed until next month for repairs. If a tanker truck overturns on the Kennedy Expressway at 2 a.m., you'll never know by listening to WBBM.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

We understand in a world of radio cutbacks that even all-news stations pre-record some hours overnight. Among all-news stations, I believe only WINS, WTOP, KNX and KCBS are still live overnight. WBBM Chicago even admits on the air some hours are recorded, with the anchor saying something like "Whether you are listening live at 1 a.m or on the replay at 3 a.m., we're glad you've tuned in."

The other all-news stations that record some hours overnight still allow for live traffic reports. If you listen to WBZ Boston or WCBS New York, the traffic reporter is given 60 seconds. He has to make sure his reports time out, although with bed music, they can be a little short. And he includes the current temperature. So these stations still keep their commitment to "traffic and weather together every ten minutes, around the clock."

Listening to WBBM early this morning, I noticed the station only runs traffic every half hour. And it's only construction projects, all items that you'd know hours ahead of time. There's a lane closed until 5 a.m. on Michigan Avenue, and a bridge in Chicago is closed until next month for repairs. If a tanker truck overturns on the Kennedy Expressway at 2 a.m., you'll never know by listening to WBBM.

i find it amazing that a news stationm in a big city doesnt have the staff it break in if something major happens

in fact, i bet they do.. its an assumption on Greg's part they wouldnt let listener know about a tanker truck over turning

 

[fordranger797]

I am definitely in the camp of people who thinks this is stupid. Even with smartphones, live newsradio is the only place you’re going to hear real time updates of news, traffic, and weather events. I don’t expect intricate updates, but it’s nice to know there’s a source for basic updates (even rudimentary) on what is going on.

At this point, overnight hours are a dead zone for information if nobody can give a basic live update.

 

[JeremyAndrews]

We understand in a world of radio cutbacks that even all-news stations pre-record some hours overnight. Among all-news stations, I believe only WINS, WTOP, KNX and KCBS are still live overnight. WBBM Chicago even admits on the air some hours are recorded, with the anchor saying something like "Whether you are listening live at 1 a.m or on the replay at 3 a.m., we're glad you've tuned in."

The other all-news stations that record some hours overnight still allow for live traffic reports. If you listen to WBZ Boston or WCBS New York, the traffic reporter is given 60 seconds. He has to make sure his reports time out, although with bed music, they can be a little short. And he includes the current temperature. So these stations still keep their commitment to "traffic and weather together every ten minutes, around the clock."

Listening to WBBM early this morning, I noticed the station only runs traffic every half hour. And it's only construction projects, all items that you'd know hours ahead of time. There's a lane closed until 5 a.m. on Michigan Avenue, and a bridge in Chicago is closed until next month for repairs. If a tanker truck overturns on the Kennedy Expressway at 2 a.m., you'll never know by listening to WBBM.

The replay is a feature on the Audacy app.

But yes, WBBM is mostly pre recorded overnight.

 

[Gregg.]

i find it amazing that a news stationm in a big city doesnt have the staff it break in if something major happens

in fact, i bet they do.. its an assumption on Greg's part they wouldnt let listener know about a tanker truck over turning

OK, maybe the overturned tanker truck is a bit dramatic. Let's say a three-car accident on the Kennedy Expressway.

Not enough to break into the pre-recorded hours and maybe incur overtime. But something everyone who's driving would want to know. And I assume WBBM has more listeners at 2 a.m. than a station that does morning drive traffic in Reno or Boise at 8 a.m.

 

[Gregg.]

I am definitely in the camp of people who thinks this is stupid. Even with smartphones, live newsradio is the only place you’re going to hear real time updates of news, traffic, and weather events. I don’t expect intricate updates, but it’s nice to know there’s a source for basic updates (even rudimentary) on what is going on.

Yes, Chicago is Market #3. And WBBM is #8 in billing in the U.S. It's Audacy's second best-billing station, just behind WINS and tied with WFAN. You'd think they'd keep a live traffic person on duty overnight even if they only want to pay for one anchor overnight.

 

[fordranger797]

Yes, Chicago is Market #3. And WBBM is #8 in billing in the U.S. It's Audacy's second best-billing station, just behind WINS and tied with WFAN. You'd think they'd keep a live traffic person on duty overnight even if they only want to pay for one anchor overnight.

I like the idea of a live anchor overnight. They can run a skeleton crew if it saves money, but somebody should be at the controls to provide some very basic updates. In a major city like Chicago, there is always a need for at least SOME update. No other source can provide this service in the overnight hours in particular.

 

[TheBigA]

You don't need a dedicated traffic person to report on traffic news. That's a luxury that's unnecessary at that hour. The information is available to anyone, including the overnight desk editor. If something major happens, they will see it, hear it via police sources, and the make a decision about how to handle it.

 

[TomásEstefan]

We understand in a world of radio cutbacks that even all-news stations pre-record some hours overnight. Among all-news stations, I believe only WINS, WTOP, KNX and KCBS are still live overnight. WBBM Chicago even admits on the air some hours are recorded, with the anchor saying something like "Whether you are listening live at 1 a.m or on the replay at 3 a.m., we're glad you've tuned in."

The other all-news stations that record some hours overnight still allow for live traffic reports. If you listen to WBZ Boston or WCBS New York, the traffic reporter is given 60 seconds. He has to make sure his reports time out, although with bed music, they can be a little short. And he includes the current temperature. So these stations still keep their commitment to "traffic and weather together every ten minutes, around the clock."

Listening to WBBM early this morning, I noticed the station only runs traffic every half hour. And it's only construction projects, all items that you'd know hours ahead of time. There's a lane closed until 5 a.m. on Michigan Avenue, and a bridge in Chicago is closed until next month for repairs. If a tanker truck overturns on the Kennedy Expressway at 2 a.m., you'll never know by listening to WBBM.

Pre-recorded traffic and weather can approach a level of absurdity. Back in the day, on a now non-existent MOR/Easy Listening station (KPOL AM/FM ) here in SoCal the station was live during the week, but had just a couple of board operators on weekends. The weather and certain other items were pre-recorded on Friday for use over the weekend. Well, one Saturday, nearly the entire region was experiencing severe thunderstorms throughout the day, and some general rain on Sunday. "KPOL weather for the weekend: mostly sunny with a few high clouds, with highs in the 80s"

 

[TheBigA]

Keep in mind that WBBM also has a deal with WAZE for traffic information. So even if they're not broadcasting live, the information is readily available through their app or online:

Traffic

homepage

www.audacy.com

 

[PTBoardOp93]

Motoring traffic is so much lower from 1am to 5am that I totally understand this.

ILDOT doesn't publish hourly counts, but INDOT does. On the Chicago Skyway at the Indiana state line, traffic count is 90% less at 2AM than 5PM.
Moreover, in the early morning, the traffic that is out is predominantly commercial carriers. Over 60% of the all-night traffic are trucks and buses.

In a phrase: WBBM doesn't market to truckers.

 

[pattywells]

Motoring traffic is so much lower from 1am to 5am that I totally understand this.

ILDOT doesn't publish hourly counts, but INDOT does. On the Chicago Skyway at the Indiana state line, traffic count is 90% less at 2AM than 5PM.
Moreover, in the early morning, the traffic that is out is predominantly commercial carriers. Over 60% of the all-night traffic are trucks and buses.

In a phrase: WBBM doesn't market to truckers.

Hahaha - this made me laugh.

 

[b-turner]

First, the traffic services would only offer a traffic report every 30 minutes. I could get more frequent in AM and PM drive. Usually the report was recorded by the station for airing. Think for a minute: all those stations with traffic reports about the same time. Do you think they had dozen of people sitting there to do a report because so many stations air a report around commercial stop sets? Overnights there might just be one person at the traffic service. That's the way it was in the #6 market.

Overnight traffic is always about construction. The poster does not know the protocol is there is a big traffic situation. I'm sure that's covered. After all, it's the station's and traffic service's reputation on the line and neither wants egg on their face

 

[secondchoice]

In a few more years, A I will be doing traffic.

Cheaper .

 

[Gregg.]

Motoring traffic is so much lower from 1am to 5am that I totally understand this.

ILDOT doesn't publish hourly counts, but INDOT does. On the Chicago Skyway at the Indiana state line, traffic count is 90% less at 2AM than 5PM.
Moreover, in the early morning, the traffic that is out is predominantly commercial carriers. Over 60% of the all-night traffic are trucks and buses.

In a phrase: WBBM doesn't market to truckers.

Truckers don't have people meters? A male 25-54 is a male 25-54. I'm sure there's 90% less traffic at 2 a.m., no dispute. But as I said, there are likely more drivers on the road in Chicago at 2 a.m. than in Reno or Boise at 8 a.m. And those cities have stations doing live traffic reports each morning.

You don't usually program Waze or Google Maps for a trip you take every night and is usually trouble-free. Yet it's the one night in 50 that you get stuck behind an accident. You didn't know about it because WBBM didn't tell you. You're not supposed to be checking maps or INDOT or ILDOT while driving. And you likely didn't check them before you put the car in gear.

 

[PTBoardOp93]

Truckers don't have people meters? A male 25-54 is a male 25-54.

Midnight to 6am is not a part of the published ratings, so even there was a trucker carrying a meter that was home to the Chicago market, it wouldn't count. (I think Nielsen Audio offers overnight ratings at an additional charge)
Very few Chicago-based truckers are going to be working at 3am in Chicago. It'll be the long haul guys carrying avocados from California to Cleveland.

I'm sure there's 90% less traffic at 2 a.m., no dispute. But as I said, there are likely more drivers on the road in Chicago at 2 a.m. than in Reno or Boise at 8 a.m. And those cities have stations doing live traffic reports each morning.

If there's 90% less traffic, you don't need the same 6 traffic reports every hour you have at 7am.
The number of people in Reno is not relevant - the infrastructure of Reno is Reno-sized. If you did a Freaky Friday and gave Reno all of Chicago's expressways, there would be no need for traffic reporting there because the infrastructure would be so overbuilt.

You don't usually program Waze or Google Maps for a trip you take every night and is usually trouble-free. Yet it's the one night in 50 that you get stuck behind an accident. You didn't know about it because WBBM didn't tell you. You're not supposed to be checking maps or INDOT or ILDOT while driving. And you likely didn't check them before you put the car in gear.

At 2am, gridlock is essentially impossible. If you find an incident on a surface street, just turn around and use another street.
If you find an incident on the expressway, the highway patrol are almost always be able to open some lanes and let the cars through. Because the traffic is so much lower, having one lane open while emergency responders use the others will result in no delays.

 

[b-turner]

Why re-record the same info for the next hour and the next. Most traffic services would be able to update when needed without a warm body at the station. It would seem you are simply looking for something to gripe about. This is an non-issue.

 

[vw86]

Very few Chicago-based truckers are going to be working at 3am in Chicago. It'll be the long haul guys carrying avocados from California to Cleveland.

In this scenario - would the Chicago based trucker with a people meter do the Cleveland stations any good after 6am? Or do they only care about the home market?

 

[jlalande]

To me, complaining about WBBM not keeping an overnight traffic reporter on staff seems about as worthwhile as passengers on the Titanic complaining about not getting turndown service after the ship struck the iceberg. As others have already pointed out, overnight ratings are next to meaningless, and listenership and traffic are both so sparse overnight that it seems foolish to spend any more than the bare minimum on the overnight hours.

Also, while WBBM may be the 8th highest billing station in the country, that doesn't mean it's the 8th most profitable station in the country. All-news is an incredibly expensive format to run. Just look at WCBS -- sure, they billed a lot, but not so much that Audacy dumping the format and LMA'ing the station to Good Karma made financial sense.

WBBM is live and local for all but 3 hours a day (1 hour of "when radio was" and the two hour replay of the 1-3am block from 3a-5a), and, as a long-time listener, I think their news coverage is great. I am probably biased in that, like most people, I'm asleep during the overnight hours, but if cutting the overnight traffic reporter lets them keep another news reporter on staff instead, talk about a no-brainer decision. They could run "When Radio Was" all night for all I care.

 

[PTBoardOp93]

In this scenario - would the Chicago based trucker with a people meter do the Cleveland stations any good after 6am? Or do they only care about the home market?

No. A long haul trucker would not be in any one place long enough to matter in the ratings. One panelist can move the ratings a tiny bit if they are in the market every day, but being in Cleveland for one day to swap loads would not even register.

The PPM would hardly detect anything, since the PPM markets are largely on the coasts. If the route is California to Cleveland, the only PPM markets on that corridor are SF, Sacramento, Chicago and Cleveland.