WCBS is a different case with WINS also in the market. They can afford to do different things unique to New York.
Traffic reports could be shortened at rush hour to say "all the majors are an unholy mess," but that's not terribly helpful. We have a lot of traffic problems in the region. Sometimes, there are major issues--picking a recent example, the closure of the PA turnpike where it intersects with the Blue Route a few days back. Covering that and its ripple effects, and the other issues, takes time, sometimes more time than others. I mean, sure, you could go the route of some music stations that "report" traffic in about 15 seconds by basically mentioning 76 and 95. But for the news station in town, that's not what listeners expect. Whatever your issue with "long" reports, I'm guessing you could find a number of people who, not necessarily able to fumble with their phone while driving, are appreciative of more detailed information as a general rule.
I also doubt there's all that many anal retentive people worrying about whatever slight variations there are in when certain content airs. The sports airing at :16, or business news at :56 instead of :55 is really....irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.
And not every news conference bears airing live (which, by the way, exacerbates the very problem you decry). You have one on-air stream--use it judiciously, the same as the TV stations do. You can drop in and out, or you can use the web. Not everyone is going to hear everything--so it goes in life.
Looking at all factors in totality, no, KYW doesn't need a total makeover. Perhaps some nips and tucks here and there by way of freshening up, just as they've done for a long time now. But a wholesale renovation isn't justified.
