Atlanta Traffic Reporters

[rickydradio]

The best traffic reporters in Atlanta Radio in no particular order:

The late great Keith Kalland...one of the nicest people I had the opportunity to work with. At one time, I had a copy which we used on the Best of the Kimmer of Keith being introduced to Kimmer's "South Park" clip where somebody is yelling "Oh God" as they are getting sick on the toilet. To extracate himself from the cut, Keith said he was Beth Keppel...very funny!

Capt Herb, Mark Arum, Bob Kidd, Art "Madman" Mehring, Margo Johson, Esther Caspino, Greg Talmadge and Robin Kelly Cox.

The worst...me when as Assistant Program Director I had to come in to run the board on a Sunday Morning on WGST! The board operator had to do traffic for a few hours between shifts of Total Traffic having staffing! Okay, I wasn't that bad, but my preference was always making the air staff look good, not being on air; however, it was always an honor filling in for Wayne "No Offense" as "Eannie Meannie" with the Kimmer and being the anti-Wayne showing how much I knew about Atlanta with Chris Krok on WSB as "Executive Producer Ricky D." Fun times!!!

 

[ATL11750]

why hasn't anybody said Doug Turnbell or Ed Arnold, sure ''fireball'' turnbell my talk fast but he know what he is doing and is committed to WSB. he is on weekday mornings and rotate afternoons, fill ins midday, night shift, and weekends.

my top 10 for traffic
1.Keith kalland - wxia,waga,wgst :-[ :-[ :'( :'(
2.capt.herb - wsb
3.mark arum - wsb
4.Doug turnbell - wsb
5.Art ''mad man'' Merhing - CC+92.5 the bear
6.ed Arnold - wsb
7. Greg Talmadge - wyay
8.judd hiffibottom - wsb
9.andrew hammond - wsb
10.jim basil - wxia
that is my 2 cents

 

[ATLRadioFan]

You all are forgetting Chris Monroe, formerly of WSB. I believe he's over at Fish/104.7 now. I think he also does stuff for one of Salem's AM stations. Personally, I think he's the best in this market. Very clear & not too fast. Would love to hear him on WYAY.

 

[secondchoice]

All News 106.7 does say "Airborne Traffic," but I'm not so sure that means they own a plane. I'm thinking they probably don't.
.

Doesn't he "ride" in the Fox 5 helicopter? Background noise sounds like a helicopter.

 

[BarryATL]

All News 106.7 does say "Airborne Traffic," but I'm not so sure that means they own a plane. I'm thinking they probably don't.
.

Doesn't he "ride" in the Fox 5 helicopter? Background noise sounds like a helicopter.

I was told that Radiate uses a plane. I thought the same thing about the Fox 5 helicopter.

I am making an assumption here, but sometimes the person in the plane says they are in the "control center" and my assumption means they are on the ground.

 

[secondchoice]

I wonder too because fixed winged aircraft usually do not get clearance to go downtown. Does Herb ride in the Channel 2 helicopter? I would think at over $400.00 to $800 per hour the TV stations would be glad to have the radio operations "chip in".

 

[atlzombie]

106.7 contracts a fixed wing that is based out of Brisco/Gwinnett Co. When he says he is in the "Command Center" it is an office that he broadcasts out of at the airport when they are grounded. No traffic people fly in the Skyfox.

 

[RhubarbFan]

Captin Herb flies out of Peachtree-Deklab airport.

 

[BarryATL]

106.7 contracts a fixed wing that is based out of Brisco/Gwinnett Co. When he says he is in the "Command Center" it is an office that he broadcasts out of at the airport when they are grounded. No traffic people fly in the Skyfox.

Thanks for the info! I appreciate the honesty of saying command center when not airborne. That shows good integrity.

 

[JVR]

106.7 contracts a fixed wing that is based out of Brisco/Gwinnett Co. When he says he is in the "Command Center" it is an office that he broadcasts out of at the airport when they are grounded. No traffic people fly in the Skyfox.

When Ty Hunter isn't flying, Matt Dore (sp?) is usually filling in...leading me to believe both had some sort of flight experience. IIRC Greg Talmage said something OTA before on Ty coming from somewhere in Florida. It seems like he's flying every afternoon and most mornings.

Also...is Fonda Smith (who never was at all news director...be careful where you get your info at Cumulus) the new permanent overnight traffic anchor? She and Maria Boynton have been sounding great, as I've got to listen some to the overnight broadcasts.

 

[ATL11750]

I wonder too because fixed winged aircraft usually do not get clearance to go downtown. Does Herb ride in the Channel 2 helicopter? I would think at over $400.00 to $800 per hour the TV stations would be glad to have the radio operations "chip in".

no, wsb radio has there own skycam for capt.herb/mark McKay. they also have the sky plane for Kim McCarthy. she does afternoons on the B and mornings and afternoons on WSB, sh also alternate midday's since Chris lucas left and replaced grahom caroll in sky fox 5 hd (not really)
speaking of sky cams
2 has news chopper 2 HD with jason durden
5 has Sky FOX 5 HD (not really HD) now with crhis lucas)
11 and 46 both had there own sky cam's but sold them both when the economy crashed 5 years ago,(right in the middle of CBS 46 Stupid stuff going on.
yet 46 shows skycam footage nearly every afternoon. what is going on. sky cam w/o a reporter.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Crash Clark, who is now Crash D on V-103.

 

[ShawtyBlack_ATL]

I wonder too because fixed winged aircraft usually do not get clearance to go downtown. Does Herb ride in the Channel 2 helicopter? I would think at over $400.00 to $800 per hour the TV stations would be glad to have the radio operations "chip in".

no, wsb radio has there own skycam for capt.herb/mark McKay. they also have the sky plane for Kim McCarthy. she does afternoons on the B and mornings and afternoons on WSB, sh also alternate midday's since Chris lucas left and replaced grahom caroll in sky fox 5 hd (not really)
speaking of sky cams
2 has news chopper 2 HD with jason durden
5 has Sky FOX 5 HD (not really HD) now with crhis lucas)
11 and 46 both had there own sky cam's but sold them both when the economy crashed 5 years ago,(right in the middle of CBS 46 Stupid stuff going on.
yet 46 shows skycam footage nearly every afternoon. what is going on. sky cam w/o a reporter.

CBS ATLANTA has "Sky Eye" and they use it faithfully during the 4,5 and 6 newscast.

 

[JVR]

\
5 has Sky FOX 5 HD (not really HD) now with crhis lucas)

I heard Chris (spelling's important!^) on All News 106.7 tonight having a report with Randy Wyles on the plane crash....I never thought I'd see that, but since Fox5 is incorporated into All News, it was bound to happen.

 

[Traffic Boss]

Personally I preferred the late '80's' traffic reporters; Scott Slade, Debra Corey, Flyin Ivan, Bob Kidd, Tom Clark (Crash Clark's older brother)....Those were the days, 3 helicopters in the air. Jim basile in the Robinson R-22, Slade in the Hughes 300, and me in the bell 206, "The rock n roll jet patrol.."

 

[AMFMRadFan]

106.7 contracts a fixed wing that is based out of Brisco/Gwinnett Co. When he says he is in the "Command Center" it is an office that he broadcasts out of at the airport when they are grounded. No traffic people fly in the Skyfox.

When Ty Hunter isn't flying, Matt Dore (sp?) is usually filling in...leading me to believe both had some sort of flight experience. IIRC Greg Talmage said something OTA before on Ty coming from somewhere in Florida. It seems like he's flying every afternoon and most mornings.

Also...is Fonda Smith (who never was at all news director...be careful where you get your info at Cumulus) the new permanent overnight traffic anchor? She and Maria Boynton have been sounding great, as I've got to listen some to the overnight broadcasts.

Hi everyone. There's a couple of things I would like to point out. First of all, it's "Control Center", not "Command Center". As for Fonda Smith, either she's doing weekend overnights on AN106.7 or she's a fill-in. Susan Carr still does overnights during the week. Anyway, that is all.

 

[sagebasics]

Control Center = stall in men's room at Briscoe Field.

 

[nightmanager]

There's nobody like Kalland. And probably never will be again. I rank him up there with Royal Marshall as people who would been kings of Atlanta radio if they'd been around longer. Arguably it's not much of a kingdom and both of them accomplished a lot anyway. But I wish we'd gotten to hear both of them more.

Anyway, I have no trouble understanding Cap'n Herb. Yes he is fast. It's a big town. Everybody wants to wreck themselves silly every day and he's got 30 seconds to tell it all. Not an easy task for anybody on that team.

Herb is completely different off the air. Talks like anyone else. I am always kind of amazed how easily he flips between two entirely different modes, but that's radio people for you.

My only issue with WSB traffic is having to endure some of the talk shows that run around it.

 

[ATL11750]

Personally I preferred the late '80's' traffic reporters; Scott Slade, Debra Corey, Flyin Ivan, Bob Kidd, Tom Clark (Crash Clark's older brother)....Those were the days, 3 helicopters in the air. Jim basile in the Robinson R-22, Slade in the Hughes 300, and me in the bell 206, "The rock n roll jet patrol.."

bob kidd is still around, fill in on wsb. normally does sunday nights, early monday mornings
also, do you remember which stations had the traffic cams?

 

[BarryATL]

I was remembering what Ross and Wilson called "Nurse Nasal Nose" with "your MARTA Traffic Watch". Many stations in the metro carried the MARTA traffic watch before the traffic services existed.