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Bob Gowa Is Everywhere

D

DavidKaye

I'm not sure why I occasionally write about Bob Gowa, but I come across his voice from time to time and I wonder when he has time to sleep.

So far in the last couple weeks I've heard him doing traffic on KGO, KNEW 960, KKSF 910, and just last night on KCBS as "Bob London". Always the consummate professional I've never heard him slip format or names, as each station has its own presentation style (KCBS has longer reports but the traffic reporter is introduced and does not say his/her name, KNEW and KKSF have shorter segments, often timed, and the traffic reports says their name at the end).

I fully expect that if I had the stomach to listen to KBLX or KIOI I'd hear him there, too.
 
You can actually hear him on all those except KGO. KGO doesn't use the traffic service owned by Clear Channel Bob works for.
 
Is any station still using a "super-commuter" (some nut in a compact car with all sorts of graphic on it reporting that he is stuck in traffic. etc
 
Yes. it's nice to hear Bob - even doing traffic. I'm trying to remember the last time I heard him play music. Last time I can recall was on James Gabbert's KOFY-FM (early or mid 90s. was it?), but I'm probably forgetting something since then.
 
MC said:
Is any station still using a "super-commuter" (some nut in a compact car with all sorts of graphic on it reporting that he is stuck in traffic. etc
Click to expand...

The stations, especially KGO, have cut back dramatically on traffic reporting. It stands to reason, actually, given that the major highways have road sensors in them now and someone looking at a traffic web page can do about as well in finding traffic slowdowns on major highways as someone in a plane or helicopter.

KGO used to have a helicopter and a couple planes at its height along with the "super commuter" driver. Now it has nothing. I think only KCBS has any kind of aircraft in the sky.

Truth be told, have we really lost anything? Joe McConnell reports "there MAY be a mattress in the roadway" or "there MIGHT be a stalled car in the right lane", but really, people are only interested in the slowness of their commute anyway, so whether there is an obstruction or not is not of much consequence; it's the slowdown that matters, and that is easily seen with the road sensors and the Fastrak transponders.
 
DavidKaye said:
I'm not sure why I occasionally write about Bob Gowa, but I come across his voice from time to time and I wonder when he has time to sleep.


I fully expect that if I had the stomach to listen to KBLX or KIOI I'd hear him there, too.
Click to expand...

Dave, try a calcium tablet first. (He's probably on KWMR for all we know).
 
David- Both KCBS and in the day, KGO only had planes up at certain times of the day. Right now, KCBS does during morning and afternoon drive, and part of the midday. Both stations report traffic 24/7...not exactly nothing when it's 6 times per hour...every hour on KCBS, and all hours except talk show hours on KGO. There are many sources for traffic information available now that didn't exist when stations started using airplanes.
 
DavidKaye said:
I'm not sure why I occasionally write about Bob Gowa, but I come across his voice from time to time and I wonder when he has time to sleep.
Click to expand...

Thank you, David. Somebody has to ;)

- Gowa
 
bobgowa said:
DavidKaye said:
I'm not sure why I occasionally write about Bob Gowa, but I come across his voice from time to time and I wonder when he has time to sleep.
Click to expand...

Thank you, David. Somebody has to ;)

- Gowa
Click to expand...

Okay, while we have you here, are you on KGO at any time these days? And for that matter, how many stations are you on these days? Are you outnumbering Joe McConnell for stations now?
 
Bob works for Clear Channel's Total Traffic Network. Since July, no one from there has been on any Cumulus station, like KGO. Cumulus started rolling their own traffic on that date. Prior to that, Bob had done some work on KGO, etc., and in fact also did some weekend board opping there as well.
 
SFStatic said:
Bob works for Clear Channel's Total Traffic Network. Since July, no one from there has been on any Cumulus station, like KGO. Cumulus started rolling their own traffic on that date. Prior to that, Bob had done some work on KGO, etc., and in fact also did some weekend board opping there as well.
Click to expand...

But doesn't Carolyn Burns also work for Total Traffic? She's still on KGO.
 
SFStatic got it right. I long ago lost count, but let's see...KCBS, KQED, KNEW, KKSF, CCFMs on occasion and Sirius/XM. Also in the Fresno, Monterey and Sacramento markets. All on a rotating, as-needed basis. Basically, anything for a buck, which is why I call myself an "Itinerant Radio Generalist."

Oh, and Carolyn Burns now works for Cumulus.

- Gowa
 
I opened my refrigerator this morning and there was Bob Gowa.



Jerry Gordon
 
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