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Boston Traffic Reports

M

mindcrime

Now I am by no means an expert on this but can someone let me know what in the H E double L is going on with Boston Traffic?

As a LOOONG time commuter and consumer of radio babbling traffic reports I recall the late great Joe Greene and Officer Bill but what ever happened to the likes of Trooper Grant and Aaron Sawyer ?

Major Dick is still around in various incarnations of Joe Stapleton as is Rich Kirkland on WBZ 4 in studio AM and in Copter PM ( great stuff.)

I recall Aaron left WBZ and ended up over @ Smart Routes and then Clear Channel where I heard him on Rock 101 and oddly enough on some Providence and Worcester Stations up until last spring. Then " poof " he dissappeared! Dead? .... I always liked his honesty. One time in the middle of a snow storm he went on the Morning Buzz on Rock 101 and said something like " I have no idea what is causing the massive backup on rt 89 near Bow. The Staties tell me they have nothing reported. If your driving around in this blizzard in northern NH then your on your own. " If you see whats causing this backup please call me on the traffic hotline @ ######## and let me know so I can get the word out." Wow. a reporter actually being honest rather than fluffing up the apparent truth with " We are on top of the story and will update you as soon as possible."

While on this thought trail what about Eric Heenan and Bill Wightman from Ch 7? Cindy Campbell is MIA from CH5 too.

Having been all over the country and heard all types of traffic reports I actually can say that Boston has the lion's share of decent reporters.

Ranting Fin~
 
Can't tell ya much 'bout....on the 3's....but....it was really fishy how that turd....Grant Moulason....slipped into never-never land...no tributes to "da trooper"...no goodbye's....Can you say "Moral Terpatude"....Eye Betcha!..... Sounds 'bout AS fishy as that hag Clapprood's husband disbanding "the spinazola foundation" and cancelin' the "da taste of boston,......NObody closes "foudations"....there the biggest cash cow scams goin'.....just ask Michael Kennedy skimmin' 800K @ year from "Peoples energy"......oh that's right ya can't ask.......oh as Emily Latella use ta say....."Never Mind"......SeeYA! ::)
 
Regarding Cindy Campbell on Channel 5/Smartroutes, I personally didnt see it but they (Channel 5) apparently said goodbye to Cindy a few weeks back when she (apparently) moved on to other things. Whether those other things still involved Smartroutes, I have no idea. There are a couple of posts about it on another board. Not sure if I'm allowed to mention the board but it's BTVN (dot) com and those guys post here occasionally I THINK anyway.

Officer Bill Connell, who did traffic on WVBF for Loren and Wally years ago, passed away several years ago. He had started something called Officer Bill's Timesaver Traffic which WVBF used and kept going for awhile (with Hank Morse) after Bill passed away but eventually did away with it.

Anyone from the Worcester (MA) area remember WXLO's RRRRRRRrroger X in the WXLO Traffic Copter?? :D
 
I remember about twelve years ago when WBZ replaced Malcolm Alter in the 'BZ copter with Joe Morgan.

I was listening on my police scanner, so I could hear all the off-air banter on the two-way between 'BZ and the copter. One time just after the changeover, I recall hearing whoever was at the 'BZ base say to Joe after one of his first reports, "That was great! You sounded almost just like Malcolm that time!"
 
Eli Polonsky said:
I remember about twelve years ago when WBZ replaced Malcolm Alter in the 'BZ copter with Joe Morgan.
Click to expand...

I think you mean Joe Green??? You might be confusing your traffic reporters with your baseball managers and players. :D
 
The slug line that WBZ AM1030 used to introduce Joe was:
Mean Joe Greene in the traffic machine! :D

argytunes
 
total aside but Malcolm Alter is one of the classiest radio people I've ever met (namedrop time). When I was on A-B Free, he had a jazz show right before my show. I used to play a few show promos at the top of the hour when I needed a few minutes to prep the second hour and, even after he left, I played his promo because it was so awesome :)

what I've found with WBZ is they're usually a half hour behind so if I hear a report at, say, 12:03, I figure they're reporting traffic at 11:33
 
WMC2006 said:
Eli Polonsky said:
I remember about twelve years ago when WBZ replaced Malcolm Alter in the 'BZ copter with Joe Morgan.
Click to expand...

I think you mean Joe Green??? You might be confusing your traffic reporters with your baseball managers and players. :D
Click to expand...

This was a couple of years after Joe Green retired in 1995. Malcolm Alter did the afternoon traffic copter reports on 'BZ in the interim, then he was replaced by Joe Morgan (not the baseball guy), who is still doing them currently from the 'BZ copter today.
 
Eric Heenan was on in the morning on XLO with Frank and Jen, then Zito and Jen...then disappeared. That was the last I heard him on the air.

Does Metro/Shadow traffic have a website?
 
Eli Polonsky said:
WMC2006 said:
Eli Polonsky said:
I remember about twelve years ago when WBZ replaced Malcolm Alter in the 'BZ copter with Joe Morgan.
Click to expand...

I think you mean Joe Green??? You might be confusing your traffic reporters with your baseball managers and players. :D
Click to expand...

My bad, sorry. Not familiar with Joe Morgan, the traffic guy.

Speaking of Malcolm Alter, as everyone seems to be doing, I remember him doing the traffic reports for Joe (Martelle) and Andy (Moes) on the old WROR (98.5) many many moons ago.

This was a couple of years after Joe Green retired in 1995. Malcolm Alter did the afternoon traffic copter reports on 'BZ in the interim, then he was replaced by Joe Morgan (not the baseball guy), who is still doing them currently from the 'BZ copter today.
Click to expand...
 
"Can't tell ya much 'bout....on the 3's....but....it was really fishy how that turd....Grant Moulason....slipped into never-never land...no tributes to "da trooper"...no goodbye's....Can you say "Moral Terpatude"....Eye Betcha!..... Sounds 'bout AS fishy as that hag Clapprood's husband disbanding "the spinazola foundation" and cancelin' the "da taste of boston,......NObody closes "foudations"....there the biggest cash cow scams goin'.....just ask Michael Kennedy skimmin' 800K @ year from "Peoples energy"......oh that's right ya can't ask.......oh as Emily Latella use ta say....."Never Mind"......SeeYA! "

"Father Coughlin" channels his namesake once again. Google "Grant Moulison", and you will find very routine news items in the local Trade websites remarking upon his retirement with 32 years service in April, 2006.

No mention of any "scandal". Father C, why the hard feelings for Trooper Grant? Did he raise your insurance rates? "Eye" would like to know!

The Spinnazola Foundation closure is puzzling, on its face. Again, Father C throws his unique spin on that, as well. In the absense of facts, innuendo reigns supreme!

Careful, Father! Those Black Helicopters ARE watching you!

See Ya!!!!!!!!!!

OBMM
 
I had the pleasure of meeting "Officer Bill" when he reported for WHDH. He was a heck of a nice guy. I'm not sure the year, but he died of cancer
at age 57.
 
When I was doing fill in work, had the chance to work with Malcolm, what a nice man, a real gentleman with a great sense of humor......
 
Re: Boston Traffic Reports - Cindy Campbell

Cindy Campbell disappeared from WCVB Channel 5 morning traffic reports a few months ago, without even a goodbye. The station says they changed traffic providers, but that doesn't excuse the ignorant treatment of a long-time "regular" on their morning news program.

Smart Routes is independent of Channel 5. I think it's a joint venture with the Mass Highway department and the US Dept of Transportation. Cindy Campbell is (or was) the operations manager for Smart Routes. Jeff Larson (also disappeared) is the general manager. These are communications people, but in a transportation organization, not show business.

If you happen to cross paths with either Jeff or Cindy, please let them know that many in the Channel 5 audience appreciated their professionalism and good information.

And if you happen across any of the WCVB Channel 5 business management or HR, please ask what happened to the station's professionalism, and why they are trying to torpedo the station's public image.
I.
 
Talk about dragging a thread up from the dead..

As for Smart Routes, which was a competitor of Metro Networks, and IIRC was eventually acquired by Metro, Mass Highway put that contract out to bid, and was it earlier this year they were replaced by a company that was willing to do it for nothing, which is why the 511 cell phone traffic service sucks so much now. They are using a sensor system instead of real time reports.

Metro pretty much owns the traffic reporting duties in this market, and other minor markets in the area. There is one competing one but I forget the name right now.

Jeff Larson was kind enough to give me the direct dial line into Metro so I can get and give traffic reports. After 9 at night they answer it "WBZ Traffic on the 3's"
 
I think I may have been wrong about Smart being owned by Metro/CC, Smartroutes is owned by Westwood One from what I am seeing

And Jeff Larson who worked with Cindy at SmartRoutes left SmartRoutes on 6/1/2010
 
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