Changes in Radio Traffic Reports

[Eye]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34174478/ns/business-small_business/

 

[MikeShannon914]

Thanks for posting that; someone had forwarded it to me a couple of days ago but I hadn't had a chance to put it on here. Interesting points. But I take some exception with traffic being considered a tune-out factor on a music station. Most of us know (and same for Joe Listener) that traffic is usually followed by those patented 22-spot stopsets...so yeah, I tune out as well! KEOM, on the other hand, takes very consistent breaks to do traffic, and it's usually sandwiched between two songs. Of course, we're talking non-com, but with their choice of traffic services, the accuracy is questionable at best. Perhaps if commercial radio staggered the reports where the listener didn't know if the Stopset From Hell was to follow, they might not experience such a tune-out.

Then again, those poor saps (like me) that often tune out traffic on a music station are the first ones to search the whole dial, AM and FM, trying desperately to get a traffic report when they hit the first bottleneck of their commute.

Clear Channel is banking on the traffic camera coverage to be complete enough that they can cover things pretty accurately. Just in the last few months, TXDOT got some key areas online (streaming video) that completed most of the major artery coverage in DFW. Before, however...CC's effort to do traffic with no air or ground support was laughable. At Traffic.com, we always figured they were logged in to our site and Metro's (via KRLD or KXAS) to "lift" everyone else's information!

And sure, it's hard to replace the human element or to do reports remotely and "sound" like you know what you're talking about. Just listen in on XM/Sirius traffic sometime. I know I spent a lot of time typing in phonetic spellings for street names I knew they'd have a problem pronouncing, and I monitored their DFW channel regularly to make sure they had everything right. I doubt the "replacement traffic service" even bothers with any of that. But, for me doing traffic those last 6 years, my calling card wasn't schooling or radio experience, it was the 500,000 miles I drove around DFW as a courier back in the 90s. Even the voice on the GPS is only as smart as the traffic reporter who's typing in the info (and the Garmin units all use info from Traffic.com, FYI.)

 

[Lancer]

I prefer a studio rundown of traffic vs. a traffic copter any day.

That shrill sound & the reporter yelling over it makes me want to climb a wall, especially first thing in the morning. I like Bill Jackson on KLIF - great delivery & no BS.

 

[MikeShannon914]

I like Bill Jackson on KLIF - great delivery & no BS.

Bill has an awesome radio voice and is very conscientious about getting it right and getting it on the air ASAP. But he's so self-deprecating that he doesn't take praise well, which is too bad. He's a stickler for details and could be tough to work with sometimes, but he really takes his job seriously. He's also on ABC Radio Network's Citadel's Country Coast-to-Coast on weekends, provided that place is still in business, the format hasn't been dropped and Bill hasn't been laid off yet.

KLIF's probably the best place you can get traffic from these days, since it's still serviced by Traffic.com.

 

[bdabagia]

KLIF's probably the best place you can get traffic from these days, since it's still serviced by Traffic.com.

Geez, Mike. Traffic.com is the only one with good traffic reports? Come on.

 

[MikeShannon914]

Geez, Mike. Traffic.com is the only one with good traffic reports? Come on.

Let me separate something here...I have lots of friends who work at Metro. They may each be perfect announcers and contribute their fair share of the work, and do an outstanding job with what information they're given to work from. MY issue is with the way the company is run, who's in management there, who the parent company is, how their aircraft is (not) maintained, how employees (and applicants) are treated, how un-competitive the pay is, and how long before traffic issues are located do they get reported AND how long do they stay in the system after they're long gone?

I spent six years at Traffic.com hearing every single horror story about Metro from the people who lived it. The key figures at Traffic.com were bound and determined to make Traffic.com the UN-Metro, and I believe they succeeded.

And I'm hearing much the same stories YET AGAIN from the folks who were let go at Traffic.com and went BACK to Metro. Nothing, apparently, has changed. Management aside, the only person who apparently rode herd on beat calls, Jennifer Ellis, is long retired. And one can bet that, with 5 or more major markets being run from one central location, something gets lost in the translation. I also hear new stories about management's "temperament." To their credit, I'm sure with a stock price under a nickel, there's surely a great deal of pressure from corporate...and no one knows exactly when the Grim Reaper will come knocking at the door with pink slips in hand. What a sucky environment to try to "thrive" in.

If I am permitted to say so, we kicked some serious a$$ during my time at Traffic.com, and we had a crew that had a LOT to be proud of. John McCarty at the helm was what made it all work, and John put the right people in the right places. He didn't play games. The object at the end of the day had NOTHING to do with ego or management power plays or 'what would corporate think,' it was about serving the stations and the public, being as accurate and complete as possible, and being consistent and dependable and accountable. John buffered Tom Corbett's gruff management style and kept the reporters focused AWAY from the drama and on their jobs instead. I can't say I agreed with every single decision made in that era, but John's way worked. We were never burdened with things we didn't need to worry about.

Therefore, it makes it a little hard to take any other traffic operation seriously, and even harder to believe that our "replacement" is not only doing things cheaper, they're doing it better. Time will tell, I guess.

 

[bdabagia]

Exactly how many airborne reporters does Traffic.com have these days?

Meanwhile, Metro (the gold standard, right?) has ... um ... wait a minute ...

But nobody cares about airbornes, since it can all be done from a computer in a studio nowadays, and that background sound is so annoying anyway. So, clearly, the station that runs the studio-only traffic reports is necessarily superior to the one with the actual live bodies flying over the accidents? Is that what you're saying?

I must be missing something, I guess. Or is my Metro bias showing...? (I couldn't even TYPE that with a straight face.)

 

[MikeShannon914]

And with the undercutting of rates and grounding all but one air unit to cover ALL of North Texas, the bar's set lower. And who suffers? The poor fool on the road who "thinks" someone's actually covering his/her commute from the air. (You've also got two less competing air units up there to pilfer information from...so now if Metro misses it, it's officially missed.)

It's a sad day, no matter how you look at it.

 

[Joepunchface]

Would anyone know how to get in touch with Bill Jackson? I used to work with him and haven't talked to him in a couple of years and would love to catch up.

Thanks!

 

[jondavidvox]

Bill Jackson is one of the very best broadcasters I have ever worked with....He is conscientious, always incredibly prepared, and without doubt one of the funniest people in DFW radio. (Some of the improvs he's pulled off on The Wells Report are just plain classics....)

He talks with us nearly every day, working to get it right....and that privilege of finding someone who technically doesn't even work at your company, but still works hard to be an important part part of your show is just an amazing gift....One I treasure.

God Bless Bill Jackson....

J-D
TWR

 

[MikeShannon914]

JD, Bill might not say it himself, but he thinks the world of you and your crew.

Joepunchface, since you're a new post'er, I've sent you contact information for Bill to your "My Messages" inbox on this board (see menu bar near the top of the page.) I haven't had much luck getting Bill to respond regularly to anything I've sent there, but I believe that's his only email address. You can also call the Traffic.com office between 8:50 & 9AM, and again after 6:30PM and catch him after he's finished up reports for AM or PM. I'll send that info along to you as well.

 

[jondavidvox]

Thanks Mike....That's a very nice thing to say. I appreciate it. One thing I'm proud to say....Bill is a part of 'my crew'. I only wish we could use more of his talent....

Also, I wish I could make your luncheon Saturday....I've got a Texas State Guard thing to get ready for, or I'd be there....Hopefully January.

J-D
TWR