Cuts Coming to Metro Networks?

[midnight_skulker]

*sigh* :-\

Reading in between the lines, it sounds like the layoff reaper is making the rounds again soon...
Radio traffic reports may have new voice
Business First of Buffalo

Those radio traffic updates that are familiar to Buffalo-area commuters may take on a different sound soon.

Westwood One Inc. has announced plans to restructure its traffic reporting unit, Metro Networks, in order to improve the company’s fiscal condition.

The company said in mid-September that it was regionalizing its 60 operating centers into 13 hubs, one of several programming changes that are expected to save $25 million to $30 million per year.

The cost-cutting will also lead to staff cuts of 15 percent, or 300 jobs. Industry sources say that could lead to as many six job cuts at Metro Network’s Buffalo operation. A Westwood official in New York City would not confirm those numbers nor say if the Buffalo site was being phased out. Metro provides traffic reports on several Buffalo-area radio stations.

Shares of Westwood stock dropped to 37 cents on Oct. 1, a 52-week low for the communications giant, which bills itself as the largest audio content provider in America.

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2008/09/29/daily52.html
[URL provided as a courtesy to other users.]

 

[SirRoxalot]

Inevitable

Thanks to the availability of the NITTEC cameras, real time traffic info from the state DOT, Google, and other providers, I don't think that Metro Networks provides traffic to as many station in Buffalo. Why pay Metro when your jock can do the job about as well for free.

Metro News does have value to stations that want another voice doing local news, but don't want to pay for a news department. I doubt that "regional hubs" will be doing much more than stealing from local websites to put together those newscasts - which is what most radio "news departments" do now anyway.

Yes, I know that there are stations that actually have news departments and cover news. Those stations are typically short-staffed, and "borrow" from the local newspaper and TV news departments to fill the gaps in their coverage. The days of a radio "news cruiser" being first on the scene of a breaking story are long gone.

 

[Mark Giardina]

Re: Inevitable

Metro News does have value to stations that want another voice doing local news, but don't want to pay for a news department. I doubt that "regional hubs" will be doing much more than stealing from local websites to put together those newscasts - which is what most radio "news departments" do now anyway.

Yes, I know that there are stations that actually have news departments and cover news. Those stations are typically short-staffed, and "borrow" from the local newspaper and TV news departments to fill the gaps in their coverage. The days of a radio "news cruiser" being first on the scene of a breaking story are long gone.

Local news costs money, which is why some commercial radio stations have either reduced or eliminated local news staffs.

Public radio seems to be the only broadcasting entity that encourages local news coverage. Some stations have even dropped classical or other music formats to feature news programs like Morning Edition and All Things Considered, backed up with local news content.

Now comes the big question. If commercial radio decides to get rid of local news altogether will public radio, seeing there is no more competition and also looking at their own bottom line, start reducing its commitment to local news?

Don't think that this is an impossibility. In these uncertain economic times people are going to be more careful when it comes to their money, especially donating to their favorite causes. Also take note that some public stations have invested in Wall Street, and they must also be hurting, like many investors are.

 

[Radknowski]

To be fair, even Public Radio is up against it. These are precarious times in which we live. What's happening on Wall Street, in banking and finance will have a profound effect on contributions from individual members of local NPR affiliates. Let's see, give $50 to WBFO-WNED-WXXI or use that $50 to buy groceries this week? Even corporate underwriters are likely to downsize their budgets. The only people who are making out on this mess are the bastages on Wall Street who got us into this mess... and yes, I'll add that they were aided and abetted by the hoopleheads who thought they could get something for nothing, buying a luxury home in East Amherst or Brighton even as they didn't have two nickels to rub together. It's not pretty from any angle.

 

[Mark Giardina]

To be fair, even Public Radio is up against it. These are precarious times in which we live. What's happening on Wall Street, in banking and finance will have a profound effect on contributions from individual members of local NPR affiliates. Let's see, give $50 to WBFO-WNED-WXXI or use that $50 to buy groceries this week? Even corporate underwriters are likely to downsize their budgets.

Oh there is no doubt about it that Public Radio will be impacted by the economic mess the country is in. Again I bring up the fact that some public stations invest the money in Wall Street. And you raised the very good point that when it comes to spending $50.00 to put groceries on the table, or donate to Public Radio, the choice is obvious.

WXXI for example normally has its radio fund raising drive in October. It will be interesting to see what their goal will be, and if they achieve that goal. I am not certain when WBFO or WNED have their radio drives. But again it will be worth noting if these stations will be able to make their goals.

 

[x13thfloorrand]

from the 18th floor of the statler

Friday is the alleged last day for stations supported by Buffalo Metro Networks office, Entercomm (WBEN only) has a contract, presuming through calander 2008, to have Metro provide onsite traffic reports from "mobile 930". I've been told it's the only station that continues after tommorrow. Speculation only...

The beginning of the end when Metro was dropped by Buffalo Citadel stations, leaving only Entercomm and Regent. And since Channel 4 is now forced to carry the entire "CBS Early show", traffic & local fill is truncated to fill asmall break at end of hour.
Other 'regional ' offices such as Rochester, Syracuse were rolled into nearby cities.

 

[OneDaySale]

I don't know where you guys have been on this...WW1 made announcements about reductions about 2 weeks ago. Most buffalo staff is being cut, I know of only two people who have been re-assigned to Boston or something like that.

Anyone with half a brain would've moved on from metro when they eliminated Rochester!

If you've ever listened to 97rock traffic, or bull morning traffic, you know these guys are making this stuff up, and not even trying to find out what's going on for the ride in...if I was a sponsor I wouldn't pay.

 

[Element9]

Traffic? Only in Buffalo do commuters get bent out of shape if their morning commute gets disrupted from the normal 22 minutes to 32 minutes. Anybody moving here from Boston, NYC, Chicago, Philly or LA would laugh out loud at what passes for a traffic tie-up here. And isn't it always a little slow at "the big blue water tower?" Yeesh! Still, sorry to see people in any segment of the business lose their jobs. Bet the guys in the corner offices continue to pick up their paycheck.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

Allow me to address the two topics brought up here.
1. Traffic reports.
I travel on business around the state, especially to Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse and listen for traffic reports so that I am not late for scheduled appointments. I've noticed a serious decline in the reliability of accurate traffic information. I've found myself either stuck in traffic when moments before the announcer on the radio tells me that stretch of highway is open; or visa-versa.
When traffic reports first became a fixture on the radio years ago the system was a simple one. You had people with CB radios calling in any traffic accidents to a staff of people, who in turn would broadcast that information to the radio stations they were contracted to work for. What happened is (once again) big media companies came in and purchased these local traffic operations and began their usual "weeding out" of employees as budget time came about. This is one of many reasons for example why the third largest city in New York (Rochester) doesn't have Metro Traffic located there, but instead traffic is provided by people in a city 75 miles away.

With regards to the topic of local news. Without the internet, TV, or the local newspaper, many commercial radio stations wouldn't be able to provide their listeners with any news because most commercial stations eliminated local news staffs years ago. Either that or you have a morning host reading headlines.
Public Radio has to provide some local news coverage because that is what their audience expects. And if these stations want money during pledge drives, they better give their listeners what they want, or forget about donations.

 

[radioguyintexas]

Yes, this is old news...read the Houston boards - 5 on-air staff were laid-off 2 weeks ago, as well as one staff member that worked at Houston Transtar (traffic information center)...

The announcement that WW1 was cutting staff at metro hit the trades on 9/8.

Many people are now looking for work, and aren't having any luck - it was bad before this, but now it's worse.

 

[Wazzie]

If you work for Metro, you should be sending out your resumes NOW! It doesn't matter if you "think" you're safe because you work in a hub market. I know a Metro ADO in a large market who was warned by a higher up/friend. This all really SUCKS and its all due to GREED.

Radio needs to take a giant leap backwards, back to the 7/7/7 rule. Things were not perfect, but we didn't have 12,000 ghost radio stations in the US running off a computer. We had fully staffed outlets providing local content. And yes, some of them really stunk. But some really shined.

Any U.S. corporate stations that really shine today?

 

[Mark Giardina]

Radio needs to take a giant leap backwards, back to the 7/7/7 rule. Things were not perfect, but we didn't have 12,000 ghost radio stations in the US running off a computer. We had fully staffed outlets providing local content. And yes, some of them really stunk. But some really shined.

You're preaching to the choir here. Unfortunately those who hold the baton are not paying attention, nor will they.

The selling point for deregulation was less government intrusion into the broadcasting industry. All deregulation did was allow big companies to come in and buy up what they could and eliminate thousands of jobs.

I would really like to see an economist figure out the percentage of jobs eliminated since deregulation reared its ugly head 20 + years ago.

 

[GSmitty]

One correction to Voice Of Reason's post from earlier this morning.......Clear Channel Rochester (and especially WHAM) still has locally gathered and voiced traffic reports during morning drive.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

One correction to Voice Of Reason's post from earlier this morning.......Clear Channel Rochester (and especially WHAM) still has locally gathered and voiced traffic reports during morning drive.

Mr. Smith, who is a highly respected former broadcaster on Buffalo and Rochester radio, is correct that WHAM provides its own traffic reports. They always have.
What I was referring to was Metro Traffic which has never been, to the best of my knowledge, affiliated with WHAM radio.

 

[scooterodell]

Mr. Smith, who is a highly respected former broadcaster on Buffalo and Rochester radio, is correct that WHAM provides its own traffic reports. They always have.
What I was referring to was Metro Traffic which has never been, to the best of my knowledge, affiliated with WHAM radio.

Interestingly, when Metro left Rochester, CC brought in their Total Traffic Network. It was local briefly, then outsourced to Syracuse or Albany (I don't recall which). All the CC stations in Rochester ditched local traffic to run the outsourced product initially, but it didn't take long for the WHAM Morning News to switch back to local traffic from Barry V. The rest of the CC traffic, though, still comes from out of market... and it's horrible. Almost embarrassing to listen to, actually.

 

[SSSKub]

If you've ever listened to 97rock traffic, or bull morning traffic, you know these guys are making this stuff up, and not even trying to find out what's going on for the ride in...if I was a sponsor I wouldn't pay.

Have you ever used Clear Channel Traffic??? (I know Citadel, who you cited, uses it) How can someone expect a website in which the updates come from SYRACUSE to give proper updates... But sure, jump on the jocks, it's their fault for using the service their company provides them with... They're just "making things up" right?

 

[ThePickleReport]

Most buffalo staff is being cut, I know of only two people who have been re-assigned to Boston or something like that.

I heard today from someone in the know that the Buffalo office has closed. Reports are being fed from Boston to this area where needed.

 

[anderson]

After they shut us down here in Rochester about two years ago, I've been wondering how long Larry and the Buffalo staff would be able to hang on. I was one of the lucky ones to get picked up full-time by an affiliate before the doors locked.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

I'm surprised that Metro Traffic just doesn't move its operation to China and do traffic and news reports from there :

 

[scooterodell]

Shhhhh... Don't give them any ideas!