Jason Durden Out at WSB-TV

[RoddyFreeman]

Jason Durden, the helicopter traffic reporter for WSB-TV, is out according to Rodney Ho. This is relevant to radio because prior to WSB-TV, he was a traffic reporter for B98.5 and then WSB-AM. He is a really good guy.

Jason was an employee of Total Traffic and not WSB-TV. I don't know whether this had anything to do with the iHeart cuts that are happening this week. My understanding is the layoffs were going to be mainly below market #30.

 

[LegalTender]

Evolution from aviators to apps continues. GPS data has vastly improved the quality of traffic data. Predictive routing via smartphone is more and more reliable.

Jason is a great guy.

 

[AMRocks]

My understanding is the layoffs were going to be mainly below market #30.

Unfortunately, that's false. Many people in larger markets are gone, too.

It's also a little odd that, since so may people in one market voice tracked for stations in other markets, it will seem like even more people got "dislocated" -- the company's word. Someone also posted that iHeart took down all the jock pages from all the websites. Easier to do that and build back the ones that were still employed (but I didn't actually check this.)

 

[RoddyFreeman]

Unfortunately, that's false. Many people in larger markets are gone, too.

It's also a little odd that, since so may people in one market voice tracked for stations in other markets, it will seem like even more people got "dislocated" -- the company's word. Someone also posted that iHeart took down all the jock pages from all the websites. Easier to do that and build back the ones that were still employed (but I didn't actually check this.)

I didn't say they would be limited to the smaller markets; I said they would mainly in the smaller markets. In Atlanta 3 jocks were cut but not major ones.

 

[nightmanager]

Rodney's article is a bit confusing. I thought Durden was flying in the distinctive red Bell 206 that was the old News Chopper 2, doing radio traffic and acting as a backup TV news chopper when needed. Meanwhile Channel 2 also had their own newer properly logoed Bell 407 out flying around. Or maybe I have it backwards about who was in which ship. I see both of these ships nearly every day.

But this is not surprising. WSB is the only TV/radio operation I know of that operated a whopping TWO expensive helicopters at once. The new owners would have gone pale looking at the cost for flying that much hardware even if the ad sales did cover it. It made a lot more sense a few years ago but truly a luxury these days.

Heck, WSB used to have a fixed wing as well. Did they ever have all three ships flying at the same time? Or was the Skyplane just a desk somewhere?

Jason is a very good dude what what I've always heard. Wish him the absolute best.

 

[BoboKnight]

Rodney's article is a bit confusing. I thought Durden was flying in the distinctive red Bell 206 that was the old News Chopper 2, doing radio traffic and acting as a backup TV news chopper when needed. Meanwhile Channel 2 also had their own newer properly logoed Bell 407 out flying around. Or maybe I have it backwards about who was in which ship. I see both of these ships nearly every day.

But this is not surprising. WSB is the only TV/radio operation I know of that operated a whopping TWO expensive helicopters at once. The new owners would have gone pale looking at the cost for flying that much hardware even if the ad sales did cover it. It made a lot more sense a few years ago but truly a luxury these days.

Heck, WSB used to have a fixed wing as well. Did they ever have all three ships flying at the same time? Or was the Skyplane just a desk somewhere?

Jason is a very good dude what what I've always heard. Wish him the absolute best.

He was in the Channel 2 logoed chopper. It’s my understanding that the the red chopper is part of a news gathering pool that other stations belong to. Traffic information is relayed back to the other stations/traffic providers but WSB-TV/radio are the only ones that are allowed to have an on air reporter broadcast from the chopper.