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KYW traffic reports

R

radiophiler

A request for KYW: Tell your traffic reporters to give "just the facts, m'am." I'm guessing they've requested that the traffic reporters sound more conversational. From my point of view, some of them blather on needlessly now, and the quality of the traffic reports suffers. Sam Clover is a big offender. And now that John Brown is out for a while, Jack Faulkner is trying to be a Clover Clone.
Today, Faulkner said 76 eastbound was "getting better." That's his opinion. Too bad his traffic reports aren't "getting better." Traffic was backed up, stop and go. Was late for an appointment. Can't wait for John Brown to get back. He's the best on KYW. Pat Winters is OK. I prefer John Butterworth and Cindy Graham who do weekend reports over Clover and Faulkner.
I can tell for myself whether there is sun glare. Adding more adjectives and descriptions, such as roads are "really messed up," does nothing for me.

Something tells me this is an attempt to make KYW sound younger. Hey KYW, if you want to lower your age demographic, get CBS to put you on 94.1 (and not HD2), since your rock format on that station is now tied with an out-of-market station (WPST) and going nowhere. The buzz on 1060 AM is so bad in some areas now that I'd rather listen to the Philly traffic on Sirius ... where the traffic reporters, working for the same company as those on KYW, just "give the facts, m'am."
 
Good heavens. The traffic reporters have some of the most challenging jobs in radio. I think they do an EXCELLENT job of bringing the traffic to the listener's ears without sounding like they're talking down to you and keeping it on our level. God forbid they throw in a little bit of conversation. You probably also hate when the news reporter also jokes around with AccuWeather meteorologist Elliot Abrams sometimes, as well, after a live forecast. While KYW should never turn into FM morning radio, I don't think there's anything wrong with making it sound a little less stodgy once in awhile. It's KYW in 2010. Not 1980.
 
Sam Lit is correct, stop listening to non real-time traffic that someone else is deciding what you should know, and take it upon yourself in this digital age to feed yourself the information in real-time. No need for someone else to feed it to you. Don't let these radio management types pull the wool over your eyes and try and make it sound like they're the only source for traffic information. Utter nonsense.
 
And my age-old complaint continues... why is Sam Clover not made to say the call letters correctly at the end of each report? Instead of Kay-Why-Double-You, it is 'KBRADIO"
 
Personally, coudln't care less so long as the info is generally accurate.
 
"There are better ways to get this information" is kind of a cop-out. It doesn't excuse bad reporting. If that were the test, then KYW should pretty much go off the air. There are much better ways of getting pretty much all the information they report.

Same with most music stations. There are much better ways to get music, too.
 
aindik
Insert Quote
"There are better ways to get this information" is kind of a cop-out. It doesn't excuse bad reporting. If that were the test, then KYW should pretty much go off the air. There are much better ways of getting pretty much all the information they report.

Same with most music stations. There are much better ways to get music, too."

Pretty much sums up where the terrestrial radio industry is today in terms of lack of quality programming, with ratings ESTIMATED by the drive-by PPM from that arrogant, monopolistic company in Maryland. Yes, I read the reports that listening is at the same levels from 2009 to 2010, but TIME spent listening is down. The trend will continue this decade until the older demographics die off and terrestrial radio will continue its overall decline. Simply no need to be force fed information or music from transmitters and towers in the digital age. Too many other options for real time information, and music that individuals want to hear for personal enjoyment, NOT off some play list with commercial interruption. Someone's going to figure out how to make money reporting LOCAL news in the digital age, but it certainly won't be the big corporate terrestrial broadcasters.
 
Wow, you think John Brown is the "best"? I respect your opinion. Mine is a little different. I think Cindy Graham and Pat Winters are the "best". Too bad Graham isn't on more. Randy Chepigin is very good too. I think Butterworth talks WAY TOO FAST and the Saturday guy Erik Hurr is god-awful! I can be in a 10 mile mess on the Sure-Kill and the guy will start off telling us about something on some street in Norristown or an accident in Camden! REALLY? What happened with whatever bleeds, leads? 10 miles is alot more important than some of the stuff he starts out with. The woman on Sunday mornings ranks up there bad too, completely no clue about what she is saying--same think with the Sunday night guy too, Mckay guy. Wonder if either of them are even from here sometimes.
 
I haven't used KYW for traffic in over a year. I check Google Maps at home, the office, or on my BlackBerry to see where the jams are. The information is usually more timely and the visual gives a clear sense of how serious the problem is (unlike some vague descriptions by announcers who aren't really sure but fake it so they sound like they are sure).
 
OldNumber7 said:
"I haven't used KYW for traffic in over a year. I check Google Maps at home, the office, or on my BlackBerry to see where the jams are. The information is usually more timely and the visual gives a clear sense of how serious the problem is (unlike some vague descriptions by announcers who aren't really sure but fake it so they sound like they are sure)."

Right on, OldNumber7. I have been saying the same thing for over a year as well. Simply no reason to wait and listen to KYW for traffic when THEY decide to air it, especially when there are better, real-time digital options that are available when an INDIVIDUAL DECIDES he/she wants the information that is important to them. The nonsense from these radio management types that they're the only game in town is getting old quickly. Time to evolve, folks. And to those that say they don't care if an announcer is (intentionally) mispronouncing what he's supposed to say correctly, that's nothing but a cop out and possessing a crappy attitude regarding professionalism. If one's job is to enunciate correctly, then enunciate correctly. Simply no excuse not do. It's called attention to detail, something that is sorely lacking in this country these days.
 
Amusing. I have yet to see a single ad that says "we're the only game in town for traffic." Because it doesn't happen. They promote when they offer it on the broadcast channel, and offer the links to the online stuff if you go tothe site. Given the laws of basic physics, it's not as if the dreaded "management" is somehow withholding traffic for the other 9 minutes of each whopping 10-minute space between reports. In other words...people already have the choice. Give it a few minutes and you know when it will come back up again, or go get it online. No choice blocked, no one saying don't go get it anywhere else. :D
 
Overall the traffic reporters on KYW do an excellent job!!!!! I agree that Pat Winters, Cindy Graham, John Butterworth and Randy Chepigan are the best!!!! Sam Clover is not a bad as some people on here are making him out to be. For John Brown being the best in Philadelphia? that could not be further from the truth. I drive home everyday at 4pm and John's reports are always wrong. Brown sounds very good, but the information is horrible. Pat has been doing the reports since John's been out and the reports have been spot on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU PAT. For the weekend people. RJ MCay is very good, so is Jim Hubmaster, but I agree that Eric Herr is HORRIBLE!! and Randi Ellis could improve, but overall she is not to bad.
 
I'm still waiting to find why John Brown is MIA. A Yahoo search to that end proved fruitless just now.

ixnay
 
John Brown doesn't have to come back at all as far as I'm concerned. I agree with the previous poster in that Pat has done a great job covering for Brown. Sometimes I wonder if Brown never changes his information somehow? Not sure how Pat's info can be "better" but maybe Brown just doesn't update his info he gets whereas Pat does? All I can say is Brown does the same roads over and over and rarely ever gives anything outside of that whereas Pat does. That's why I like her better.
 
Nobody seems to have noticed that these people work for Metro/Shadow traffic and are doing traffic reports on two or three other stations in the region during the same shift.

I agree with those who say "get GPS." I want the information that's important to me and I don't want to wait for the 10 minute cycle to get it. More often than not, I'm already stuck by the time the traffic report comes on.

My other peeve: Early in the morning and late at night, nothing is happening and they drone on about all the places where nothing is happening. And during drive times, when lots of stuff is happening, they rush through it and even then often don't cover everything. They stations need to give them more flexibility in timing. Short reports in the off hours and more open-ended reports during the rush.

Part of the problem is the route system is more complex than it was 50 years ago (give or take) when radio started doing traffic most places. Then it was a few main routes into town and that was all anybody needed to worry about. Now most people commute burb to burb and there are a lot more routes where things can get messed up.
 
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