construction made me stuck on the thruway the other day...took me 45 freaking minutes to make it from carrier circle to liverpool! wtf? also, no mention of this on 1059, 570, 93q...come on guys do your jobs!
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more lousy traffic
- Thread starter RomeNYToupee
- Start date
This is SO typical!
And it's no different in Albany either. Whether the reports are gererated by Clear Channel... whether they call it "time-saver traffic" or whatever ... only the major routes are given, it's delivered as quickly as possible, and if the congestion is caused by anything other than a major accident it doesn't seem to get reported. In Albany for example, the thruway west of Exit 24 never gets reported, unless there's something major in the EASTBOUND lane. Westbound? -- forget it.
The days of the guys in the copter seem long gone. Now it's guys in sound booths (often 300 miles away) trying to tell me what's going on locally. Absolutely useless.
And it's no different in Albany either. Whether the reports are gererated by Clear Channel... whether they call it "time-saver traffic" or whatever ... only the major routes are given, it's delivered as quickly as possible, and if the congestion is caused by anything other than a major accident it doesn't seem to get reported. In Albany for example, the thruway west of Exit 24 never gets reported, unless there's something major in the EASTBOUND lane. Westbound? -- forget it.
The days of the guys in the copter seem long gone. Now it's guys in sound booths (often 300 miles away) trying to tell me what's going on locally. Absolutely useless.
Yes, CC Syracuse does the traffic for Albany most of the time... I think morning drive is the only exception.
If you were in Syracuse doing traffic for Albany, how would you do it? Oh yeah, the Thruway and NYSDOT traffic cameras freely available online. They just report what they're seeing online and then they pipe a voicetrack down the line to the stations in the other markets.
You're absolutely right -- nothing beats having a real traffic reporter in a helicopter or an airplane. For many years, Tony Bombardo offered that advantage in Syracuse, but as he got older, his on-air ability diminished to the point stations started dropping their contracts with him, one by one until he was basically forced to retire.
An eye in the sky can see much more than the limited viewpoints provided by traffic cameras... especially in areas like Syracuse, where the cameras are still fairly new and only positioned on the interstates. If there's a major traffic jam elsewhere, forget it.
If you were in Syracuse doing traffic for Albany, how would you do it? Oh yeah, the Thruway and NYSDOT traffic cameras freely available online. They just report what they're seeing online and then they pipe a voicetrack down the line to the stations in the other markets.
You're absolutely right -- nothing beats having a real traffic reporter in a helicopter or an airplane. For many years, Tony Bombardo offered that advantage in Syracuse, but as he got older, his on-air ability diminished to the point stations started dropping their contracts with him, one by one until he was basically forced to retire.
An eye in the sky can see much more than the limited viewpoints provided by traffic cameras... especially in areas like Syracuse, where the cameras are still fairly new and only positioned on the interstates. If there's a major traffic jam elsewhere, forget it.
dont the thruway have a site
i thought there's a website that has info for truway closures accidents and construction. i have noticed that since last year the quality of traffic reports in syracuse has gotten worse...maybe it's time for cc to farm it out to another market cause they are just throwin their money to the wind here
i thought there's a website that has info for truway closures accidents and construction. i have noticed that since last year the quality of traffic reports in syracuse has gotten worse...maybe it's time for cc to farm it out to another market cause they are just throwin their money to the wind here
Re: dont the thruway have a site
I highly doubt sending the "traffic hub" to another market will make things any better. Doesn't matter where the reports originate... Clear Channel still will hire the smallest number of people possible, doing traffic reports for several stations in several markets. One afternoon, I heard Justin James during the Jim Rieith show on WSYR, talking about accidents on 490 and 590 -- in Rochester -- and the report was tagged "...in the (sponsor) Traffic Center, I'm Justin James for WHAM 1180." He obviously sent the voicetrack to the wrong station's computer, and voila, it aired on WSYR. (Guessing Syracuse's traffic for that hour aired on WHAM.)
So you have Justin James doing traffic for WSYR, B104, Y94, and maybe Power and WHEN. Then he has to turn around and do Rochester traffic for WHAM and whichever other stations CC has there. I've heard the Syracuse hub also handles Albany and a few other markets -- not sure how many others Justin does himself or if there are other people splitting the duties. Regardless, these people don't have a lot of time, especially in drive time, where certain stations might demand a new update multiple times per hour.
This is one area where CC's unending desire to save money is actually shooting themselves in the foot. But they probably figure most people aren't paying THAT much attention to the traffic reports, and as long as they sound halfway intelligent on-air, they sound credible enough to listeners and most importantly, to the sponsor. As far as Clear Channel is concerned, the only two words that matter in the entire traffic report are "Price Chopper," at least in Syracuse.
RomeNYToupee said:
I highly doubt sending the "traffic hub" to another market will make things any better. Doesn't matter where the reports originate... Clear Channel still will hire the smallest number of people possible, doing traffic reports for several stations in several markets. One afternoon, I heard Justin James during the Jim Rieith show on WSYR, talking about accidents on 490 and 590 -- in Rochester -- and the report was tagged "...in the (sponsor) Traffic Center, I'm Justin James for WHAM 1180." He obviously sent the voicetrack to the wrong station's computer, and voila, it aired on WSYR. (Guessing Syracuse's traffic for that hour aired on WHAM.)
So you have Justin James doing traffic for WSYR, B104, Y94, and maybe Power and WHEN. Then he has to turn around and do Rochester traffic for WHAM and whichever other stations CC has there. I've heard the Syracuse hub also handles Albany and a few other markets -- not sure how many others Justin does himself or if there are other people splitting the duties. Regardless, these people don't have a lot of time, especially in drive time, where certain stations might demand a new update multiple times per hour.
This is one area where CC's unending desire to save money is actually shooting themselves in the foot. But they probably figure most people aren't paying THAT much attention to the traffic reports, and as long as they sound halfway intelligent on-air, they sound credible enough to listeners and most importantly, to the sponsor. As far as Clear Channel is concerned, the only two words that matter in the entire traffic report are "Price Chopper," at least in Syracuse.
stin james needs to pay attention
if he is screwing things up maybe he needs to pay attention. i've worked in the health industry since leaving radio. a mistake as severe as sending the wrong report is like giving a patient the wrong meds. both have costly effects. if justin keeps sending the wrong report to the wrong place maybe he should be fired!
if he is screwing things up maybe he needs to pay attention. i've worked in the health industry since leaving radio. a mistake as severe as sending the wrong report is like giving a patient the wrong meds. both have costly effects. if justin keeps sending the wrong report to the wrong place maybe he should be fired!
These posts make me laugh. We are talking traffic, not world peace. As a regular commuter from Syracuse to Rochester, I have always found the traffic reports very credible. so the kid made a mistake. big deal. I'll bet most people listening got to and from work with little or no trouble. radio has changed, so has TV. It looks like Ross and all these other posters just have a bone to pick with these stations. Get a life.
foxx5100 said:These posts make me laugh. We are talking traffic, not world peace. As a regular commuter from Syracuse to Rochester, I have always found the traffic reports very credible. so the kid made a mistake. big deal. I'll bet most people listening got to and from work with little or no trouble. radio has changed, so has TV. It looks like Ross and all these other posters just have a bone to pick with these stations. Get a life.
when one of these reports gets you stuck in traffic because you don't hear them talking about something they should be youd be poed too! btw that construction on the thruway took me a long time to make it home where my family was waiting for me. bottom line these people in radio traffic are paid to get me home by avoiding delays...if they cant do that then maybe management needs to find someone who can!
I drive the thruway 4 times a week. Sometimes to Albany, sometimes to Rochester where I work. The reports I hear by Denman and James are usually very accurate. construction just doesn't pop up. Usually the construction is in the same spot for days or weeks. Their traffic reports are the only ones on the radio that I can find and again, always helpful, especially in the morning commute to Rochester. If I am late and my family is waiting for me, I just pick up the cell phone and tell them I'll be home soon. I suggest you do the same. I sure am not going to blame someone on the radio. what a stupid thing for you to say.
Let me start out by saying that I don't post often on this board but I do read it frequently. When I do post; it is to answer a question or maybe offer some "history" on a topic. I try not to be drawn into 'my station is better than yours" discussions. That being said, I have to take issue with this thread and some other similar ones. Some of the posters admit to working in radio in the past and I'm sure others, like me, currently work in the business. If you have not worked in radio (or television for that matter) in the last 18 months or so, let me enlighten you: It is not the way you remember it. Saying that news departments of any size should be implemented or complaining about quality of traffic reports is ridiculous. Over the last year or so, stations have been gutted of anything owners deem too expensive. AP news wires, promotion budgets, outside advertising, equipment upgrades and in some cases needed repairs. The carpets are dirty, the free coffee is long gone. Talent fees are a thing of the past. Strict 40 hour work weeks (and in some cases 50 hour weeks) are enforced. Anything that does not have a big enough return on investment is considered frivolous.
Here is the kicker: Employees are apparently not a good return on investment either. They cost the company money for wages and benefits (also slashed from good coverage to no frills plans that many people are paying more than 60% to the companies 40%.) 401k? That's gone too. Some sales people are finding themselves owing the company money when they can't cover their draw due to slow sales. Not to mention major slashes to commissions. It is not just any one station or group, I hear similar stories across the board and from across the country. It is not uncommon for one person to be doing 4 different jobs now. People are trying to do the best they can with what they have to work with. Nobody wants to do a bad job but corners are being cut. They have to be; there is not enough time to get it all done.
So, whats my point? Traffic reports should be better, news departments should be staffed appropriately but they aren't and they never will be again. Owners have made the cuts and the stations are still on the air. Most are just shells of their former selves but they did not fall down. If the economy turned around tomorrow; if technology took a step backward and made radio and television the mediums they were 20 years ago things would not return to "normal". We like to think of broadcasting as a craft; an art form, perhaps. After all it is entertainment. As much as we don't like it, radio is a business and the P/L is the bottom line. One mark of a successful business is that it is profitable. The less you spend, the more you make. As frustrating as these times are, it still beats digging a ditch. So, lighten up and remember we are trying our best.
BTW: Don't blame the radio station because traffic held you up. They didn't create the backup. As any good traffic reporter will tell you..."Remember to plan an alternate route during this summer construction season."
Here is the kicker: Employees are apparently not a good return on investment either. They cost the company money for wages and benefits (also slashed from good coverage to no frills plans that many people are paying more than 60% to the companies 40%.) 401k? That's gone too. Some sales people are finding themselves owing the company money when they can't cover their draw due to slow sales. Not to mention major slashes to commissions. It is not just any one station or group, I hear similar stories across the board and from across the country. It is not uncommon for one person to be doing 4 different jobs now. People are trying to do the best they can with what they have to work with. Nobody wants to do a bad job but corners are being cut. They have to be; there is not enough time to get it all done.
So, whats my point? Traffic reports should be better, news departments should be staffed appropriately but they aren't and they never will be again. Owners have made the cuts and the stations are still on the air. Most are just shells of their former selves but they did not fall down. If the economy turned around tomorrow; if technology took a step backward and made radio and television the mediums they were 20 years ago things would not return to "normal". We like to think of broadcasting as a craft; an art form, perhaps. After all it is entertainment. As much as we don't like it, radio is a business and the P/L is the bottom line. One mark of a successful business is that it is profitable. The less you spend, the more you make. As frustrating as these times are, it still beats digging a ditch. So, lighten up and remember we are trying our best.
BTW: Don't blame the radio station because traffic held you up. They didn't create the backup. As any good traffic reporter will tell you..."Remember to plan an alternate route during this summer construction season."
Wow....oldskool tellin' it like it is!
Let me add to his great post by saying a few things as someone who at one time did traffic reports many years ago. It's not all eyewittness reporting. I don't know about the particular service used by this station, but a lot of them use DOT cameras and reports, augmented by scanner and police radio information, and listener calls. So to blame the on-air guy is like blaming the weather forcaster because it rains when he reported sun. It's not the reporter's fault. Unless he mispronounces a street name. Reporters get information from lots of places, and present it on the air. Keep in mind that it's not just radio that's cutting costs. It's the state DOT, local police, and other services these reporters depend on for their information.
And it's a FREE SERVICE! You ain't paying for these reports. You sit there, listen for free, and then say the people should get fired. What ingrates. And don't tell me that listening to commercials is equal to paying for a service. It's not. Meanwhile, I pay a gardener to take care of my yard, and it looks like hell. I have a beef, not you.
Let me add to his great post by saying a few things as someone who at one time did traffic reports many years ago. It's not all eyewittness reporting. I don't know about the particular service used by this station, but a lot of them use DOT cameras and reports, augmented by scanner and police radio information, and listener calls. So to blame the on-air guy is like blaming the weather forcaster because it rains when he reported sun. It's not the reporter's fault. Unless he mispronounces a street name. Reporters get information from lots of places, and present it on the air. Keep in mind that it's not just radio that's cutting costs. It's the state DOT, local police, and other services these reporters depend on for their information.
And it's a FREE SERVICE! You ain't paying for these reports. You sit there, listen for free, and then say the people should get fired. What ingrates. And don't tell me that listening to commercials is equal to paying for a service. It's not. Meanwhile, I pay a gardener to take care of my yard, and it looks like hell. I have a beef, not you.
I haven't trusted radio traffic in years, in any market where I've lived. I used to do radio traffic in the 80s and learned a lot about its shortcomings. I'm sure things have improved slightly (thanks to cams and other technology), but I got fed up getting caught in traffic only to hear about the problem on the radio after I found it. Radio traffic is dead. You want reliable traffic information? Use the Google Maps app on your smartphone (or on the Internet before you leave your home/office).
B
BMCGrad
Guest
Denman's running a scam
I can tell you that this Denman lady hasn't a clue about syracuse traffic because she is from Buffalo originally. On a positive note Rome, from the sound of her voice she smokes packs a day which will likely lead to problems for her later. I also can tell you that I once called the traffic center when Justin James was on duty to report an accident. I listened for an hour after that call and heard no mention of the incident that I phoned in to them. So they are convinced that a listener has no idea about traffic especially when they are stuck in it?
Maybe Joel and Rich need to look into what kind of scam the traffic employees are running over there.
foxx5100 said:
I can tell you that this Denman lady hasn't a clue about syracuse traffic because she is from Buffalo originally. On a positive note Rome, from the sound of her voice she smokes packs a day which will likely lead to problems for her later. I also can tell you that I once called the traffic center when Justin James was on duty to report an accident. I listened for an hour after that call and heard no mention of the incident that I phoned in to them. So they are convinced that a listener has no idea about traffic especially when they are stuck in it?
Maybe Joel and Rich need to look into what kind of scam the traffic employees are running over there.
BMCGrad and Rome got fired.
BMC and Rome must have been fired from these stations. Yet it seems you know so much because you always hear "Denman says this", and "Justin didn't say that". I'll bet they are glad you listen so much. Which leads me to my next point. Look at the ratings of the stations they handle. WHAM is either #1 or #2. WGY is also on top. WSYR, B104.7 certainly are in the top 3. If it was so bad they would not keep it. Their traffic reports far exceed any other station. Get the sticks out of your butts and listen to someone else if you don't like it.
BMC and Rome must have been fired from these stations. Yet it seems you know so much because you always hear "Denman says this", and "Justin didn't say that". I'll bet they are glad you listen so much. Which leads me to my next point. Look at the ratings of the stations they handle. WHAM is either #1 or #2. WGY is also on top. WSYR, B104.7 certainly are in the top 3. If it was so bad they would not keep it. Their traffic reports far exceed any other station. Get the sticks out of your butts and listen to someone else if you don't like it.
Re: BMCGrad and Rome got fired.
Regardless of the quality of the traffic reports -- traffic reports have no impact on ratings. They last 30-45 seconds at best, and diary ratings are calculated by quarter-hour increments. (And even then, a "quarter-hour" by Arbitron's definition is five minutes.) Therefore, ratings do not accurately report how well a traffic reporter does their job.
I'm not saying these people do a good job or a bad job; I'm just playing devil's advocate and saying you can't use a station's ratings to evaluate the performance of a traffic reporter. The ratings are based on the host(s) heard on the air for the remainder of the hour. The ratings WSYR gets from 3-7pm don't go up or down based on the performance of Justin James; they are impacted by the performance of Jim Reith. Even the worst traffic reporter will get good ratings if they're on at the same time as a popular host; just like the best traffic reporter in the world would get crappy ratings if they were paired up with a bad talk show host.
Look across town -- even if Citadel's WXTL were to get a fully-staffed newsroom twice as large as WSYR's, it wouldn't matter as long as they still have Gary Nolan spending every afternoon rehashing national headlines and begging listeners to call in with answers to hypothetical questions.
And please don't get me wrong on my earlier comments; I hope your earlier outrage wasn't directed at me. I am connected to the business and I am fully aware that these traffic folks are doing the best they can, given the fact they're being forced to juggle so many duties in a short timespan. My criticisms are aimed at Clear Channel for being so tight-fisted as to allow the on-air product to suffer so much. They certainly have the money to restore staffing and increase the product if they really wanted to... but the top corporate managers simply choose to pay themselves more rather than invest in offering a better product to the listeners. Ethically, as someone who'd rather see on-air quality improved, I think it sucks. But I also understand and appreciate that it's their business and if they want to run it strictly by the numbers, that's their right.
foxx5100 said:
Regardless of the quality of the traffic reports -- traffic reports have no impact on ratings. They last 30-45 seconds at best, and diary ratings are calculated by quarter-hour increments. (And even then, a "quarter-hour" by Arbitron's definition is five minutes.) Therefore, ratings do not accurately report how well a traffic reporter does their job.
I'm not saying these people do a good job or a bad job; I'm just playing devil's advocate and saying you can't use a station's ratings to evaluate the performance of a traffic reporter. The ratings are based on the host(s) heard on the air for the remainder of the hour. The ratings WSYR gets from 3-7pm don't go up or down based on the performance of Justin James; they are impacted by the performance of Jim Reith. Even the worst traffic reporter will get good ratings if they're on at the same time as a popular host; just like the best traffic reporter in the world would get crappy ratings if they were paired up with a bad talk show host.
Look across town -- even if Citadel's WXTL were to get a fully-staffed newsroom twice as large as WSYR's, it wouldn't matter as long as they still have Gary Nolan spending every afternoon rehashing national headlines and begging listeners to call in with answers to hypothetical questions.
And please don't get me wrong on my earlier comments; I hope your earlier outrage wasn't directed at me. I am connected to the business and I am fully aware that these traffic folks are doing the best they can, given the fact they're being forced to juggle so many duties in a short timespan. My criticisms are aimed at Clear Channel for being so tight-fisted as to allow the on-air product to suffer so much. They certainly have the money to restore staffing and increase the product if they really wanted to... but the top corporate managers simply choose to pay themselves more rather than invest in offering a better product to the listeners. Ethically, as someone who'd rather see on-air quality improved, I think it sucks. But I also understand and appreciate that it's their business and if they want to run it strictly by the numbers, that's their right.
Re: BMCGrad and Rome got fired.
actually, foxx i can say that i never graced anyone on plumb street with my presence. started a degree in radio but as i aged i got wisdom and decided that it wasn't for me. long story short i did science instead. radio news however was and continues to be a hobby for me. havent been on the air since college but enjoy listening and givin' my opinion on the people i hear everyday. yes i am criticizeing traffic because instead of hearing a major backup on the thruway that i was stuck in i heard nothing about it.
pretty sure im not the only one angry about it.
foxx5100 said:
actually, foxx i can say that i never graced anyone on plumb street with my presence. started a degree in radio but as i aged i got wisdom and decided that it wasn't for me. long story short i did science instead. radio news however was and continues to be a hobby for me. havent been on the air since college but enjoy listening and givin' my opinion on the people i hear everyday. yes i am criticizeing traffic because instead of hearing a major backup on the thruway that i was stuck in i heard nothing about it.
pretty sure im not the only one angry about it.
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