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Necessary?

A

ajhenderson

I'm all for the big-city image that lots-of-traffic provides, but when streaming 'TAM the other day around 3am ET, I heard "Skychief Traffic 24/7". Wow!

Of course, they're likely not spending any money on this proposition, as one can tell it's the board op or someone else hanging around in the vast halls of 6200 Oak Tree. Since you're not selling many spots on C2C, it's not really "clutter", so I guess why not. But isn't this overkill? Or do people DXing in Nashville want to hear how there is no traffic at 3am?
 
> Of course, they're likely not spending any money on this
> proposition, as one can tell it's the board op or someone
> else hanging around in the vast halls of 6200 Oak Tree.
> Since you're not selling many spots on C2C, it's not really
> "clutter", so I guess why not. But isn't this overkill? Or
> do people DXing in Nashville want to hear how there is no
> traffic at 3am?

I consider it a positioning statement more than anything.

I've heard similar stations in similar sized markets doing it. WTAM's CC sister station in Sacramento has been doing the "24 Hour Traffic Watch" for years. As you allude to above, the off-hour traffic reports are basically done by the newsperson, who's there anyway.

And in California, anyone with a computer and a web browser can pull up the California Highway Patrol's live incident website:

<a target="_blank" href=http://cad.chp.ca.gov/>http://cad.chp.ca.gov/</a>

...including radio news people. :D

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
> I'm all for the big-city image that lots-of-traffic
> provides, but when streaming 'TAM the other day around 3am
> ET, I heard "Skychief Traffic 24/7". Wow!
>
> Of course, they're likely not spending any money on this
> proposition, as one can tell it's the board op or someone
> else hanging around in the vast halls of 6200 Oak Tree.
> Since you're not selling many spots on C2C, it's not really
> "clutter", so I guess why not. But isn't this overkill? Or
> do people DXing in Nashville want to hear how there is no
> traffic at 3am?
>

Sunday night, at 12am (ok, I guess that's Monday very very morning), Steve Gaydens was giving the news report. The 24/7 traffic was done by a Heather someone--who sounded remarkably like Mary Schuermann, PM anchor on WTAM.

Oh, and the traffic report consisted of: roads are clear, but there's some construction. Watch out for work zones.

Enlightening.
 
The audience DXing in Nashville is no concern whatsoever. WLW also does 24/7 traffic, usually its nothing, but sometimes there is the overturned 18-wheeler blocking a major bridge. 24/7 traffic just reminds everyone that traffic is always available.<P ID="signature">______________
Greetings from Ohio-where the governor wants everyone to know he's sorry.</P>
 
Even during rushhour, there's no traffic to speak of in Cleveland. Off-hour traffic... pure imaging.
 
In Cleveland CITY, no. But there are still lots of bottlenecks outside of downtown.

Actually, a 3 AM traffic report can be handy with the right information.
Years ago I would be driving home to Lakewood on I-71 from working at Channel 8 about that time of night. Would have been nice to know where they were parting out stolen cars on the freeway so I could make sure my doors were locked as I passed by...
 
> I'm all for the big-city image that lots-of-traffic
> provides, but when streaming 'TAM the other day around 3am
> ET, I heard "Skychief Traffic 24/7". Wow!

Doesn't matter what time of day or night it is, it's never accurate.

Today is a great example. Both WTAM and WMJI reported that there was a backup on I-480 East from I-71 back to Clauge. Both traffic reporters made it sound like typical slowing. The truth was, traffic was backed up to Sterns. That's a pretty big deal. Someone finally called into Lanigan around 8:40 to correct her.

Able was bad, but at least he was looking at the backup and could tell what was going on.
 
>24/7 traffic just reminds everyone that traffic is always available.

Well... that plus you need traffic to have a place to put the traffic sponsorships.<P ID="signature">______________
Jerry

"If we knew what we were doing, it would not be called research, would it." - Albert Einstein </P>
 
> I'm all for the big-city image that lots-of-traffic
> provides, but when streaming 'TAM the other day around 3am
> ET, I heard "Skychief Traffic 24/7". Wow!
>
> Of course, they're likely not spending any money on this
> proposition, as one can tell it's the board op or someone
> else hanging around in the vast halls of 6200 Oak Tree.

I had no power at all Saturday night, so with my walkman tuned to WTAM, the "Skychief" anchor for was none other than Gary Wenner - former producer for Kendall Lewis at WKNR/1220.

But with the one-minute news updates sandwiched into the infomercials/religous programming between 5am-8am, anchor Michael Kelly had to keep saying, "Skychief Traffic 24/7: Gary Wenner says that there are no major problems at this time" or something close to it.

That's unnecessary. And awkward for Michael, too.

During the daytime - from 5am to 7pm - constant traffic updates with an anchor seperate from the news anchors is not a problem for me. But after 7pm, just let Carmen Angelo or Steve Gaydens say, "no major problems..."

Note too that WABC/770- New York, ABC Radio's flagship and one of the nation's top-ranked N/T stations, doesn't do local traffic (or local news, for that matter) past 8:00PM.

> Since you're not selling many spots on C2C, it's not really
> "clutter", so I guess why not. But isn't this overkill?

It cuts a minute into the newscast, since actual "content" is held up until :01 min past now.

- nate81<P ID="signature">______________
Nathan Obral
University Partership Representative: LCCC Student Senate, Elyria, Ohio

The Morning Love with Mark and Sarah - Fridays 9AM EDT on Duck Radio!</P>
 
> Note too that WABC/770- New York, ABC Radio's flagship and
> one of the nation's top-ranked N/T stations, doesn't do
> local traffic (or local news, for that matter) past 8:00PM.

WABC should have its license revoked. They are a shell of the great station they once were, running inadequate local news (sandwiched between :03 and :06 after the net cast) and a day of syndicated talk. KFI/LA can handle 24/7 live local news. Even KRLA (owned by SALEM!!!!) has live local news on Sunday nights when I listen. Regardless of what we say about them, CC knows how to run news/talk stations (Kevin Metheny excluded). As we saw with the Michael Graham incident, ABC may own some of the best heritage stations in the U.S., but they can't run them.

> It cuts a minute into the newscast, since actual "content"
> is held up until :01 min past now.

The weather sounds with nineteen different positioning statements cut into actual news time too, but when the weather really sucks, people tune to 1100. Apparently the seemingly wasted time was worth it.
 
VERY helpful in the winter as well. Lake-effect snow wreaks havoc anytime, day or night.

> In Cleveland CITY, no. But there are still lots of
> bottlenecks outside of downtown.
>
> Actually, a 3 AM traffic report can be handy with the right
> information.
> Years ago I would be driving home to Lakewood on I-71 from
> working at Channel 8 about that time of night. Would have
> been nice to know where they were parting out stolen cars on
> the freeway so I could make sure my doors were locked as I
> passed by...
>
 
WCBS does 24 hour traffic, as does the major newstalker in Philadelphia..

There's no traffic in Cleveland? Ever try to drive into the city when an Indians and Browns game is happening on the same night? > >
>
 
> WCBS does 24 hour traffic, as does the major newstalker in
> Philadelphia..
>
> There's no traffic in Cleveland? Ever try to drive into the
> city when an Indians and Browns game is happening on the
> same night? > >
> >
>
as part of my new sales management responsibilities, i am frequently driving home AFTER afternoon drive. i appreciate hearing about bottlenecks. for instance, there is night time/overnite construction going on on on 271,76/80 and 480. its nice to hear about it from wtam1100. kudos to metheny for adding to the traffic staff so pat butler doesn't have to work 24/7--david5258
 
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