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News & Traffic companies

I

idiggraves

I've sat on this months, but now have to ask. What exactly is the benefit for stations to employ these news/traffic companies? This came to light a few months ago when a friend of mine was offered a job, paid by Metro, that paid only peanuts. He was most grateful to get a job, but determined that it was just not worth his time; that and the fact that he knew the person he was replacing and that person was paid almost 30,000 more than he was offered. Back in my day, I was fortunate to not have to deal with these 3rd party companies, but it seems that they are driving salaries down- and are getting away with it. What are radio stations exchanging for their services? It seems with technology today, you can find traffic reports on any website or cell phone so what would be the need for a station to cut a deal with Metro or the other company in town...is it Navteq?

Mike: I've also read your posts on Metro's record of maintaining (or lack thereof) of their aircraft. How/why do they expect people to risk their lives if they're not willing to pay anything decent- and are cutting costs in maintaining aircraft?
 
Once upon a time radio stations competed with each other.
 
It's simple economics.
The station gives up something they probably have an excess supply of (commercial inventory) for something they need (anchors. traffic reporters, etc)
They don't have to worry about selling those 10's to make the X-Grand a year that the reporter makes, Navteq or Metro now have that responsibility. If they can't sell it, it'ss Metro or Traffic that loses money, not the station.

I know a few years back Rich Phillips on the Ticket talked about how he used to me a metro employee, and then was "converted" to a Susquehanna (or Cumulus, whatever at the time) employee.
Since the Ticket has been amongst the top billers for the most of the last decade, it probably made sense for them- they COULD sell those 10's for more than Metro was paying Rich. For your average station, fighting to make some money, it's one less expense they have to worry about- the onus is on metro to sell those spots, not the stations own sales department...

And what is driving salaries down is also simple economics, supply and demand. There's a much bigger supply of talent then there is a demand anymore.
 
idiggraves said:
I've sat on this months, but now have to ask. What exactly is the benefit for stations to employ these news/traffic companies?

Money ... money ... money ...

Several years ago, WBAP offered me a job doing weekend news. Rick Hadley is a great guy and fine news director there. However, what I did not know at the beginning was that I would be a Metro employee. $12 an hour. I had made more than that doing traffic a few years earlier. It was not worth my time to drive from Richardson to Arlington as much I would have liked to work at WBAP. Covering news, even on the weekends and nights, is much tougher than traffic reporting. Not even close.

A couple of years earlier, I agreed to do news in the evening on KLIF. My father became critically ill, and I told Jeff Hillary I could not do it because of the time I needed to spend with my father. Pay was $15 an hour. Like little says "Supply and demand". But if you are going to marry and have kids, you'd be wise to marry a rich wife.

Since I have enough money to last a lifetime, all this was just a hobby like Ken Jones and his KXEZ.

When I applied for Operations Director of Metro several years ago, I suggested that an objective ex-military man who specialized in helicopters oversee all maintenance on helicopters used by Metro. What I learned at the time from the OD before Max Miller was that helicopter maintenance was done by a friend of a high-ranking supervisor at Metro.

In other words, a sweetheart deal. Eventually, the contract went to Traffic.com and now back to Metro.

Once, someone forgot to untether the helicopter from the pad. It circled in 360 degree loops until the pilot, fortunately, was able to bring it down safely.

And most of you know about the crashes, which management always called ... hard landings.

If you are in the helicopter, it's a crash.

If you are management, it's a hard landing.

Tony
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