B
bierkenstock
Guest
From Channel Surfing
By Laura Nachman
<blockquote>Stalled in Traffic
John Valerio, the afternoon traffic reporter for 6ABC since 1999, filed his last report for the station Friday. As was previously reported, 6ABC switched traffic services from SmarTraveler to traffic.com. </blockquote>
SmartTraveler is part of Metro Networks. Their Shadow Traffic provides traffic reports to KYW Newsradio 1060 and most other radio stations in the Philadelphia market.
Valerio, an experienced traffic reporter, was bumped from 6ABC's morning news broadcasts and replaced with the lightweight and perky Karen Rogers (whose happy face grin bears a startling resemble to the smiley-faced sun on the station's weather maps). Now he is gone from afternoons, as well.
Traffic.com trails both Viacom's Metro Networks and Clear Channel's Total Traffic in providing traffic reports to radio stations (and lags behind Metro Networks in hits to traffic websites). The company again reported red ink in it most recent financial report. Traffic.com (like Metro) gets most of its "traffic cam" coverage from Penn-Dot. Unlike Metro, however, it has almost no camera coverage in New Jersey. Traffic.com promotes its network of road sensors (operated under contract to Penn-Dot) but also has no sensor coverage in New Jersey. Traffic.com has limited resources and will be providing video at one time to CBS3, 6ABC, NBC10, and UPN57 (reports for the latter two are produced at and by Traffic.com). This can put ABC6 in the position of not being able to select the video they want in a given report but possibly having to take shots already selected by Traffic.com's in-house producers and editors for NBC10 or UPN57.
Broadcasters often select traffic providers who provide an attractive financial incentive. Often the choice is not who does the best reports, it's about money. Some also consider Traffic.com's maps and graphics more attractive than those used by SmartTraveler, even if the quality of traffic information is not up to the same standard.
CBS3 continues to take "traffic-cams" and traffic information from co-owned Metro Networks, while using maps and graphics from Traffic.com.
In front of and behind the camera, ABC6 appears to have opted for cosmetics over substance. Who cares if you check ABC6 as you leave the house and they don't tell you an accident closed your regular way to work? Karen Rogers and the maps she sort of smiles at are pretty.
Hint: Fox29 still gets traffic from Metro/Shadow. And unlike the major network affiliates who take national morning programs starting at 7 am - and therefore cut back on traffic reports just as traffic starts to build - Fox29 continues to provide full traffic reports through the morning rush hours.
By Laura Nachman
<blockquote>Stalled in Traffic
John Valerio, the afternoon traffic reporter for 6ABC since 1999, filed his last report for the station Friday. As was previously reported, 6ABC switched traffic services from SmarTraveler to traffic.com. </blockquote>
SmartTraveler is part of Metro Networks. Their Shadow Traffic provides traffic reports to KYW Newsradio 1060 and most other radio stations in the Philadelphia market.
Valerio, an experienced traffic reporter, was bumped from 6ABC's morning news broadcasts and replaced with the lightweight and perky Karen Rogers (whose happy face grin bears a startling resemble to the smiley-faced sun on the station's weather maps). Now he is gone from afternoons, as well.
Traffic.com trails both Viacom's Metro Networks and Clear Channel's Total Traffic in providing traffic reports to radio stations (and lags behind Metro Networks in hits to traffic websites). The company again reported red ink in it most recent financial report. Traffic.com (like Metro) gets most of its "traffic cam" coverage from Penn-Dot. Unlike Metro, however, it has almost no camera coverage in New Jersey. Traffic.com promotes its network of road sensors (operated under contract to Penn-Dot) but also has no sensor coverage in New Jersey. Traffic.com has limited resources and will be providing video at one time to CBS3, 6ABC, NBC10, and UPN57 (reports for the latter two are produced at and by Traffic.com). This can put ABC6 in the position of not being able to select the video they want in a given report but possibly having to take shots already selected by Traffic.com's in-house producers and editors for NBC10 or UPN57.
Broadcasters often select traffic providers who provide an attractive financial incentive. Often the choice is not who does the best reports, it's about money. Some also consider Traffic.com's maps and graphics more attractive than those used by SmartTraveler, even if the quality of traffic information is not up to the same standard.
CBS3 continues to take "traffic-cams" and traffic information from co-owned Metro Networks, while using maps and graphics from Traffic.com.
In front of and behind the camera, ABC6 appears to have opted for cosmetics over substance. Who cares if you check ABC6 as you leave the house and they don't tell you an accident closed your regular way to work? Karen Rogers and the maps she sort of smiles at are pretty.
Hint: Fox29 still gets traffic from Metro/Shadow. And unlike the major network affiliates who take national morning programs starting at 7 am - and therefore cut back on traffic reports just as traffic starts to build - Fox29 continues to provide full traffic reports through the morning rush hours.