Q: Is Clear Channel providing traffic info to competitors in your market

[iowegian2]

As Clear Channel has gotten more aggressive in establishing their own traffic
services in their markets, question is: Are they also providing traffic
services to competing radio groups without dedicated traffic ops? The few
markets I'm aware of, it's Clear Channel doing traffic for their own stations,
with outfits like WW one's Metro/Shadow providing/selling traffic for radio
ownership groups competing with CC. Anyone with info where CC is putting
squeeze on Metro in certain markets?

 

[qcityguy]

In Cincinnati (where CC owns/runs 8 stations), the traffic reporters also do reports for WCIN and WDBZ, a pair of African-American AM stations. But the company's FM station (WIZF) doesn't use CC's traffic. I don't know if Metro/Shadow is in Cincinnati.



> As Clear Channel has gotten more aggressive in establishing
> their own traffic
> services in their markets, question is: Are they also
> providing traffic
> services to competing radio groups without dedicated traffic
> ops? The few
> markets I'm aware of, it's Clear Channel doing traffic for
> their own stations,
> with outfits like WW one's Metro/Shadow providing/selling
> traffic for radio
> ownership groups competing with CC. Anyone with info where
> CC is putting
> squeeze on Metro in certain markets?
>

 

[bierkenstock]

Maybe traffic.com

It is my understanding Clear Channel continues to provide traffic only to their own stations. However, in some markets, the "squeeze" is coming from a third company called "Traffic Pulse." They provide traffic to radio stations in Baltimore-Washington, Miami, Houston, Dallas, and San Francisco (that I am aware of)and to XM Radio. Based on ads I have seen online, Traffic Pulse (sometimes called "Traffic.com") has signed up stations in those markets and recently hired on-air traffic reporters in those markets, plus off-air people to gather traffic information. Their traffic reports often mention "digital travel times" (travel times on major roads are common in Chicago but not widely used in other markets).

The company has not been that active in providing traffic to radio in recent years (they had provided to traffic to many Clear Channel stations until Clear Channel started their own traffic service).

They are more active in providing traffic reports to TV (with very flashy maps and graphics) but their primary focus is so-called new media. They provide customized reports via their web site, pagers, cell phone alerts and GPS systems.

Which raises the question is the era of radio traffic reports passing? Radio traffic reports are done every 10 minutes to every 30 minutes. It never seems to fail, you just miss the traffic report when you get in your car - or the traffic report comes on AFTER you get stuck in traffic. The technology is available for continuous traffic (XM) or for you to be instantly notified when there is a problem ahead (pager, cell or GPS). Plus you can check traffic online before you leave and have the same information in front of you as some guy on the radio. Maybe radio traffic is about to obsolete.



> As Clear Channel has gotten more aggressive in establishing
> their own traffic
> services in their markets, question is: Are they also
> providing traffic
> services to competing radio groups without dedicated traffic
> ops? The few
> markets I'm aware of, it's Clear Channel doing traffic for
> their own stations,
> with outfits like WW one's Metro/Shadow providing/selling
> traffic for radio
> ownership groups competing with CC. Anyone with info where
> CC is putting
> squeeze on Metro in certain markets?
>

 

[gr8oldies]

Metro is in both Cincinnati and Dayton, in Cincy they do traffic for Infinity and several others. In Dayton they do traffic for Radio One, Channel 2, and allthe independents (the Rebel, WFCJ, etc.). I doubt the end of radiotraffic reports will come anytime soon, its going to be a long time before a critical mass is paying to get traffic on their cellphone.



> In Cincinnati (where CC owns/runs 8 stations), the traffic
> reporters also do reports for WCIN and WDBZ, a pair of
> African-American AM stations. But the company's FM station
> (WIZF) doesn't use CC's traffic. I don't know if
> Metro/Shadow is in Cincinnati.
>
>
>
> > As Clear Channel has gotten more aggressive in
> establishing
> > their own traffic
> > services in their markets, question is: Are they also
> > providing traffic
> > services to competing radio groups without dedicated
> traffic
> > ops? The few
> > markets I'm aware of, it's Clear Channel doing traffic for
>
> > their own stations,
> > with outfits like WW one's Metro/Shadow providing/selling
> > traffic for radio
> > ownership groups competing with CC. Anyone with info
> where
> > CC is putting
> > squeeze on Metro in certain markets?
> >
>
<P ID="signature">______________
I'll get back to you when I think of a cute quote</P>