RADIO’S TRAFFIC REPORING FRANCHISE IS ULTIMATELY DOOMED

[Holland Cooke]

As a Baby Boomer from wintry New England, I grew-up with a radio listening habit that now seems quaint. On snowy mornings, we would use AM radio to learn whether school had been called-off. Now, people get spot information of this sort online, or from television, which has been aggressively attacking radio in morning drive for several decades.

Radio’s last bastion had been in-car. Music radio theoretically lost control back in the 8-track days, but only recently has iPod so fundamentally threatened FM-as-a-music-delivery-system. Until satellite radio, information-intensive stations had a live in-car audio monopoly. Yet even with the plethora of branded News/Talk programming Sirius/XM offered -- including traffic for select cities -- local AM/FM stations held onto an habitual use opportunity when traffic report content and marketing was just right.

What could be more relevant to on-the-go listeners than how-to-get-there?

A couple decades ago, “ON-THE-EIGHTS” type imaging helped listeners – who couldn’t get the information anywhere else – use a station for traffic. Now, that model is toast. Who can wait 10 minutes any more? When they're home, our Starbucks-stoked listeners are pacing-in-front-of-the-microwave!

This past week in Las Vegas, I have seen The Jetsons' dashboard. There was an entire display area for "Microsoft Auto." And GPS/satellite/broadband/wireless-driven traffic report competitors aren't "the future." Ford cars equipped with its high-tech dashboard SYNC system already out-sell unequipped same-models two-to-one.

Research demonstrates that ANY station -- music or talk, AM or FM -- can own its market's traffic image. Read how, and my CES notes, including streaming video of CES keynotes and SuperSessions, at www.HollandCooke.com

HC

 

[justareporter]

One of these days some nitwit is going to plow into a busload of kids, rabbinical students or nuns while talking on his cell phone and/or trying to figure out from his dashboard were he is and where there is traffic.

Radio stations have a natural with "traffic on the _______" and if they can't figure out how to market and sell that they should fire the GM/Sales Manager/Morning Talent (they do all three and more I suspect these days) and pull the plug.

It took years for BMW to admit that they needed to install cupholders. Their feeling was your principle focus should be driving the car. Hi-tech is nice, but when it becomes a high-tech distraction then we need to make the stuff go away.

 

[KeithE4]

There was an entire display area for "Microsoft Auto."

Which will give new meaning to the term "Blue Screen of Death." ;D

 

[Dan Gaffney]

I always dream of more relavant traffic too, such as "take Main Street and you'll avoid the mess, and you'll pass two more Starbucks, one of them has a drive through" or "If you take the blue route today, you'll find the cleanest restroom at exit 4, in the Carl's Jr reststurant.." or after the traffic the results of an online poll:
"The WXXX traffic survey found that in Center City, the fastest drive through for breakfast is Sams Cafe'" etc.

"Free car washes to all WXXX traffic team members today.." etc.

Traffic is usually so sterile.

 

[Shoot From Hip]

What technology like this really does is force traffic services to become more relevant. People will always want to know more than a screen can tell them...when did it happen? how long will it be tied up? what are the alternate routes? did anyone get hurt? how long will it take me to get from one point to another? Success comes in differentiating...so in this case, being able to interpret raw data can become a point of difference that can become a marketable advantage.

 

[Fornax]

What technology like this really does is force traffic services to become more relevant. People will always want to know more than a screen can tell them...when did it happen? how long will it be tied up? what are the alternate routes? did anyone get hurt? how long will it take me to get from one point to another? Success comes in differentiating...so in this case, being able to interpret raw data can become a point of difference that can become a marketable advantage.

I think Shoot from the Hip is absolutely right. The only clear advantage for radio is to offer an exceptional service interpreting the data which will only get more technologically advanced. Take Metro for example. They're consolodating into what, 13 hubs, closing at least a couple dozen local operations. I'm sure they'll ground as many aircraft as they possibly can because of the cost. Traffic announcers will begin using a cellphone/GPS based system which is overlayed on a satellite map. While it is actually quite impressive it can't tell you what happened, how it will take to clear, etc. But let's say the system is linked with other data, say 911 service or local police and fire calls, you can put together some very impressive data. The survival challenge for radio is to train the traffic announcers to present this information in a manner to help me get to where I'm going in the least amount of time. Too much of today's traffic reporting is "incident focused" instead of time focused.

 

[jimwalsh2001]

There was a guy in L.A. a few years back named Jonathan Doll who as I recall tried to put a "personality" spin on traffic reports. I'd like to hear more of that.

But it's all beside the point: radio is so irreparably broken I truly believe the best thing at this stage is to let it crash and burn (as it is so intent on doing) and thus clear the way for the return of real talent. 8)

 

[justareporter]

Let all the large conglomerates filled with bean counters who think of radio stations are just like the local 7-11 burn the ground.

Then we can build it back with real broadcasters.