Radio traffic reports fading away

[david]

Cellphones, GPS and the struggling economy are conspiring to begin the die-off phase for regular traffic reports on your car radio, says Daisy Nguyen at AP.
http://scpr.org/news/2009/11/27/signal-fading-radio-traffic-reports

KFI's pulling of Mike Nolan out of the KFI in the Sky airplane is evidence that few traffic reporters take to the skies anymore either. Here are some excerpts from the AP story:

"A number of years ago it'd be unheard of to have an FM station in L.A. without traffic reports," said Don Bastida, vice president of operations for Airwatch, one of the nation's largest traffic-reporting services. "Now traffic reports on the music stations become just an interruption that gives the listener an opportunity to hit the button and move on to the next station."

He said traffic reports will remain on the AM dial, but they'll decline to the point that they'll only be offered as part of a news story when a major incident happens.

KIIS-FM recently dropped afternoon traffic reports after AMP-FM, a new Top 40 station received higher ratings without traffic updates.

The story also details the decline of airborne traffic reporters, who are now on the ground glued to websites. These days they typically their traffic reports to three or four radio stations in the same hour, sometimes using aliases. Rebeca Campbell might report at the top of the hour for the Fox sports station using her own name, then 20 minutes later appear as Toni Jordan on an alternative rock station. For a station popular with Latino listeners, she'd be heard by the name Lena Macias".

 

[henry]

Bull.

I'm 25, and I listen to traffic reports in my home market like crazy! The only reason I choose to go to the news talk station (KSL) versus music stations is because of how lousy Airwatch's traffic reporting is. Half the time the out-of-market tracker can't even pronounce street names correctly, let alone have any usable information on how to get around it. So I punch out.

However, I will actually "tune in" to KSL for traffic because they have an airborne who can say "stay out of those left-hand lanes ..." Local, useful, accurate. Quality radio.

I'd imagine stupid traffic may vanish at Clear Channel and others too cheap to do it correctly. But it'll never go away at KNX. They'd be downright moronic do pull it off. TomTom/Garmin may tell me where the crash is ... but the airborne has the vantage point to tell me "why" and "how to get around it."

 

[RealityBites]

This is actually a very significant article. I think any of us who've done radio and understand how it works
has seen this coming. Traffic in LA is like the weather in Seattle. "Today there is a strong chance of rain."
What does that tell me? Something I already know. Just like LA traffic. Most people who do travel within LA on a daly basis, leave early and assume the usual slowdowns.
And sure we expect 405 and 101 to be crowed. The only time a true traffic update is valid is when some truly major accident occurs. Chances are your GPS, smart phone can help you.
Traffic is more costly than it's worth, however if you try to do it hap hashasard people will notice. So just get rid of it. It has become obsolete in many ways.

But that leaves Clear Channel Traffic in a tough spot. They are one of the most profitable arms of CC. It has always been incredibly efficient.
I think this may effect them big time.

If you eliminate the traffic, you eliminate the sponsorships and those were easy to buy for buyers. A lot of agency folk buy traffic. It has always been efficient for them.
This will change everything more than you think revenue wise.

But what do you do? It's obviously inefficient these days and people don't want and certainly don't 'need' it anymore. Plus when was the last time you heard a compelling traffic report?
They were all so 'matter of fact.' Just like, "today in Seattle it is raining." Wow Good thing I have turned in for that information!

Radio will change again. I get bored with my iPod all the time. No one has found the proper restructuring of talent vs ratings vs cost.

But it will happen. Somebody will find the nitche and we'll listen.

Our society still reads books like crazy THANK GOD!


It's just like Hollywood. After they run out of super hero movies they'll actually need to start writing good films again. If you notice most 'great films'
are not blockbusters. America wants and supports blockbusters.
Our society needs to change to appreciate 'art' more.

However that Television in the front room has screwed everyone up for the last 20 years......

 

[TheBigA]

The problem with traffic reporting in major markets, like LA, is that it's impossible to cover all the specific traffic issues in the time allotted. They try to cover the important ones, but to cover every accident and tie-up in the LA area would require a station devoted to traffic reporting almost non-stop. That idea has been discussed many times. Using a mass medium like radio, especially one that covers the entire LA market, with specific information like traffic has become pretty inefficient (as others have said). If you're on the road, all you care about is if there's a traffic jam on your particular route. Not if there's traffic on the other side of town. Yes it's too bad to lose the sponsorship, it's too bad to lose the community service, but the fact is that this kind of personalized information is better suited for other media. At least in LA. It's more useful in smaller markets, but smaller markets can't generate enough money to pay for it. So that's the paradox.

 

[LKellerIII]

This is actually a very significant article. I think any of us who've done radio and understand how it works
has seen this coming. Traffic in LA is like the weather in Seattle. "Today there is a strong chance of rain."
What does that tell me? Something I already know. Just like LA traffic. Most people who do travel within LA on a daly basis, leave early and assume the usual slowdowns.
And sure we expect 405 and 101 to be crowed. The only time a true traffic update is valid is when some truly major accident occurs. Chances are your GPS, smart phone can help you.
Traffic is more costly than it's worth, however if you try to do it hap hashasard people will notice. So just get rid of it. It has become obsolete in many ways.

But that leaves Clear Channel Traffic in a tough spot. They are one of the most profitable arms of CC. It has always been incredibly efficient.
I think this may effect them big time.

If you eliminate the traffic, you eliminate the sponsorships and those were easy to buy for buyers. A lot of agency folk buy traffic. It has always been efficient for them.
This will change everything more than you think revenue wise.

But what do you do? It's obviously inefficient these days and people don't want and certainly don't 'need' it anymore. Plus when was the last time you heard a compelling traffic report?
They were all so 'matter of fact.' Just like, "today in Seattle it is raining." Wow Good thing I have turned in for that information!

When I lived in LA 30+ years ago, traffic reports made sense. If you were going from the Hollywood area into the valley, and the Hollywood Fwy was crowded (sorry, I forget which number it's called by now), you could take Laurel Canyon or Coldwater over the hill. But I imagine those alternates are more crowded now,

In the SF Bay area, traffic reports are even less useful. If you need to get across the bay and the Bay Bridge is moving slow, you just queue up like all the other lemmings because the only alternative is to travel south or north 20 miles to take another bridge.

I was stuck on the Bay Bridge for four hours a couple of months ago when a Safeway truck overturned and closed off all lanes. But naturally I didn't hear the traffic report until I was already stuck with no way to get off.

 

[GMan4341]

I don't think GPS or cellphones can overtake LIVE traffic reporting. In ATL, we have a great traffic reporting station in WSB(750)AM. From 6-9AM and from 4:30-7PM, these are crucial driving segments. Sure we have traffic cameras around, but those are stationery. My experience w/ GPS is that they only tell you how to get from where you are to where you want to be with no reference to traffic conditions. And cellphones..who would want to either look down at their cellphone for traffic or call 511 for a RECORDING of traffic conditions. Don't get me wrong..I can't listen to them for 3 hrs straight, but I prefer my eyes in the sky over GPS and cellphone any day. I do believe traffic reporting will stick on AM stations over FM. Even after the times mentioned above, I get live traffic reports every 30 mins.

 

[scottwmro]

That's a stupid thing to do, pull off traffic reports, especially on AM! People on the road will come to AM for the latest traffic reports. My little 1,000 watt station does them, and they do get listeners. Traffic reports are what is keeping AM Radio alive.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

In ATL, we have a great traffic reporting station in WSB(750)AM. From 6-9AM and from 4:30-7PM, these are crucial driving segments.

I'm glad it works for you. In eleven years of Atlanta driving, I have NEVER had a situation where the standing traffic I was stuck in had been mentioned in a traffic report, and I have lost count of the number of times where I gritted my teeth and got ready for the wait as I heard about backed up traffic on the route I was already committed to, only to sail through and find there was no evidence to be seen as I drove THROUGH the site WSB assured me remained totally blocked. Go figure.

Atlanta may not be as big as Los Angeles, but we too have become a city too big with too many traffic wrinkles to be done on a city wide basis. I gave up on WSB traffic when they began talking so fast trying to say it all that I could not comprehend what they were saying. You need to be a graduate of the tobacco auctioneers school to tackle the task they are committed to.

 

[SuperRadioFan]

I gave up on WSB traffic when they began talking so fast trying to say it all that I could not comprehend what they were saying. You need to be a graduate of the tobacco auctioneers school to tackle the task they are committed to.

GREAT point, GRC!! I have felt that way recently especially on music stations. After a few seconds one is prone to start "tuning" out the mess of words being spit out.