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Westwood One is rumored to be dropping many smaller affiliates nationwide at month's end. Second quarter report said WW1 intends "right size" the local business by start of third quarter...
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Expect more details as the day goes on:
Westwood One, Inc. (NYSE: WON), today announced plans to restructure the traffic operations of its subsidiary, Metro Networks. Westwood One’s streamlined traffic business will fully leverage new digital technologies, provide enhanced 24/7 traffic coverage and more efficiently align resources.
Westwood One recently expanded its U.S. roadway coverage with the integration of cellular probe technology into its traffic reports, as part of a transition to a digital platform. The shift to a digital technology platform will enable Westwood One to consolidate traffic resources from 60 operations centers into 13 regional hubs, improve service to small, medium and large markets, and alleviate demands on aerial reporting units. Comprehensive localized traffic updates will continue to be delivered to all of its current markets by a team of highly-qualified broadcast professionals. Westwood One remains committed to the traffic business and will continue to implement additional
leading edge technologies into the platform.
The modifications to the traffic business are part of a series of reengineering initiatives identified by management to improve the operating and financial performance of Westwood One in the near-term, while setting the foundation for profitable long-term growth. These changes will result in a staff reduction of a net 15 percent and the relocations of some operation centers during the fourth quarter of 2008, with the remaining markets moving into the 13 hubs by the end of the second quarter of 2009.
Westwood One, Inc. (NYSE: WON), today announced plans to restructure the traffic operations of its subsidiary, Metro Networks. Westwood One’s streamlined traffic business will fully leverage new digital technologies, provide enhanced 24/7 traffic coverage and more efficiently align resources.
Westwood One recently expanded its U.S. roadway coverage with the integration of cellular probe technology into its traffic reports, as part of a transition to a digital platform. The shift to a digital technology platform will enable Westwood One to consolidate traffic resources from 60 operations centers into 13 regional hubs, improve service to small, medium and large markets, and alleviate demands on aerial reporting units. Comprehensive localized traffic updates will continue to be delivered to all of its current markets by a team of highly-qualified broadcast professionals. Westwood One remains committed to the traffic business and will continue to implement additional
leading edge technologies into the platform.
The modifications to the traffic business are part of a series of reengineering initiatives identified by management to improve the operating and financial performance of Westwood One in the near-term, while setting the foundation for profitable long-term growth. These changes will result in a staff reduction of a net 15 percent and the relocations of some operation centers during the fourth quarter of 2008, with the remaining markets moving into the 13 hubs by the end of the second quarter of 2009.
Several stations were notified a couple of weeks ago that as of Sept. 15, they would no longer be receiving customized, individual traffic reports. That news has now been followed by a round of layoffs today that include several prominent, long-term, well known reporters.
Westwood One should be looking at their Rutherford NJ location in particular. There is ALOT of DEAD WEIGHT and WASTED $$$$$$$ there! :-[ If the walls could only talk. 
djdalanj69 said:Westwood One should be looking at their Rutherford NJ location in particular. There is ALOT of DEAD WEIGHT and WASTED $$$$$$$ there! :-[ If the walls could only talk.
Well...the walls can't talk, but maybe you could. Give us the inside scoop: who do you think is dead weight there, and what are they wasting money on?
Oh come on Tom! You know as well as I do where the wasted $$$$$ are going. It's just a real shame so many professional people who took their jobs seriously each and every day were the victims. What a great way to be told too that your no longer needed. Done by a phone call.
First of all my heart goes out to all the dedicated traffic people who lost there jobs right after the anniversary of 911. WW1 could not wait to drop the news. It's bad enough some employess might of had family members or friends that were lost in the WTC. Westwood One has now opened doors for the other broadcast giants to get involved more with traffic, especially with the smaller market local stations they dropped. One can only hope by there mistake that the others like Clear Channel etc. take away there business. I take it Sherpat is Tom Knote? :-\
I take it Sherpat is Tom Knote? :-\I see posts that refer to all of the folks who were let go, but the only one whose name I see mentioned is Kathy's. Does anyone know who else lost their jobs Friday?
xnjnewsdirector said:
Having close ties to someone that lost their job yesterday here's what I was told by them:
Kathy Millar (CBS-FM)
Marc Garber (WOR and The Breeze and Sirius)
Jacquelyn Karl (WCTC, WMTR and WDHA for News, The Breeze etc...)
Glenn Crespo (PT swing)
Jennifer Budd (WOBM-AM, formerly WMTR, Bloomberg, Sirius NYC etc...)
More too I imagine... but this is what I heard as of midday yesterday from my now unemployed friend!
Along with several other ***people behind the scenes*** (producers) that fell victim to corporate mis-spending and negligence. Westwood One is setting themselves up for CERTAIN DISASTER by letting a large chunk on their on and off-air stability hit the unemployment office. I would concur with poster "Deeman1710" here's the GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY for Traffic.com and Clear Channel to capitalize on WW1's foolishness. "Improving the Product with LESS of a Staff" is a sure fire way to solve the problem :
! Their stock didn't drop $3+ overnight!!?? C'mon now. Someone referenced "dead weight" above and from what I heard there are "less than talented people" that remained for reasons that I can only understand in let's just say a dirty frame of mind... I would imagine now the same voices will be heard on many area stations with NO personalized banter just a generic pre-recorded report to service the stations.WW1 a long line of people are just sitting on the edge of their seats watching the implosion from within your offices!! Good Luck... On behalf of my friend I will pop the popcorn ;D
Well it's the start of a new work week, atleast for some people. I wonder how many more Westwood One (Shadow- Metro) employees will get their PHONE CALL today and be added to the rapidly growing UNEMPLOYMENT LINE?????? It will be a busy day in Rutherford! :-[
So much for Westwood Ones takeover of Shadow Traffic. ;D The radio business was much more stable before the big guys took over.
Deeman1710 said:So much for Westwood Ones takeover of Shadow Traffic. ;D The radio business was much more stable before the big guys took over.
Radio,tv, banks, wall st., housing, real estate, auto industry and countless others were more stable just a few short years ago.
Wish it were as simple as blaming the big guys.
When the money keg goes dry, the party stops.
Isles22 said:
Shall we order a cake?? Westwood One's Stock Price CLIMBED to 0.61 today (or up .12 since yesterday)!! On second thought theres probably no money left for it... they are probably spending too much on postage mailing out the termination of employment papers to underserving souls :
.Well wishes for the staff of Shadow/Metro/Westwood One and Lehman Bros... times are hard and no signs of looking better anytime soon!! :'(
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