The format I see next.....

[TonySantiago]

I could see this eventually happening in New York on the FM......a traffic/weather format. NO NEWS. Just traffic and weather only.

It would be similar to what Sirius/XM does with their traffic/weather offerings, only difference being that commercials would air along with it. Also when something immediate happens the station can get more detailed in terms of whatever incident occurs. You can thank traffic cameras in that regard.

The big catch of it all would be the fact that you would no longer have to wait on the "1", "5", or "8"s. Traffic/weather would appear all around.

 

[wadio]

Sounds like that could actually be a winner! I think it might be better suited to AM which is generally listenable in cars although not always in buildings. As news/entertainment talk moves to FM there may be new opportunities for very narrow "utility" formats on AM.

 

[TimeIsTight]

I could see this eventually happening in New York on the FM......a traffic/weather format. NO NEWS. Just traffic and weather only.

All Traffic, all the time, is a working format in Vancouver, BC in Canada on 730-AM. http://www.am730.ca/

You do have to remember that Canada has moved away from AM radio and shut down many big AM stations, so they are way ahead of us when it comes to answering the question of what will ultimately happen to AM.

FM channels in NYC are far too valuable and rare for this kind of utility use. If anything, and they will become even rarer commodities as successful AM formats move over to FM in the coming years, and AM stations fade away.

The future for radio traffic reports is not a bright one. As GPS technology gets better at reporting traffic problems even on tiny side streets, or even in predicting traffic problems before they happen, and in talking each individual driver around the problem based on their destination, quickly outdated, and far too general, radio traffic reports will be, by comparison, useless.

It's not a matter of "if" it's just a matter of "when." GPS and talking computer technology is evolving quickly, and nobody knows how long this conversion will take, but it's not decades. By the way, Google has been using cars that drive themselves, they are far safer than human drivers, and they don't need a radio report to tell them where the traffic is. Google may soon get approval to use these automatic vehicles on the roads of several states outside of California, and they are part of all of our futures too because their wide use would cut down on so many thousands of traffic deaths a year. And the advanced technology could pay for itself by sharply reducing auto insurance claims. (yeah, I know its hard to picture, but you have to see the cars drive themselves and see the statistics)

 

[ansky212]

It's not a matter of "if" it's just a matter of "when." GPS and talking computer technology is evolving quickly, and nobody knows how long this conversion will take, but it's not decades. By the way, Google has been using cars that drive themselves, they are far safer than human drivers, and they don't need a radio report to tell them where the traffic is. Google may soon get approval to use these automatic vehicles on the roads of several states outside of California, and they are part of all of our futures too because their wide use would cut down on so many thousands of traffic deaths a year. And the advanced technology could pay for itself by sharply reducing auto insurance claims. (yeah, I know its hard to picture, but you have to see the cars drive themselves and see the statistics)

Automatic cars will never become mainstream, particulary in large, crowded places like the NYC area. In years past there was talk of automating the subway system such that no driver would be needed, but they scrapped that idea because of safety concerns. If they won't let trains run themselves there is no way they will let cars run themselves.

 

[Barry]

A recently recorded loop of traffic and weather may be a good format for an HD 2/3/4 channel. Perhaps that would appeal to enough listeners to help increase the usage of HD radio. The display could show alerts for major news or traffic problems, and suggest tuning to a certain station (ie WCBS, WINS, WEMP) for the details.
Perhaps it would make the most sense for WEMP to add this, as it is already on FM, and features detailed traffic reports.

 

[wadio]

Automatic cars will never become mainstream, particulary in large, crowded places like the NYC area.

Don't say "never." The technology, which is light years in sophistication ahead of yesterday's automated subway systems, has already proven safer than human drivers in some tests. Automated cars may become a necessity, especially in crowded urban areas.