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The future of WSB Skycopter/Skyplane traffic

jal41

jal41

With Jason Durden, one of the three in-the-sky traffic reporters let go from WSB, I am wondering if the reason for his departure is that WSB and Metro Traffic are downsizing the air fleet?

I believe they still have two choppers and a plane (I belive Nancy Plum flies the plane, but I am not sure). I wonder if the high cost of fuel is getting to Cox's pocketbooks (Oh..that's right..paying people apparently does as well).

Captain Herb better polish up his resume and his airchecks. With the Georgia Navigator ITS system and people calling it in (don't forget they got their own network of "traffic troopers"), it seems to me that there is no need for helicopters anymore. Star 94 and others did away with choppers years ago.

Cox should take the savings from fuel and maintence (I believe the cost is shared with Metro Traffic) and put it into some DJ's and other off-air staff for their FM's.
 
Also, does anyone know the history of the WSB skycopter? Who's idea was it? Who were all the traffic reporters since it started (like Captain Herb and Scott Slade)? Does anyone recall the famous crash?
 
It's Kim McCarthy in the skyplane, not Nancy Plum.

Nonetheless, they had all better get their resumes in order.
 
Do you people just make things up and hope someone responds??

If you think WSB-AM is going to downsize its traffic department, then you clearly need professional help.
 
jal41 said:
Nonetheless, they had all better get their resumes in order.
Click to expand...

I cannot believe they would screw up the main reason people listen during drive times.

Wait…this is Atlanta radio. It could happen. Do you have inside info, or is this just speculation?
 
jal41 said:
Cox should take the savings from fuel and maintence (I believe the cost is shared with Metro Traffic) and put it into some DJ's and other off-air staff for their FM's.
Click to expand...

It's funny that you think they would reinvest that money back into the business.
 
1. Jason Durden had been doing traffic for B98.5 from his Midtown condo over a 2-way and had not flown for many years. He had completely isolated himself from the rest of the "traffic team" after he and Herb Emory had a falling out.

2. WSB has not paid one penny for aircraft since they went from being completely "in-house" to signing a deal with METRO in 1993. In fact, they get money BACK from METRO in the deal. WSB's claims of having the "only airborne traffic team" are false since those aircraft provide updates for other METRO clients.

3. The WSB traffic "team" is comprised of a few SB staffers, but most folks are METRO employees--- and it shows.
 
From what I recall, traffic helicopters in Atlanta go back to the 60's. At least by the mid 70's, Jerry Price had left WSB's copter and gone to the converted telephone booth between the bathrooms on the top floor of what was then the First Atlanta Tower, at Five Points....called the "WGST Newsradio 92 CB Traffic Center atop the First Atlanta Tower". Even in the mid 70's WPLO had TWO copters in the air. And BTW, if you think you can cover Atlanta traffic using Navigator cameras, just try looking into the cameras pointed East in the morning...or West in the afternoon.
 
And BTW, if you think you can cover Atlanta traffic using Navigator cameras, just try looking into the cameras pointed East in the morning...or West in the afternoon.


Thats provided that the navigator cameras are working. Alot of times you try to look through the camera on say 285 at Ashford Dunwoody.But, what comes up is the camera on 75 at Delk.
 
Delta767 said:
3. The WSB traffic "team" is comprised of a few SB staffers, but most folks are METRO employees--- and it shows.
Click to expand...

I know a few of the Metro people who appear on WSB from time to time, and some of them are the best in the area. Yes, some of them are not WSB caliber, but some are better than the talent on WSB. Unless you are better than the talent that serves WSB, I would not throw stones.
 
1.) When you hear Captain Herb's voice on the radio and he's reporting traffic, is he actually in the helicopter, zooming around the city and giving WSB listeners traffic reports? Same question for Kim McCarthy. Is she truly in the SkyPlane giving reports? Or are Captain Herb and Kim McCarthy actually at the WSB studios getting traffic reports phoned into them by METRO? I've heard of stations using voice effects to make it sound like their person was not in the studio when actually they were and I'm wondering if the same holds true here.

2.) Who are some of the people who actually work for METRO that you occasionally hear on WSB? Which traffic reporters are exclusively WSB employees?
 
Yes, when you hear them say they are in the air, they are actually IN THE AIR!

Conversely, when they are grounded because of the weather, they will say they are grounded.

I have seen them flying around, so I can personally assure that the plane and 'copter are real.

That being said, they also work as part of a team.

Metro does feed them stuff picked up from the Navigator system and police bands, but they also tend to spot stuff before it is called in. They also investigate the stuff that is fed to them to see just how bad it really is.

It is not an easy job. You have to know the town, not just a few roads. You carry a thick book of liner cards/advertising copy and have to know what spot gets read and when. You have to keep up with active trouble. If you are doing multiple stations (or one station a lot), you have to keep up with your breaks. In bad weather, you may be required to report to a studio that may get blown off the map (I know someone who was a traffic reporter in So. Fla.) or you may have to take the news car down some dangerous roads (I know someone who was a traffic reporter in NY).

To be effective at it, you really do need the setup WSB has. They have folks in the air, on the ground, and their own studio inside White Columns to put it together and make sense of it.
 
You wouldn't happen to be the same "Mr. Bill" who was a producer at Metro in the late 80's would you?
 
I worked on the traffic hardware used by the folks back a few years ago. Herb rarely provides Metro any information directly.. he wasn't a fan of that deal in the beginning. Its pretty rare that you hear him read any spots for Metro. Herb gathers info via his own scanner in the chopper and also ones in the SB traffic center and he gets his info from the traffic center via digital pager.. or at least he did. While they coordinate the "triple team" coverage over the 2 way, they don't usually put out actual traffic info on the 2 way.. because everybody else is listening to them.. Metro, Total, whatever. It is a competitive business!
In the past, when the weather wouldn't let Herb fly, he would park his Alan Vigil Ford pickup on Six Flags Hill and do his reports via 2 way.. sounded the same and he still had all of his communications and data input.

BD
 
Doesn't NewsTalk 750, B-98.5 and Channel 2 Action News share the same helicopter?
 
In the mornings I'd have to give credit to Channel 2 Action News for having the best traffic coverage. I like the new maps they're using too. FOX 5 and 11 Alive tend be late in breaking traffic alerts, but credit goes to FOX 5 for traffic coverage every 10 mins all morning long 'til 9am. I can't believe CBS 46 still attempts to give traffic reports, they're the WORST!
 
Radio1360 said:
Doesn't NewsTalk 750, B-98.5 and Channel 2 Action News share the same helicopter?
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No, WSB Radio doesn't use the Ch. 2 chopper. It wouldn't be practical as they have different priorities.

BD
 
bdcsi said:
Radio1360 said:
Doesn't NewsTalk 750, B-98.5 and Channel 2 Action News share the same helicopter?
Click to expand...

No, WSB Radio doesn't use the Ch. 2 chopper. It wouldn't be practical as they have different priorities.

BD
Click to expand...

However, since the 1 Traffic Helicopter for Atlanta is leased and paid for by METRO for its clients, several TV stations so share the video feed. All 4 local TV stations have their own helicopters for news.
 
No, WSB Radio doesn't use the Ch. 2 chopper. It wouldn't be practical as they have different priorities.

BD
[/quote]

However, since the 1 Traffic Helicopter for Atlanta is leased and paid for by METRO for its clients, several TV stations so share the video feed. All 4 local TV stations have their own helicopters for news.
[/quote]

That wouldn't surprise me since Jim Basile does the 11Alive traffic from the Metro control room. I think the video is remotely controlled so it would be available for distribution to anybody Metro wants to sell it to.

BD
 
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