> > How much do traffic people get paid, you ask?
> >
> > Interesting question. Remember Lanny Griffith? He was
> paid
> > as a Traffic Rerporter at KLOL and did that full time, but
>
> > had to work a split shift during AM and PM drive and
> because
> > of the "pain in the ass" factor involved in that, was
> > probably paid a little more. But nothing--I would
> > imagine--too huge.
> >
> > Susie Loucks has been a traffic reporter at Metro for well
>
> > over a decade. If I remember correctly, traffic is all
> > she's ever done and like Lanny, she had to work split
> > shifts. You've got traffic types like Darby Douglas who
> > work for Metro (I think) and then through Metro, got a TV
> > deal. I'd suppose that would be a gig that would pay OK.
>
> > I'd also venture a guess that if a full time traffic
> > reporter for Metro or CC makes 50-grand or more these
> days,
> > it's ONLY because he or she has been doing it in this
> market
> > for many years. Probably, someone just starting
> > out---maybe would clear 25-27 thousand. And that's a
> > maybe.
> >
> > Laurie Kendrick did traffic on the Stevens and Pruett Show
>
> > back in the day. For a while, she worked a split shift
> too.
> > She interacted with S & P, but I think traffic was her
> > basic job description. There's Cat Cortez, Lisa
> Manavelli
> > and some guys in the early 90's named Allen Parkway and
> Wes
> > Heimer. and there are too many other names I can't
> > remember. I think even Colonel St James, who's done every
>
> > shift at every position at almost every station in Houston
>
> > has done traffic, too!
> >
> > I guess the amount a traffic type gets paid depends on
> many
> > factors...namely WHO you do traffic for. I heard once
> that
> > Metro paid OK, but I don't know if that's still the case.
>
> > It seems if you're going to do traffic and be able to eat,
>
> > you've got to work split shifts and those have got to
> suck!
> > And even then, I wouldn't think that split shifts pay all
> > that much.
> >
> > That's really too bad too because traffic in this city is
> a
> > big deal. Traffic reporters have merit, but all too often
>
> > this task is assigned to the "traffic bunnies" on a show
> and
> > considered a blow off or something that buys a few minutes
>
> > for the hosts or talent to re-group their thoughts or go
> > potty.
> >
> Which brings up the question why is Houston the only major
> market or large market that does not have traffic except am
> and pm drive times? I've been in much smaller cities with
> traffic we can only pray for and many stations have traffic
> all day and evening.
>
> I don't expect traffic every six or ten minutes during the
> overnight hours of 3 to 5am, although I have been caught in
> some nasty ties ups at those hours. Weekends and traffic
> reports are non existant and the weekend traffic is just as
> bad as weekday traffic, with so many major freeway closures,
> weekends can actually be worse.
>
> Where has Elaine Closure gone to, she hasn't been on KIOL in
> a couple of months now. Susie has been doing traffic for
> some years now and one of the best?
>
> You would think every station in this city would have
> traffic at least from 5am to 8pm weekdays and on weekends.
> Just another sad chapter in Houston radio.
>
> Many of the traffic reporters work more than one station and
> the couple of hours in the am and pm when stations have the
> mandatory traffic spend the entire shift jumping from
> station to station giving reports. Not an easy job that
> doesn't pay that well, unless you become a bigger part of a
> stations morning or afternoon show than just reading a
> commercial and about 10 seconds of traffic. Not the fault
> of those that report the traffic, the majority of stations
> could care less about reporting traffic. Just like
> everything else in radio the quality of the traffic reports
> have sunk to new lows because the stations really don't care
> about traffic and the reports are basically useless. Once
> again not the fault of those men and women that try and give
> a decent traffic report.
>
> Mike O
>
I know where Susie, for the right kind of money I'll tell ya!
