Where does WKLU get it's traffic information?

[radioho]

Speaking of business ethics, do you have any proof to back up your accusation, or are you just making statements you can't back up? And whether Russ is beyond reproach or not, he doesn't want to sully his moneymaker before he sells it, does he?

Let's keep these forums for REAL radio news, not wild accusations.

Don't be a fool. If the station does not quote a source, that means they have no LEGITIMATE source. Where do you think they are getting their info BSUGEEK? If it's not Metro Traffic, is Libby running outside looking up and down I-69 for accidents? Is Russ flying over Indy in his private plane during rush hour?

OBVIOUSLY they are "stealing" it. The argument isn't HOW they are getting it, the argument is shouldn't they be more ethical about how they get it. And while it won't hold up with a jury - I have been TOLD their method of getting traffic reports and which station they get them from - but I'll never tell!

Traffic info gathering is not difficult if you have a police scanner and a few police phone numbers to local traffic public information offices.

RIGHT! I'm sure the drive time jocks at WKLU sit there listening all morning/afternoon to the new scanner Russ installed, all the while making frantic calls to the public information offices - because traffic is such an important part of their on-air duties.

 

[partyshark]

RIGHT! I'm sure the drive time jocks at WKLU sit there listening all morning/afternoon to the new scanner Russ installed, all the while making frantic calls to the public information offices - because traffic is such an important part of their on-air duties.

Yeah because you cant get interns to do that or pay some high school dropout minimum wage to do it either.
So when I provided traffic information for the morning show to read 15 years ago from scanners and calling police dispatch, that was stealing?

 

[radioho]

RIGHT! I'm sure the drive time jocks at WKLU sit there listening all morning/afternoon to the new scanner Russ installed, all the while making frantic calls to the public information offices - because traffic is such an important part of their on-air duties.

Yeah because you cant get interns to do that or pay some high school dropout minimum wage to do it either.
So when I provided traffic information for the morning show to read 15 years ago from scanners and calling police dispatch, that was stealing?

This is not 1992 - and if theywon't spend the money for a service, they're not going to hire someone to do it. You're talking about WKLU here - not a typical radio station.

 

[gr8oldies]

I can remember at a certain small station in eastern Indiana writing down WOWO's weather. Nothing new. How do you really copyright an accident?

 

[11south]

I can remember at a certain small station in eastern Indiana writing down WOWO's weather. Nothing new. How do you really copyright an accident?

We're not talking about some station in a cornfield in Winchester here. We're talking about a station with a transmitter in Marion County, and an owner ,who will tell anyone who is stupid enough to listen, that made $100MM in the advertising agency business.

If they actually had some low paid hourly employee (oh...wait I just described the airstaff) calling police agencies and listening to scanners of government frequencies...that would be called news gathering.

They are not news gathering...they are stealing from others and claiming the work as their own.

 

[theairdownthere]

Oh good grief... there are actually three pages of a thread devoted to this? Are you kidding me?

Wow. I guess some people really will argue over ANYTHING.

Even if they are "stealing" it, does it really matter and do you honestly think they're the only ones? If you do then you're under a rock and don't get out much. Bottom line: Does it matter? No? Then move on.

 

[radioho]

Oh good grief... there are actually three pages of a thread devoted to this? Are you kidding me?

Wow. I guess some people really will argue over ANYTHING.

Even if they are "stealing" it, does it really matter and do you honestly think they're the only ones? If you do then you're under a rock and don't get out much. Bottom line: Does it matter? No? Then move on.

The point of this board is to discuss the radio industry and its' practices. This is a valid subject. I agree, as posted above, it's not a capital offense, but it does speak about ethics.

How about if I come to your place of employment, write down all your work, bring it back to my business, sell it or pass it off as mine?

MetroTraffic does earn it's income from accumulating and gathering traffic information. It costs them for personnel to do this. WIBC pays for their own traffic/news (I assume) - but I don't think they do it as a freebie for WKLU.

I think THAT is the point people are making. Again, what if all Indy stations stopped paying for the service? Or relied on another station to do their news/traffic gathering? Can you answer that?

Or perhaps a representative from WKLU can clarify for all of us, just where do they get their traffic? If it's a reputable source, then it shouldn't be a problem for one of them to come on here and enlighten us?

The 'Ho would like to know!

 

[BSURadioGeek]

Why don't you call them up Ho? Maybe they will tell you themselves.

 

[radioho]

Why don't you call them up Ho? Maybe they will tell you themselves.

I just assumed since all the WkLU employees come on here in Russ' defense (obviously the only ones - otherwise why would you care), they would have no problem sharing their ethical means of traffic info. If there's nothing wrong with the way they do it, why not enlighten us? hmmm?

 

[Flying-Dutchman]

Those who love money hate to spend it. And, it is those who love money who have taken over
the radio business today. Makes me wish I'd chosen another line of work sometimes. But,
then, if I had, there would be no WKLU to talk about here!!!!!!

 

[partyshark]

I just assumed since all the WkLU employees come on here in Russ' defense (obviously the only ones - otherwise why would you care), they would have no problem sharing their ethical means of traffic info. If there's nothing wrong with the way they do it, why not enlighten us? hmmm?

I dont work there, I work in California. Like I said, ANYONE can get traffic information by legitimate means with a scanner and phone calls, you just fail to accept that answer. Just because 2 stations are reporting the same accident does not mean one is stealing from the other. Why must you insist that WKLU is stealing when I have given you a plausible explanation to the original question?
There should have been an option E. "DO they listen to a scanner and make phone calls?"
The only options listed were all accusatory of them stealing the information. Quite biased, like saying "have you stopped beating your wife yet?"

If I am in walmart wearing a pair of shoes that walmart happens to sell, does that mean I stole them?

 

[MACK184]

There's this thing called the internet it has a bunch of stuff on it you should check it out

There's also this thing called theft. (in the real world you go to jail, or get sued)

There's also this thing called Plagiarism (in college you get expelled)

They are sort of cousins.

Are you saying WKLU is getting traffic report information off the internet and claiming it as their own work?

While you are correct, it is unlikely anyone will be going to jail, getting sued, and expelled from college?? The only way to get expelled from college is to either register as a republican or be an advocate for traditional values. Come on! Of course it's "illegal" and the cost to prove, much less prosecute something like that would not be good for a station's bottom line. How many stations steal their news from the paper or a TV station's website? Theoretically it's illegal..everyone has a case. But in practice? Let the plunder begin! Next issue.

 

[Ur-A-Dawg]

"DO they listen to a scanner and make phone calls?"" quote
Can you imagine a jock in Indianapolis listening to a police scanner while trying to do a show?
Get real! It would make more sense to pay the small amount for the service.
How do we know that Russ isn't paying for traffic?

"If I am in walmart wearing a pair of shoes that walmart happens to sell, does that mean I stole them?" quote
This thread isn't saying Russ is stealing tennis shoes. It is saying he might be to cheap to pay for his
traffic.

 

[Ur-A-Dawg]

http://pws.indot.org/ipws/ci/
Here's a free one from the Indiana Department Of Transportation.

 

[radioho]

getting your news info from tv or newspaper and rebroadcasting it, while illegal, is common, standard practice for 'small' stations. shouldn't be the case with a 'metro' station. But stealing the info from a competitor is just cheap. I cannot say it's fact, but a former employee has pm'd me stating such. She could be lying of course.

And I think we all know the truth anyway - and yes, I'm tiring of this topic as well. It's not really as much fun when it's really the sad truth you're mocking.

 

[bigtime]

In the 90s there was a certain Indy station with an AM radio in their air studio tuned to WIBC. The radio had a label on it that said "newsroom".

 

[Flying-Dutchman]

WIBC was always my favorite for the news. Great idea! Wish I'd thought of that!

 

[partyshark]

Can you imagine a jock in Indianapolis listening to a police scanner while trying to do a show?

No, but I can imagine an intern earning college credits, is in there making phone calls and listening to a scanner and then feeding that info to a jock on the air to read. That is how some stations do it and thats what interns are for, cheap labor.

 

[radioho]

Can you imagine a jock in Indianapolis listening to a police scanner while trying to do a show?

No, but I can imagine an intern earning college credits, is in there making phone calls and listening to a scanner and then feeding that info to a jock on the air to read. That is how some stations do it and thats what interns are for, cheap labor.

I'm sure you are right - that's probably the way Russ does it. I can see the interns sitting there frantically writing down the traffic info with one ear on the phone with the State Police post, while the other locked into the scanner - ripping the info off the notepad and handing it to the jock - who is sitting there frantically waiting for three songs to play so he has his 90-seconds of air time to get that traffic report in.

From now on we'll just clear all questions about Indianapolis radio with Patty from California -she seems to not only know how the stations around here operate, but is pretty convinced we have no idea what we're talking about.

I dont work there, I work in California. Like I said, ANYONE can get traffic information by legitimate means with a scanner and phone calls, you just fail to accept that answer.

Thanks for setting us straight Pat!

 

[BSURadioGeek]

I listened to KLU during my morning drive just to hear traffic. You are right, they don't say anything about their traffic gathering source after traffic. Then I listened to news, and guess what? No news source, either! OMG!!!! They are stealing news, too!!!!

Oh, wait. This is a station that likes to keep the chatter to a minimum. Maybe they have a deal with a lesser company that doesn't need name recognition, so they don't have to sat something like, "News and traffic from the Indianapolis Star brought to you by Speedway." It doesn't save a lot of time, but it sounds so much better to me.