WHUD

[Weiserguy]

If I've interpreted what I've read herein accurately, a station or group has the choice to buy the whole market or just a subset. If your station buys the entire NYC metro, it will show up in the main book and the various satellite market reports. But if a LI station only buys the Nassau-Suffolk subset, they won't appear in the total market report (and save a few bucks in the process), even if the station has enough listeners in the total market to qualify.

(David will be by momentarily to correct whatever I said wrong.)

 

[SoulCrusher]

It's a New Jersey station, but ever since we lost ALT 92.3, this is where I get my alternative fix

The only station I know of in NJ that’s alternative (and they are quite good): Planet 93.9

 

[MVB13]

Many of those suburban stations are in the huge New York metro which has all of Long Island, a bit of CT and a whole bunch of New Jersey counties. Those stations do well in their area, but not the whole market as they don't cover it all.

Nassau/Suffolk ratings are an extracted subset of the New York City market which includes all of Long Island. That New York market also has several subsets in New Jersey that are published for the needs of local stations there. But they are all in the New York City MSA. Such extracted subsets are for what they call "Embedded Markets".

Not all of LI. Montauk clearly cannot get NYC stations no pun intended.

 

[MVB13]

The only station I know of in NJ that’s alternative (and they are quite good): Planet 93.9

Planet 93.9 isn't in NJ. It's in the Midwest. You mean Planet 106.3 in South Jersey.

 

[Always interested]

Planet 93.9 isn't in NJ. It's in the Midwest. You mean Planet 106.3 in South Jersey.

I would still like to know why Pamal didn’t renew with total traffic. This morning the Traffic Anchor sounded more relaxed & gave exact speeds traffic was traveling on certain roadways. That’s nothing Total Traffic couldn’t do 🤷

 

[MVB13]

Pamal has great stations.

 

[TheBigA]

I would still like to know why Pamal didn’t renew with total traffic.

The way stations pay for traffic services is they air a certain number of commercials. At some point that becomes a problem because listeners don't like commercials. So it's possible that they decided they weren't going to run additional commercials for traffic. The Pamal stations in Albany have their own traffic service, so it's possible they decided to extend it to the Hudson Valley. The information all basically comes from the same place: the NYDOT.

Traffic Command

www.pamal.com

 

[SoulCrusher]

Planet 93.9 isn't in NJ. It's in the Midwest. You mean Planet 106.3 in South Jersey.

For some reason it displays as Planet 93.9 (which must be owned by the same company), but I linked to and meant Planet 106.3 (WJSE-FM). There may be some non-comms that qualify, but to the best of my knowledge they are the only commercial alternative station in NJ.

 

[Always interested]

The way stations pay for traffic services is they air a certain number of commercials. At some point that becomes a problem because listeners don't like commercials. So it's possible that they decided they weren't going to run additional commercials for traffic. The Pamal stations in Albany have their own traffic service, so it's possible they decided to extend it to the Hudson Valley. The information all basically comes from the same place: the NYDOT.

Traffic Command

www.pamal.com

Your right. I was always thought it was a Barter deal. The Station gets Traffic & News & The Supplying Company gets to read 10 second spots for each report. I listened this morning. I didn’t sound smooth at all. I’m Wondering what The Listeners think 🤔 ?

 

[Always interested]

Your right. I was always thought it was a Barter deal. The Station gets Traffic & News & The Supplying Company gets to read 10 second spots for each report. I listened this morning. I didn’t sound smooth at all. I’m Wondering what The Listeners think 🤔 ?

Pamal is saving money but at what cost. Listeners are used to hearing the same people & certain roadways. It may cost them in the.ratings

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Pamal is saving money but at what cost. Listeners are used to hearing the same people & certain roadways. It may cost them in the.ratings

changing traffic people isnt going to cost them much of anything

 

[Weiserguy]

changing traffic people isnt going to cost them much of anything

Making a small change that slips under the radar will usually not result in a negative outcome. However, one too many of them, or one egregious enough to not slip under the radar, can do real damage. The history of the media is littered with examples of those.

 

[Always interested]

changing traffic people isnt going to cost them much of anything

I guess what I’m trying to say is. They went from Seasoned Veterans who know the roadways like the back of their hands. And cover a listeners commute thoroughly. To people who are learning & miss a thing or two 2️⃣. There is going to be some reaction. I know stations that went with a cheaper alternative. Who switched back before the ink on the contract was dry

 

[luperm]

I guess what I’m trying to say is. They went from Seasoned Veterans who know the roadways like the back of their hands. And cover a listeners commute thoroughly. To people who are learning & miss a thing or two 2️⃣. There is going to be some reaction. I know stations that went with a cheaper alternative. Who switched back before the ink on the contract was dry

Not sure that will happen here. Smartphone navigation apps are so much better. Information on your trip when you want it. Not hearing some stale radio report that runs when the station decides that may or may not have relevant information about your commute. I feel like it's more relevant content on a station like WCBS where it's scheduled...but unless it's a major issue or major bridge/tunnel, there's a good chance the report will not discuss a road you care about. Traffic reports just feel antiquated on a music station. I get the business end of things...if a sponsor is picking up the tab, that's one thing. But otherwise, there are probably better uses of the time.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

Please stop trotting out this tired argument. Smartphones have an app for everything. Does that mean every business that offers an alternative to smartphone content should shut down because, why bother?

Personally I use a navigation app 100% of the time when I'm driving but I still rely on traffic reports to augment it. The navigation app usually doesn't tell you why it wants you to turn onto a stupid route you normally wouldn't take, and there is a strong temptation to ignore instructions like that if you aren't aware of a situation happening far ahead.

 

[luperm]

Please stop trotting out this tired argument. Smartphones have an app for everything. Does that mean every business that offers an alternative to smartphone content should shut down because, why bother?

No. I’m saying that in 2024, traffic reports generally sound antiquated on a musically focused station. There’s a more efficient solution, and probably a better use of airtime.

 

[TheBigA]

No. I’m saying that in 2024, traffic reports generally sound antiquated on a musically focused station. There’s a more efficient solution, and probably a better use of airtime.

Using that criterion, everything on radio sounds dated, including playing music.

 

[NewsStud]

I lived in Stamford in the '70s, and had a friend living in Cordtland Manor in the '90s, and had never before heard Route 9A referred to as the "Briarcliff-Peekskill Parkway" until @Scott_C mentioned it. It must be one of those vanity names that locals resist, like the "Jackie Robinson" for the Interboro, or the "Mario Cuomo" for the Tappan Zee. Names that exist only to confuse visitors.

Someone during a traffic report (a long time ago, I forget who and where) talked about "The Carmel-Cold Spring Turnpike."

It sounded like a multi-lane toll road opened between southeastern and northwestern Putnam County.

It's Route 301.

 

[MassMusicMan]

I wonder what lead to Pamal’s decision not to renew. Loyal listeners are now going to here new voices & Names of Roadways they didn’t even know existed. This Could cause the Decision Maker to Say “ What have I done”?

It won't. The decision maker is a resolute buffoon who's in over his head, and was hired back despite washing out at Cumulus and iHeart.

Pamal is a clown show.

 

[secondchoice]

It won't. The decision maker is a resolute buffoon who's in over his head, and was hired back despite washing out at Cumulus and iHeart.

Pamal is a clown show.

This is commercial radio. I am sure if most stations could "in house" and make a better profit they would. That being said most of the info comes for state DOT info that is available to anyone. (There are exceptions where a station has the big buck$$$$ sponcer or a tv operation to put a traffic reporter in a 🚁 helicopter). The problem with a lot of traffic operations is sooner or later they will have to hire someone who doesn't have local "knowledge".

I personally know in Atlanta the WAZE app is about 15 to 30 minutes behind WSB traffic reporting wrecks.

To get "canned" from iHeart, or Cumulus you had to be good enough to get hired. I bet there are more than one applicant for any position at either.

I have been told by my boss at one station that I was not his first choice, but I was the most talented person available. Thankfully the owner's "favorite" turned him down. The "first choice's" wife had a teaching job in her hometown and would not move.