Report Looks At Future Of Radio Traffic Reporting

Traffic Reporting Changing

Traffic reports on radio face a bleak future, according to an assessment in an ASSOCIATED PRESS piece running this weekend.

Longtime CLEAR CHANNEL Talk KFI-A "KF-Eye In the Sky" and AC KOST/LOS ANGELES airborne traffic reporter MIKE NOLAN, now earthbound and filing reports from his home rather than the air, discusses the change in his assignment in the story, noting that his expertise -- knowing the real details of LOS ANGELES' labyrinth roadway system and every alternate route, slowdown-prone spot, and likely complication -- cannot be replaced by GPS technology. "The radio reporter is going to tell you what's going on where you're going to be in addition to where you are," NOLAN tells AP.

The article quotes AIRWATCH TRAFFIC LOS ANGELES VP/Operations DON BASTIDA as saying "A number of years ago it'd be unheard of to have an FM station in L.A. without traffic reports. Now traffic reports on the music stations become just an interruption that gives the listener an opportunity to hit the button and move on to the next station." BASTIDA says that reports will continue on AM, but will be reduced to those accompanying a related news story.

But METRO TRAFFIC EVP/Operations JOHN FRAWLEY contends that traffic remains a draw on News and Talk stations and that GPS devices can show a traffic jam but can't explain the cause. "When our people come on, people pay attention," said FRAWLEY. "They're interested that somebody else is suffering in traffic, too."

Read the article by clicking here.

« see more Net News