Unbelievable!

[gymbeaux120]

I happen to be currently employed by Metro, working a split shift (it's a long day, but I get a six hour lunch). Those of us in Charlotte have no idea what will happen to us in June, other than we will most likely be unemployed. Only one person has been offered a job at the Atlanta center after the transition. This is a sad state of affairs because several of the Metro employees in Charlotte have been there for many years working strange hours for little pay (the company has not issued raises since 2001).

The traffic information will suffer. We get the bulk of our information from scanners, but we have established a network of people who verify that information for us. We also have the DOT cameras available to us so we can see live traffic on I-77 and I-85. I don't see the company spending the capital to get that info in Atlanta. Sure, there are other ways to get that information, but my experience is that it is often unreliable.

That being said, it is my opinion that Metro is directly responsible for making the impression that traffic is important information. Before we came along the only outlets for this information came from your big talker stations (WBT, WRVA, etc.). We're the ones that made it seem critical that everyone gets it. But is it really all that important? How many people do you know can say they rely on traffic reports to plan their commute. All of us go to work and back home pretty much the same way every day.

In the long run your average every day listener will probably notice nothing different. I'm sure the new reporters will mis-pronounce local names ("Con-kerd" instead of "Con-cord" will be the first of many) and they'll report accidents that are long cleared, but Joe Commuter just won't care.

News and sports, on the other hand, will be an issue. Metro has worked very hard to establish a credible news and sports operation in Charlotte. Phoenix will not give us the in depth information you can get from our affiliates now. They simply will not have the resources. And they simply won't care.

When David Saperstein owned the company our motto was "the affiliates above all." Since selling it to Westwood One it has been "get the money and run." I think it is a shame that what was once a great company has been reduced to this.

Wall Street has ruined radio.

[XTalker]

Please don't credit Metro for the perceived importance of traffic reports in North Carolina. All they did was come along and buy some local companies that had established traffic networks in North Carolina (Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro).

I know personally that Bill Jennings (former GM at WBT) was responsible for establishing the traffic networks in Raleigh and Greensboro. He came to Raleigh at my request when I was at WKIX/WYYD/WYLT. At the time, only WPTF and WRAL were doing traffic (about 1986, I believe).

I worked for Bill and built the Greensboro network in 1989. Up to that time, only WSJS and WTQR had traffic reports in the market.

[outtaradio]

gymbeaux,

Remember these initials: I. N. B. ?

CM

[gymbeaux120]

You are right, XTalker. I certainly did not mean to leave out the companies Metro acquired.  in fact, I was working for Traffic Patrol Broadcasting when Metro bought us from George Shinn (yes, that George Shinn). Please forgive me for not communicating my point clearly and that is that these companies and Metro made traffic an important issue to radio stations when before it really wasn't all that big of a deal. Don't get me wrong, I think it was a great idea to generate revenue. I just think the imformation is secondary to the primary goal of making money. Nothing wrong with that - that's what makes capitalism great.

And, yes, Outtaradio, I remember well what I.N.B. means. Those initials stand for something that is completely inappropriate for a family post such as this.

[outtaradio]

Uh-huh, it's still funny.
Hold 'er steady lad!

[XTalker]

"Importance of Parameters" studies done by The Research Group in Raleigh in the 80s showed traffic reports in the morning as very important - almost as high as weather reports. Only WPTF and WRAL had traffic reports in those days. We brought TPB to the market to dilute their impact. Suddenly everyone had them.

In Winston-Salem, the state paid WSJS and WTQR to air traffic reports for the downtown area while they build the downtown expressway (later became I-40, now Business 40). After the project was over, listeners felt the reports were valuable and the stations expanded them to cover the region. SJS/TQR flew two airplanes (JR in one and JJ in the other).

TPB came along, took over the operation of the planes and added most of the stations in the market (1989).

[vchimpanzee]

"Importance of Parameters" studies done by The Research Group in Raleigh in the 80s showed traffic reports in the morning as very important - almost as high as weather reports. Only WPTF and WRAL had traffic reports in those days. We brought TPB to the market to dilute their impact. Suddenly everyone had them.

In Winston-Salem, the state paid WSJS and WTQR to air traffic reports for the downtown area while they build the downtown expressway (later became I-40, now Business 40). After the project was over, listeners felt the reports were valuable and the stations expanded them to cover the region. SJS/TQR flew two airplanes (JR in one and JJ in the other).

TPB came along, took over the operation of the planes and added most of the stations in the market (1989).

This doesn't sound right. WTQR was WSJS-FM when Business 40 was being built.

And I got interested in the subject some years ago and went to the top floor of the library where they had a folder full of articles on the construction of Business 40. At the time, it was supposed to be nothing more than what it is now. Then someone came up with the bright idea of making that the interstate instead of building a bypass.