Your local traffic report . . . from hundreds of miles away

Started by cpzilliacus, November 05, 2012, 08:47:02 AM

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cpzilliacus

Washington Post: Your local traffic report . . . from hundreds of miles away

QuoteThose tie-ups on the Beltway that you hear about on the radio while you're tied up on the Beltway? These days, the "local"  traffic reporter bringing you that information may not be very local at all.

QuoteWAMU (88.5 FM), the Washington area's top-rated station, gets its up-to-the-minute news about local roads from reporters in . . . Florida. And Philadelphia.

QuoteJerry Edwards, the venerable traffic reporter who does the station's morning updates, describes the daily fight of the lights from his home in the Sunshine State's Sarasota. Dave Solomon, who handles afternoons, broadcasts from up the interstate in Philly.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.


jwolfer

that is why they will call a street a blvd etc... also it seems they use route number in place of local street names

Big John

So a university station on the non-commercial band (below 92 FM) can't get local journalism students to do that? :no:

cpzilliacus

Quote from: Big John on November 05, 2012, 07:35:14 PM
So a university station on the non-commercial band (below 92 FM) can't get local journalism students to do that? :no:

They don't know the freeway, parkway and street network well enough to do that.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

kurumi

Even the local guy is likely not who you think:

"... often with the same reporter broadcasting to several stations under different names. Most work for Shadow-Metro Traffic based in San Francisco, which contracts with multiple stations. Meyers is Lynn Meyers on K101, Channel 2's Sal Castaneda is Rickey Ricardo on a rock station, and KQED's Joe McConnell turns into Joe Vincent at KGO..."

GETTING A BIRD'S- EYE VIEW OF COMMUTE, San Jose Mercury News (CA) - Monday, August 8, 2005
My first SF/horror short story collection is available: "Young Man, Open Your Winter Eye"

allniter89

XM Satellite Radio broadcast traffic reports for many major metro areas from XM Headquarters in Washington DC. XM's traffic reports were frequently outdated because "XM also has dedicated traffic and weather channels that cover many major metropolitan areas. These channels play a continuous loop of local weather information and detailed traffic data."[/u]
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cpzilliacus

Quote from: allniter89 on November 06, 2012, 09:59:26 PM
XM Satellite Radio broadcast traffic reports for many major metro areas from XM Headquarters in Washington DC. XM's traffic reports were frequently outdated because "XM also has dedicated traffic and weather channels that cover many major metropolitan areas. These channels play a continuous loop of local weather information and detailed traffic data."

I have listened to SiriusXM's channel that covers Baltimore, Washington and (!) Atlanta. 

Frequently out-dated and repetitive.

Vastly inferior to the reports from WTOP (103.5) and WNEW (99.1).
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

1995hoo

I've listened to XM's reports too. I don't very often since they combined cities and run the reports less often. DC traffic on XM now airs "on the 1s" and that's the same time as WNEW. I'm more confident in WNEW's reports if I miss WTOP's.

Other thing about XM reports is that the style never gave me confidence in them. Too many of their reporters were clearly just reading from a screen and not understanding the material. The main example that comes to mind is omitting articles where they're needed and adding them when they're not. "Triangle" is the name if a town in Prince William County. XM reporters would see that word on the screen and feel the need to say "the Triangle." It really decreases your confidence in what you're hearing because you wonder if the reporter is extemporaneously changing other things that might be more substantive.

I do like having the XM reports as an option when I travel, though, because I never know what local FM or AM station to search out in a given area, and you also have the problem of local jargon that's useless to outsiders (reporters using solely road names for Interstates when all the maps show the numbers, for example).
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

cpzilliacus

Quote from: 1995hoo on November 07, 2012, 07:37:23 AM
I've listened to XM's reports too. I don't very often since they combined cities and run the reports less often. DC traffic on XM now airs "on the 1s" and that's the same time as WNEW. I'm more confident in WNEW's reports if I miss WTOP's.

Absolutely the right choice.

Quote from: 1995hoo on November 07, 2012, 07:37:23 AM
Other thing about XM reports is that the style never gave me confidence in them. Too many of their reporters were clearly just reading from a screen and not understanding the material. The main example that comes to mind is omitting articles where they're needed and adding them when they're not. "Triangle" is the name if a town in Prince William County. XM reporters would see that word on the screen and feel the need to say "the Triangle." It really decreases your confidence in what you're hearing because you wonder if the reporter is extemporaneously changing other things that might be more substantive.

I have heard similar mistakes the few times that I have listened to SiriusXM.  I don't pay attention to their traffic reporting any longer.

Quote from: 1995hoo on November 07, 2012, 07:37:23 AM
I do like having the XM reports as an option when I travel, though, because I never know what local FM or AM station to search out in a given area, and you also have the problem of local jargon that's useless to outsiders (reporters using solely road names for Interstates when all the maps show the numbers, for example).

The metro areas where I need radio traffic reports in the U.S. are New York and Los Angeles.  As I have suggested on this site before, the right places to turn there are WCBS (880-AM) and KNX (1070-AM) respectively.  Yes, they use "local" geographic reference terms and phrases ("the BQE" and "Cahuenga Pass" are two examples), but that's not that hard (at least for me) to comprehend.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

1995hoo

Quote from: cpzilliacus on November 07, 2012, 08:45:32 AM
The metro areas where I need radio traffic reports in the U.S. are New York and Los Angeles.  As I have suggested on this site before, the right places to turn there are WCBS (880-AM) and KNX (1070-AM) respectively.  Yes, they use "local" geographic reference terms and phrases ("the BQE" and "Cahuenga Pass" are two examples), but that's not that hard (at least for me) to comprehend.

For me lately it's been southbound travel by car. Ms1995hoo and I got married in 2010 and she has several relatives in Florida we visit once or twice a year. So Orlando, Tampa, and Miami are the three non-DC areas where I most often need traffic reports these days.....just don't travel north as often as I used to. Local references don't faze me in New York because most of my relatives are from there and I spent a lot of time visiting when I was growing up. In other cities, though, I'd be at a loss. (Furthest south I've been on the West Coast is Vancouver at the end of a trip to Alaska, but we walked around the city–even walked all the way from the Lion's Gate Bridge to BC Place–and cabbed it to the airport when it was time to leave.)
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Henry

Quote from: kurumi on November 05, 2012, 11:51:31 PM
Even the local guy is likely not who you think:

"... often with the same reporter broadcasting to several stations under different names. Most work for Shadow-Metro Traffic based in San Francisco, which contracts with multiple stations. Meyers is Lynn Meyers on K101, Channel 2's Sal Castaneda is Rickey Ricardo on a rock station, and KQED's Joe McConnell turns into Joe Vincent at KGO..."

GETTING A BIRD'S- EYE VIEW OF COMMUTE, San Jose Mercury News (CA) - Monday, August 8, 2005
Is there a link to that article?
Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today!

allniter89

Quote from: cpzilliacus on November 06, 2012, 10:26:50 PM
Quote from: allniter89 on November 06, 2012, 09:59:26 PM
XM Satellite Radio broadcast traffic reports for many major metro areas from XM Headquarters in Washington DC. XM's traffic reports were frequently outdated because "XM also has dedicated traffic and weather channels that cover many major metropolitan areas. These channels play a continuous loop of local weather information and detailed traffic data."

I have listened to SiriusXM's channel that covers Baltimore, Washington and (!) Atlanta. 

Frequently out-dated and repetitive.

Vastly inferior to the reports from WTOP (103.5) and WNEW (99.1).
And WSB 750AM in Atlanta, excellent traffic reporting!
Regarding traffic reporters using highway names only a local would recognize, I HATE that  Chicago am station (WBBM??) gave traffic reports as travel  times, ie: 20 mins between "the Circle" and "the Merge". An out-of-towner wouldnt know if 20mins was a fast or slow travel time, at least give us a normal travel time to compare, as in "20 mins, normal time is 10mins".
BUY AMERICAN MADE.
SPEED SAFELY.

cpzilliacus

Quote from: allniter89 on November 07, 2012, 05:46:04 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on November 06, 2012, 10:26:50 PM
Quote from: allniter89 on November 06, 2012, 09:59:26 PM
XM Satellite Radio broadcast traffic reports for many major metro areas from XM Headquarters in Washington DC. XM's traffic reports were frequently outdated because "XM also has dedicated traffic and weather channels that cover many major metropolitan areas. These channels play a continuous loop of local weather information and detailed traffic data."

I have listened to SiriusXM's channel that covers Baltimore, Washington and (!) Atlanta. 

Frequently out-dated and repetitive.

Vastly inferior to the reports from WTOP (103.5) and WNEW (99.1).
And WSB 750AM in Atlanta, excellent traffic reporting!

I think I have listened to them when I was down that way (not very often).

Quote from: allniter89 on November 07, 2012, 05:46:04 PM
Regarding traffic reporters using highway names only a local would recognize, I HATE that  Chicago am station (WBBM??) gave traffic reports as travel  times, ie: 20 mins between "the Circle" and "the Merge". An out-of-towner wouldnt know if 20mins was a fast or slow travel time, at least give us a normal travel time to compare, as in "20 mins, normal time is 10mins".

Good observation.  It seems to be what WBBM listeners want (for reasons not clear to me, as I have never heard any other big-city radio station that does reporting in that manner).  And they don't usually mention circumferential roads, especially including I-294 (Tri-State Tollway), which seems curious to me.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

allniter89

 Atlanta's system of giving both travel times and mileages from point to point on a cms is very helpful to drivers unfamiliar with Atlanta.
Off topic but maybe of interest, until recently NOAA weather radio would give severe weather warning only by referencing towns in the area. Drivers unfamiliar with the area would not know if they were in the path of severe weather. Recently when NOAA gives a severe weather warning they include milemarkers on highways included in the warned area. This is helpful for me at home because I know I live between mm56 & mm70 so I can pinpoint where the storm actuallly is.
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Scott5114

God, Chicago sprang to mind immediately when someone mentioned obscure local traffic reporting customs. Someone had it on in the car at the Chicago meet. It was mesmerizing, and kind of fun to listen to, but in much the same way as listening to ATC or police band traffic is without knowing the phraseology. I had not a clue what was being discussed.
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Jim

The Clear Channel news/talk stations seem to share many traffic reporters at least among northeastern cities.  I've heard the same voices I hear on WGY in Albany on other stations in New England.  And one morning not too long ago, a traffic reporter read off what was clearly a Binghamton area report on WGY.  A quick google search shows that this is not just a northeastern trend or a Clear Channel trend.

I've found the reports to be nearly useless anyway.  I can't count the number of times I'm stopped in traffic and my route is not mentioned or I'm zipping along at 75 and they tell me that there's congestion right where I am.  Google Maps live traffic does a much better job of keeping accurate.
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brownpelican

New Orleans has its own service: MetroScan Traffic. Pretty much all the radio stations - including the ClearChannel stations, Jim - use them and WWL-TV use them as substitutes when their own traffic reporter is out. However, WWL's traffic maps are from SigAlert.com

1995hoo

I'm curious what sort of jargon is local and what sort is shared by traffic reporters elsewhere. I'm not thinking about local names for roads, of course. The example that comes to my mind is that DC-area traffic reporters are fond of using the expression "the lanes are open." What they mean by that is that all lanes are available for use by traffic. The lanes might be at a complete standstill due to a traffic jam, but unless a lane is either closed off (say, for construction) or blocked by an accident or some such, they say "the lanes are open." Several of my relatives have objected to "the lanes are open" when they've driven here and encountered traffic jams because when they heard that expression they visualized "open" in the sense of "not jammed up."

I can't say I recall hearing this expression used when I've listened to traffic reports in other cities, or at least certainly I don't ever recall it being used quite as frequently as it is here.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

kphoger

Quote from: Scott5114 on November 08, 2012, 04:39:45 PM
God, Chicago sprang to mind immediately when someone mentioned obscure local traffic reporting customs. Someone had it on in the car at the Chicago meet. It was mesmerizing, and kind of fun to listen to, but in much the same way as listening to ATC or police band traffic is without knowing the phraseology. I had not a clue what was being discussed.

Having grown up listening to WBBM in Chicago, that just seems to normal to me.  I guess it gave me the assumption that all cities' traffic reports used similar jargon, things like 'The Circle'–a term I didn't understand even when I was old enough to drive through the Circle.

After my family had moved away from Chicago to western Kansas, my dad and I got a taste of nostalgia once when we were driving in Colorado.  Due to weather patterns and the interesting things they can do to radio signals, we were actually able to pick up WBBM in the car just outside of Denver.  It's kind of fun listening to the traffic and weather report for a city nearly 1000 miles from the one you're approaching.
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Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

Alps

In NYC, "heavy traffic" means "expect to sit still for minutes at a time and lose an hour going 5 miles."

kurumi

Quote from: Henry on November 07, 2012, 10:38:06 AM
Quote from: kurumi on November 05, 2012, 11:51:31 PM
Even the local guy is likely not who you think:

"... often with the same reporter broadcasting to several stations under different names. Most work for Shadow-Metro Traffic based in San Francisco, which contracts with multiple stations. Meyers is Lynn Meyers on K101, Channel 2's Sal Castaneda is Rickey Ricardo on a rock station, and KQED's Joe McConnell turns into Joe Vincent at KGO..."

GETTING A BIRD'S- EYE VIEW OF COMMUTE, San Jose Mercury News (CA) - Monday, August 8, 2005
Is there a link to that article?

It's only available pay per view that I know of (or via your library, if it offers that)
My first SF/horror short story collection is available: "Young Man, Open Your Winter Eye"

cpzilliacus

Quote from: kphoger on November 13, 2012, 01:54:17 PM
After my family had moved away from Chicago to western Kansas, my dad and I got a taste of nostalgia once when we were driving in Colorado.  Due to weather patterns and the interesting things they can do to radio signals, we were actually able to pick up WBBM in the car just outside of Denver.  It's kind of fun listening to the traffic and weather report for a city nearly 1000 miles from the one you're approaching.

My absolute favorite out-of-town all-news station with traffic reports is KNX-1070 in Los Angeles (no, the signal does not make it east to Maryland, but the streamed content does). 

Great "sounder" for "traffic and weather together on the fives," traffic anchors that know what they are talking about, with (usually) lots of action on the L.A. freeway  network.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

allniter89

Quote from: cpzilliacus on November 14, 2012, 09:47:59 AM
Quote from: kphoger on November 13, 2012, 01:54:17 PM
After my family had moved away from Chicago to western Kansas, my dad and I got a taste of nostalgia once when we were driving in Colorado.  Due to weather patterns and the interesting things they can do to radio signals, we were actually able to pick up WBBM in the car just outside of Denver.  It's kind of fun listening to the traffic and weather report for a city nearly 1000 miles from the one you're approaching.

My absolute favorite out-of-town all-news station with traffic reports is KNX-1070 in Los Angeles (no, the signal does not make it east to Maryland, but the streamed content does). 

Great "sounder" for "traffic and weather together on the fives," traffic anchors that know what they are talking about, with (usually) lots of action on the L.A. freeway  network.
I like to watch http://video.dot.ca.gov/ scroll to the bottom for the LA cameras.
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bzakharin

Rarely use radio for traffic anymore. 511 where available and mobile maps are as good for highway traffic, at least. VMS's help too when they are working. I think NJ went on vacation for the Thanksgiving weekend. Despite major congestion on 295 south, all the VMS's said "buckle up". Very helpful. On the other hand when there was an accident closing all lanes Northbound at exit 100 on I 95 in Maryland, not only did the VMS warn me 35 miles away, but it presented a detour.  Last time I needed traffic from a radio station in NYC, it got pretty frustrating. Even if I know ahead of time that I 95 is the Cross Bronx and New England Thruway (and do they use Trans Manhattan or not? If not, do they consider it part of the Cross Bronx? I don't think I ever heard I 95 in a traffic report unless they were talking about the NJ GWB approach), it's hard to figure out where one ends and the other begins. And for some reason ongoing construction is never mentioned. Grr.

MVHighways

Quote from: jwolfer on November 05, 2012, 07:28:43 PM
also it seems they use route number in place of local street names
BECAUSE IT HAS A NUMBER! Not EVERYONE calls it that anyways. Oh, and almost everyone calls MA Route 110 from I-93 in Methuen to the Tyngsboro Bridge in Tyngsboro (which at that point MA 110 has long left the road, in East Lowell) "the boulevard". It is MA Route 110/Lowell Street from I-93 to the church, MA Route 110/Lowell Boulevard from the church to the Dracut line, MA Route 110/Merrimack Avenue through all of Dracut, MA Route 110/VFW Highway from the Lowell city line to Route 38 where MA Route 110 leaves the road, Route 38/VFW Highway from Route 110 to that green bridge on Bridge Street, just the VFW Highway from Bridge St. to Route 113/Riverside Street where Route 113 joins the VFW Highway to become Riverside Street just east of the southern end of Mammoth Road, Route 113/Varnum Avenue from the south end of Mammoth Road (at the McDonald's) to the Lowell General Hospital "entrance" street that LEADS to LGH's entrance which BECOMES Varnum Ave. itself, and FINALLY Route 113/Pawtucket Boulevard from the "Varnum Ave. Split" to the Tyngsboro Bridge.



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