Traffic reporting

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A traffic report is an element of a radio program or TV news broadcast that informs listeners about general traffic conditions, locations and severity of traffic accidents, road construction detours/slowdowns, etc., on roadways within the broadcast area. By supplying updates during rush hours, stations provide a public service to commuters so they can anticipate, and perhaps avoid, traffic congestion. Some stations use helicopters to fly over areas of high traffic volume and provide live reports, while other stations rely on police scanners or commuters giving information via cell phones. With the advent of intelligent transportation systems, many traffic reporting organizations also gather some of their information from government or privately operated traffic management systems.

Usually cast as a starting role in radio, a number of well-known individuals have risen through the ranks as traffic reporters over the years. These include: Joe Nolan, Francis Gary Powers, Tony Zappone and Jane Dornacker.

Broadcast reports on traffic conditions, usually heard on radio, became popular in large U.S. cities in the 1960's and quickly spread in use to other areas as population centers grew and Interstate Highway Systems became cluttered during the morning and afternoon rush. Many stations began with reports done from their studios, depending on information from law enforcement and citizens. Today, most large metropolitan areas have traffic reporters in the air and also depend on advisories by listeners with cell phones and other mobile communications equipment.

As the need for traffic information grew, many smaller stations which could not afford a full-time traffic reporter or aircraft for them to fly in employed the lower cost services of emerging companies such as Metro Networks. These firms employed announcers who provided up-to-date traffic reports under contract to multiple stations in a demographic area. Most recently, Internet users in many parts of the country have been able to get up-to-the-minute traffic conditions for their vicinity on the Internet. These reports often show maps of exactly where accidents, disabled vehicles and construction detours are located.

Radio personality Adam Carolla is known for his ardent belief that traffic reports are worthless, reasoning that he's never once changed the route he took after hearing one of them. However, surveys done by ratings services such as Arbitron do indicate that stations with highly reliable traffic information fare better in the ratings and drivers generally consider them helpful, if for no other reason than to inform them as to why they are now or will be stuck in traffic.

[edit] See also

• Traffic Message Channel - an automated service operational in Europe.
• Floating car data - an automatic traffic measurement system.
• Shadow Traffic - a traffic reporting company
• Traffic.com - a traffic reporting company
• Metro Networks - a traffic reporting company
• Total Traffic Network