Not WAMU's problem anymore. Photograph by Flickr user Dome Poon.
Washington-area commuters who preferred dulcet traffic advisories between segments of All Things Considered will have to make do with more manic, commercial-radio reports to get home in the afternoons, following WAMU’s announcement that it is cutting traffic reports after the morning shift.
WAMU’s marketing director, Kathleen Allenbaugh, tells Washingtonian the decision comes after market research led the station to conclude public-radio audiences just don’t have that big of a thirst for traffic reporting. The review followed a few listeners complaining that there were too many traffic reports throughout the weekdays, Allenbaugh says.
“We know that there are other traffic sources,” she says, noting that few look to public radio for round-the-clock traffic updates. Allenbaugh also says that WAMU’s research showed that more people are relying on social media and smartphone apps for commuting information. The other big contributing factor is more public-radio listeners tune in at home than in their cars.
But WAMU is keeping its morning traffic reports by retired NBC4 reporter Jerry Edwards, who broadcasts four times an hour from his home in Florida. Edwards and afternoon traffic jockey Mike Cremedas work for Radiate Media, a DC company that supplies traffic reports to area radio stations. Allenbaugh says WAMU is keeping Edwards in the mornings “because we feel the commute is so complex.”
Edwards will file his last traffic report at 10:04 AM, Allenbaugh says. WAMU’s news staff will report on major traffic incidents if needed.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
WAMU to Listeners: Good Luck Getting Home
Nobody expects public radio to do traffic reports, so the station is cutting them off after the morning shift.
Washington-area commuters who preferred dulcet traffic advisories between segments of All Things Considered will have to make do with more manic, commercial-radio reports to get home in the afternoons, following WAMU’s announcement that it is cutting traffic reports after the morning shift.
WAMU’s marketing director, Kathleen Allenbaugh, tells Washingtonian the decision comes after market research led the station to conclude public-radio audiences just don’t have that big of a thirst for traffic reporting. The review followed a few listeners complaining that there were too many traffic reports throughout the weekdays, Allenbaugh says.
“We know that there are other traffic sources,” she says, noting that few look to public radio for round-the-clock traffic updates. Allenbaugh also says that WAMU’s research showed that more people are relying on social media and smartphone apps for commuting information. The other big contributing factor is more public-radio listeners tune in at home than in their cars.
But WAMU is keeping its morning traffic reports by retired NBC4 reporter Jerry Edwards, who broadcasts four times an hour from his home in Florida. Edwards and afternoon traffic jockey Mike Cremedas work for Radiate Media, a DC company that supplies traffic reports to area radio stations. Allenbaugh says WAMU is keeping Edwards in the mornings “because we feel the commute is so complex.”
Edwards will file his last traffic report at 10:04 AM, Allenbaugh says. WAMU’s news staff will report on major traffic incidents if needed.
Find Benjamin Freed on Twitter at @brfreed.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Best of Washington 2023: Things to Eat, Drink, Do, and Know Right Now
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
PHOTOS: “Rupaul’s Drag Race” Queens Work It at the National Mall
Meet the NIH Detectives Cracking Medicine’s Toughest Cases
5 of DC’s Most Interesting Ideas for Revitalizing Chinatown
A “Corpse Flower” Is Currently in Bloom at the Botanic Garden
How Emma’s Torch Is Changing the Lives of Its Refugee Workers
Former Fiola GM Convicted of Murder Is Now in a Netflix Docuseries
These 5 DC Traffic Cams Are Issuing the Most Tickets Right Now
Farewell to Crystal City Underground, the DC Area’s Strangest Mall