If you pay close attention, you probably have noticed that traffic report guy / gal is actually talking from 1000 miles away, just reading from the same computer screens you can see on the Internet, and has never even driven the roads in your city (brought to you on the same stations doing news from 200 miles away, but urging you to help them “save local radio” and keep jobs in your town)
With more cars having onboard GPS, cellphone apps, and Sirius/XM traffic channels, the need to have your car radio turned on while driving to work is fading as a purpose for radio.
Back during March Madness I reported about how Westwood One was in serious financial trouble and forced to pay obscene interest rates because of the high risk of default.
Today’s news is that Westwood One plans to sell off its traffic division to Clear Channel for a little over $100 million in cash. Clear channel operates a similar service, including one that delivers data digitally to car devices warning of traffic hazards