So, let's see how much has changed in six months. It was six months ago today that Navteq's "Tango Traffic" signed on WPHL-TV's digital OTA 17.4 and carried by Comcast and Verizon Fios.
I wrote an honest critique of Tango six months ago tomorrow--on January 2nd. There were all sorts of things to write about, mostly negative. And there hasn't been a post I've written before OR since that elicited more comments!
I must begin by saying this writing will be much kinder in that Tango seems to have worked out many of the problems that plagued their efforts early on. Things like shoddy production, bad audio, poor delivery, etc.
Jason Lee gets my vote as the star of the effort. His delivery is smooth, top notch and perfectly concise and clear. Lee has previous traffic and radio experience to back-up those compliments having worked for B101 and Metro Traffic. Lee provided the traffic updates for "Action News" back in the days post-John Valario.
Kristin Cellins has improved and I enjoy her delivery as well. The team of LEE & CELLINS is a good one.
Then, there's the midday team of Dale Shaw and Rhonda Fink-Whitman. I'm not familiar with Shaw's past experiences. Though, a broadcast background is in there I'm sure. Check out this clip of Shaw's adlibbing an accident not long ago involving a vehicle veering off Kelly Drive and plunging into the Schuylkill River. Great work. Adlibbing is not easy, speaking from first-hand experience. It becomes a talent that not all can do or at least are good at.
Fink-Whitman is another traffic reporter from days gone by whom you may have heard doing Shadow Traffic on any number of local radio stations. Her delivery is spot-on, concise and delivered in a easy-to-understand mode.
The "ride home, rush/drivetime" is the show I can only watch in small doses. Vittoria Woodill and Stephanie Humphrey's chemistry bothers me. It comes off as unnatural and forced. Woodill's delivery still needs more work and experience. The shenanigans they do only pull from any credibility either might have earned from the viewer thus far. Of course, strictly my opinion. Are they here to provide traffic information or to entertain with air guitar, signing, glow worm comments, etc.? I caught Tango Thursday 6/30th in the 4:30 p.m. timeframe when Woodill and Humphrey were in the midst of providing continuous comprehensive coverage of all the closures of highways in the area due to the arrival of President Obama. I must say, I was impressed with both. They did a good job throughout as you keep in mind that this type of delivery is all ad-lib. You must think quick on your feet and be able to do it calmly and effectively. So a pat on the back there! However, generally--these two seem to act like frick-n-frack most times.
Putting those points aside. We've seen big strides in the graphics and overall production of the programming. We now see a constant scroll of drive times versus specific incidents. Personally, I wonder how many people really use the drive time information?
And finally, the channel has gained more camera views through the use of NJ DOT cameras that appear to be pulled in from the internet. Whether they are or are from NJ DOT directly doesn't matter. They're yet another effective tool to get the information out and into the ears and eyes of the viewer. I applaud Tango for adding New Jersey camera coverage. The last to go is DELAWARE. That small "diamond state" to the south of Pennsylania. Tango doesn't need me to tell them that traffic delays do not begin and end on I-95 at Naaman's Road (near the Delaware state line).
The summer "shore thing" was a surprise. Tango provides Shore Traffic reports just as radio stations through the summer weekends. A separate team of Dale Shaw and Brian Ramona provide the information. Other hosts I've seen have been Robert Block and Vittoria Woodill.
Tango has even upgraded their website (tangotraffic.com). A live feed of programming is streamed via U-Stream LIVE for those times at work you might wish to see conditions before hitting the route home. However, their smartphone app once promoted has yet to materialize.
Here's to a toast of six more months of progress into your one year anniversary. I see more tweaks along the way and -- hopefully--management is always open to comments and suggestions.
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40 comments:
It has gotten better I guess. Not wild about the music choice they use in the off hours. Still wish it were more mainstream music. Wondering why they haven't partnered with AAA or Pep Boys to provide some sort of short motoring-type tips during their breaks. Just a thought. Talent could use a touch more experience except Lee is good and agreed on FinkWhitman and Shaw. The two in the afternoons? That's an understatement. Woodall is a joke. Bad clothes, bad delivery and overall small market type.
I can't believe they allow Robert Block on-camera. How does one say nicely, he has a face for radio.
Man, THEY GOTTA DUMP THIS MIKE WARNER DUDE.He thinks he's a comedian. Just give the facts dude and lose what you THINK is humor. You aren't funny and you aren't cute. God, I need to take advantage of my tunning channel...
The afternoon drive is unwatchable! The morning drive has improved but the gentleman who wears the coat and open collar shirt(much like the salesman in WKRP in Cincinnati) needs to be on the radio and not television
That guy you're talking about in the jacket and open-collared shirt is Jason Lee, the guy that the author of the original post said was the star of the effort. Why does he not belong on TV? Yes, he has a good voice for radio, but I think he has a pretty good TV look.
Out of all of them Lee is the best. Boy, my vote for worst has to be Vitoria or however you spell it. Who is she doing to get the job anyway? She's horrible. I don't agree with the poster who says Lee should only be on radio. He seems to know what he's talking about, leads the conversation and has done this before. You can tell the ones who have done it before and the ones who have no clue what they are looking at or saying.
Was tuned in today (Saat 7/30) from about 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. and they sure were lagging in reporting a 4 car accident on the EB Schuylkill Exwy at Gulph Mills. I heard it go out on the scanner and went online to look at the PennDot cameras. There it was at 12:20. It wasn't until 12:46 that they even mentioned it.
I also was watching yesterday/Saturday. They're bad! They talked about a wreck on the 42 freeway saying it was northbound. But, my wife was caught in the back-up and the accident was actually southbound-not north! And they are supposed to be traffic experts. LOL a joke.
I too saw that on Saturday, and they did correct themselves and say it was South. In their defense, I don't think they get the information themselves. I think, like the TV stations and KYW Newsradio, they have an information provider. I'd be curious to know if KYW also had the direction wrong on Saturday. I don't know who Tango uses, but since they use Navteq maps, I assume they use NAvteq for their information.
They DO get the information themselves. For example, KYW 1060 traffic is provided by Metro Traffic who not only provides the people you hear on the air but also produce the information you ALSO hear on the air. Same for Tango who gets their info from their partner, traffic dot com/traffic pulse or whatever they call themselves. The info is just input into a software program then accessible by the announcer or on-air anchors. Yes, they did correct themselves but if they really really understood their craft and knew that the camera that was on-air is mounted on a gore point of SOUTHBOUND 42/EB ACX that the camera was pointing NORTH and seeing a southbound wreck. It's all about knowing your craft and understanding traffic. Not everyone can do it. It's a talent, believe it or not. :-)
Right...that was my point. They get their info from traffic.com, so if they said it was a certain direction, the Tango people reported the information they had. You're right about the camera shot. However, those cameras are able to turn, they are not stationary. So the directions do differ. And if the shot is close up on an accident, so you can't see the surroundings, can you tell what direction it is. Yes, they are supposed to be experts regarding the roads, but you can't know what you can't see. That's when their info provider has to help them fill in the blanks. To me, whoever is their info provider dropped the ball. Overall, yes there are some glitches with that channel. But I think that more often than not they do a really good job. BTW...I have to ask, are you involved in traffic somehow? You seem to know where the cameras are.
<< However, those cameras are able to turn, they are not stationary. So the directions do differ.>> Hello again. Yes, the cameras turn, correct. I know they aren't stationary. However, with the particular camera location of that particular camera we're discussing, if it were bacing south you'd be looking at "local 42/the Black Horse Pk" and it would be obvious. It can't see the ACX so there's only one conclusion. It faces NORTH and being mount closest to SB 42/EB ACX the accident in question had to be SOUTHBOUND. Anyway, I don't mean to split hairs. Just a valid point and it's a shame that the producers who input this stuff don't fully know what they're talking about. That was my initial point. That these people must not be properly trained or just don't really KNOW this stuff. Yeah, I know, everyone makes mistakes and we don't live in a perfect world.
Again does anybody watch this anymore? It was cute at first, but seriously, who needs traffic at 3am? I think I will stick with Karen Rogers and Matt Pellman thank you very much.
I just turned to Tango for just a quick second because I needed a laugh, and the blonde one was reading off incorrect information about college football. 1, I thought this was a traffic station; and 2, Why do we care about schools taking boats to football game. Wouldnt the space on the station be better used for like dog shows or infomercials or something more entertaining?
God, who the heck is the woman on today (Saturday), "Kristin"? First of all, she needs make-up as they all do. I'm surprised with the bright lights for TV they aren't required to. This girl is frighteningly pale and sickly looking. I think she'd perk up at least a little with a redo. That being said, she must be new, she messes up alot. She mentioned a roadway delay as being GOOD NEWS, "oh wait, I mean bad news"; referring to 95 at the Boulevard, "I mean Broad St"; "looking at the N.E. Extension, I mean, the Blue Route" and on and on. Pretty bad!!
i watch once and a while....the morning show isn't bad. i turn it on before leaving for work. the guy is really, really good. i also turn the early evening show occasionally. the two shows are night and day (pun intended). i like the energy of the two girls in the night show but the accuracy and trust in the information isn't quite there for me. it's more entertaining that's for sure but at the end of the day, i want traffic information, not rambling. whoever does the voiceover in the evening is unlistenable. unfunny, talks too fast and just generally annoying. they hit a home run with the cameras and music at night though. by far my favorite thing on the station. great music selection. i like what they are doing and hope they stick around. it's far from perfect but you have to start somewhere.
I strongly agree with the former poster in that the guy on weeknights (Mike Warner) is annoying and ridiculous! I watched a few nights back and he actually gave misinformation. He pointed out, while talking over a camera view of I-476 near Ridge Pk, "the smoke in the left part of the shot". He indicated "must be a big fire going" and he would look more into it. What the idiot doesn't know is that it isn't smoke, it is steam coming from a factory located on the west side of I-476 in that area. That steam is often-times there. It's this kind of grandstanding that definitely shows he has no credibility and looks outright foolish. This station has little credibility actually.
Man, you are spot on. This Mike guy tonight, about 7:45 (Fri) is talking about a shot of the 42 freeway and says, LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE SOME POLICE ACTIVITY OUT THERE IN THE CENTER LANE GUYS! He continues to talk and "the police light" he spoke of comes closer into the camera and it's a freakin' tow truck pulling a box truck. This guy is laughable. And the constant self promotion of how they get you moving 24/7 and call him with information, and blah-blah-blah. Get rid of this irritating dude.
I feel like they should replace the space on the airwaves with videos of Kittens playing with string or something more useful.
LOL, "kittens playing with string"? LOL, that is hilarious. I don't agree though, the information is useful. I just think they have alot of amateur people doing it. It still needs some fine tuning. Their appearance looks very small town, their clothes, makeup, lighting. I'm a production assistant here so maybe I'm being more critical than the average viewer.
whatever guy is on today (friday around 1:30) needs to just shut up and give me the traffic. very annoying.
Loose the self promotion. The guy on tonight, Mike Warner, constantly self promoting (be part of the tango traffic community, blah blah blah) and is really annoying. And if he doesn't say GUYS once he says it a hundred times. Watched tonight an accident on Rt 38 in NJ at Church Road that had the west lanes closed. He then says "eastbound has JUST closed too"...but it was the frickin traffic light turning red! Once green, traffic moved again. This guy is a real idiot!!! LOL wow...
I used to watch this channel, I just found it way too offensive, like changing the Northeast to Torr-easters just because Vittoria is from there??? Really? Or changing the Walt Whitman Bridge to the Rhonda Fink Whitman Bridge??? I really did get offended by that, and I'm not easily offended at all. Is it really the hard to call sections of the viewing area that you are covering by its proper name??
Yes, I had nothing to do tonight and tuned in at 7:18 p.m. Fri 10/7/11. This Mike Warner character is something else. During his time from 7:18 to 7:29 he said the word "GUYS" twenty times. We aren't all GUYS my friend. Really? This is a professional broadcaster? Maybe you could try the word FOLKS? VIEWERS? FRIENDS? Does he not listen to himself? They obviously don't pay these FOLKS much because they are scraping the bottom of the barrel with this one, LOL. Reminds me why I haven't watched this thing since Spring.
Well, if I had any doubt before--LOL, I definitely don't NOW. That this channel is a complete joke. I haven't watched in quite a long time and flipped past today around 5:30 p.m. Something seemed strange then I realized there were no on-camera people. Only a male voicing over the cameras and maps. Then, it is mentioned how the whole staff is at a movie premiere (The Mighty Macs), that the crew are "walking the red carpet". HUH? Really? So the knuckleheads who manage this crap think it is fine to totally void from your format, give your on-air staff the night off and go with a voiceover? WOW. Never heard of such a thing-I don't care how important or special the movie is.
The northbound "bully"? Really? Mike Warner referring to the Roosevelt "boulevard". God, someone take this guy off our airwaves, please!
Oh my god, who can stand watching this guy at night, Mike Warner? Every single time it's self promotion, self tango, blah-blah-blah, god--give it up. This guy is horrible. He spends more time telling you how you should watch, why you should watch, why they are so good, why they are the authority, THEN GIVING ANY USEFUL INFORMATION.
God, who is this one I watched filling in--Erin Como? She is terrible! I can't believe this channel puts people on who belong in Fargo ND. Not the 5th largest market in the country. After a year, this station is as mickey mouse as it was the first week. The graphics are a joke, the horrible GREEN, the talent don't look like they wear make-up. A shame they don't implode it and kick it up a notch.
Dale Shaw is the best.
Dale Shaw is terrific. Great delivery!
These guys are as awful as they've ever been. Checked it out tonight. An accident on 95 south below the Walt Whitman and "Gina Gannon" talked about "getting off at Girard Ave to make your way to the Flyers game!" LOL--okay--so how do you get to the stadiums easily by taking Girard Ave? She also said it was backed up from Girard Ave. Yet, when I checked out the Penndot cameras online--the back up only started at the exit for the Walt Whitman. How can these guys be taken seriously when they don't even know what they're talking about! She should've said to exit at Penns Landing then take Columbus Blvd down to Oregon Ave but it's clear these are non-talented individuals who don't know traffic!! And what's up with the CONSTANT self-promotion? Every single segment they go on and on and on about how they do traffic, how they're on FB/Twitter, blah blah blah.
Mike Warner fan here and I miss him on the evening show. I hope he's coming back. Jason Lee is fantastic as is Rhonda Fink- Whitman and Dale Shaw (who has an amazing voice). I like Robert Block, too. But there is one person I have long gotten tired of and that is Gina Gannon. Where does she merit SO much airtime? This chick is on for hours on end (for the past two nights she has been on from 3 - 10 P. M.) and her delivery sucks beyond description. Everytime she's on I turn the channel right off. Surely Tango has other people they can put on the air because her getting so much face time (and she is NOT TV material) doesn't even look right.
Wow, with all the negative comments here from the traffic experts, one would think they all would have started their own traffic channel by now.
Gotta love the comments here from the load of local traffic experts who take to PennDot's website to verify things. If they're that good, why don't they have their own traffic channel and/or website or audition to go on Tango?
People have to understand that this is the first traffic channel in the country so, yes, the kinks still need to be worked out and that will not happen overnight, so I'm willing to overlook Vittoria Woodill's air-headed comments and behavior or incorrect calls from on-air talent on what might be going on on the road (nice to know folks here are able to tell in a split second whether it's a cop who pulled someone over vs. an accident).
All of this is done on the spot so mistakes will be made (and those same mistakes are made on the networks, who, I've noticed, have taken to ripping off lots of stuff from Tango since they debuted last year).
I have noticed the music selection is starting to repeat itself. If I want that I can just listen to terrestrial radio where they play the same 10 songs repeatedly.
As for the on-air talent: It's obvious that Lee, Fink-Whitman, and Shaw are traffic veterans because their deliveries are excellent and can cover up any mistakes like experts. (They all have dynamic voices!)
I like Stephanie Humphrey's delivery except for the way that she has to catch her breath. If she works on that, she'll be flawless. Kristen Celins has improved ten-fold over the past year. And I'm a fan of both Robert Block and Mike Warner (who I miss terribly). So Warner constantly plugged the channel’s Facebook and Twitter pages. So what? Everyone does that nowadays, especially when news reporters are putting their Twitter handles beneath their names on the news (as if anyone cares).
But while one person questioned who Woodill slept with to get her job, I would love to know who Gina Gannon did to get hers. Gannon is beyond awful. Her delivery flat out sucks, she’s unsure of what she’s talking about, and yet, she merits an unheard of amount of time on TV (anytime she’s on I just turn the channel right off). She must be really good in bed to rate so much on-air time.
She needs to go as of yesterday and the producers need to let other people have the mic so we can see what they can do.
It was unfair to write about the channel the day after (!) they debuted. Come on! They’ve improved since last year and they continue doing so (did I mention how awful Gina Gannon is?). Anyone here who can do a better job, go for it and audition.
Positives & Negatives about Tango Traffic:
Positives:
-They are very good with recapping the top traffic stories before heading into New Jersey. I think they should be abbreviated more unless they are major.
-The major roadways that they cover (Schuylkill, Roosevelt, Vine, I-95, US 202, US 422 and the PA Turnpike) are usually spot on. They are almost "Bob Kelly" quality (especially Jason Lee).
-Generally, they are consistent with NJ Roadways such as NJ 42, I-76, I-295 and NJ 73.
-Lots of cameras. But it should be more than just PA.
-They take the initiative to remember average speeds on the major roadways to notice anything unusual than the average person
NEGATIVES (and a lot)
-No & lack thereof Mercer County traffic reports. If you are going to be a successful traffic channel, don't neglect that area.
--In addition to Mercer County, they never report anything especially on US 1, a major north-south artery towards New Brunswick and Exit 9/NJ Turnpike(I-95)
-No & RARELY Northern Delaware traffic reports. Unacceptable. There is plenty of traffic. Cut some of the camera shots in areas that are under normal conditions.
-Some of the reporters read the reports like they are reading a book (i.e. too much verbatim)
-Lacks prioritization between what to call a road. Using a County Route number in the 600s over a name in New Jersey is not going to help anyone.
-Strange reports such as reporting accidents/incidents in areas that they are not viewable on Cable (or digital cable) but probably still can be received by their over-the-air signal on 17.4 . They should focus on their DMA more (i.e. Mercer and New Castle counties for starters) and some New York and Baltimore DMA areas (i.e. southern Middlesex and western Monmouth Counties in New Jersey & Cecil County in Maryland)
-Some of the off peak hours with the reporters, they need to cut the B.S. and tell me the roads instead of trivial nonsense.
-The New Jersey Turnpike is not the Pennsylvania Turnpike. What i mean by that is if there is an incident at Exit 7, don't call it "Accident on the NJ Turnpike at Bordentown" or "Accident at the Bordentown Interchange on the NJ Turnpike". Its Exit 7 and mention that it's US 206.
-Although out of the DMA, everyone at Tango should be aware of the "Exit 8A Merge" on the NJ Turnpike. This is often a choking point going southbound for travelers reaching Mercer County and points south.
That's probably it.
Overall fantastic channel, but one must ask how good this Gina Gannon must be in bed to rate an obscene amount of air time. If she's the star of this channel, then it deserves every bit of criticism it has received here - and then
some!
Gannon's diction is beyond horrible. I simply cannot understand the woman because she mumbles, so I don't know what she's talking about. And for the pile of airtime she's had so far, she still doesn't know the roads she's talking about nor the direction the camera's pointing. Apparently, nothing sinks in with this woman.
I have no other complaints about Tango Traffic except for her. The more she is on, the less I watch it because she does not know what she is talking about and I can't understand mumbling.
The ones on here worth anything are Jason Lee, Dale Shaw, Rhonda Fink Whitman, Kristen Celins, Christie Bett (who's better than I thought), Stephanie Humphrey, and Robert Bloch. Everyone else you can flush - especially this Gannon character.
No other person has rated double shifts on here, why her when she's horrible?
If they keep putting Gannon on the air so much, I will quit watching this channel altogether. I'm really sick of her.
Just checked this channel out (11/7/12). The guy filling in (David Itell) mentioned our current winter storm, the first snowfall, and its new name "Athena". He alluded to "some big weather types have named this storm because it is going to be so bad. WRONG! The Weather Channel are the only ones now naming winter storms.
Next, he said he thought "Athena" has something to do with Wonder Woman! WRONG AGAIN! What an idiot. Athena is the goddess of wisdom, courage and inspiration to name a few.
So basically, these ya hoo's are endorsing The Weather Channel!
Victoria Woodill definitely hasd to GO!!!!!!! She must be related to Alan Rothenberg the advertising his wares in Philly. Her hands never stop & today was the worst. Talking about a 4 miile backup, she actually held up her 4 fingers.
Her dress styles are almost as bad as her constant hand gestures & voice. Come on CBS3Philly, time to get her off the air.
Can you say clueless bubblehead ? Vittoria is light years away from being considered a professional. It is clearly evident that she has had little, if any, professioanl training. Maybe one day she will perform to an acceptable level......next century !!!
I like the fact that Dale Shaw comments on himself. Just like the ol Radio Boards days. Great Job Dale!
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