Traffic Reporting

[Roger Kirk <rkirk@VideoServer.com>]

Two weeks ago, signs were posted on I93 & I495 stating: 
"I93 southbound will be closed at rte 495
10:00 pm 6/18 through 8:00 am 6/20
Please find alternate routes"

Last weekend, they were changed to read:
"I93 southbound will be closed at rte 129 
10:00 pm 6/18 through 8:00 am 6/20
Please find alternate routes"

(NB: Rte 93 south will be reduced to one lane from 495 to 129)

SmartTraveler's Web Site had a pointed Warning at the top of 
every single traffic condition page - warning of this closure.

Yet I only heard two mentions of this on Thursday morning -
neither one by the traffic reporter.  Only one mention Thursday 
night - again not by the traffic reporter.  This morning, not one 
mention during my entire one-hour commute with 6 traffic reports.

Three questions:
1.  Anybody hear how other stations handled this?

2.  Given that radio advertising requires REPETITION, REPETITION 
and REPETITION to get a message to sink in, wouldn't it be
reasonable to assume that a closure of this magnitude would be
more highly announced?  

3. Or is this a way of insuring that a major traffic breakdown will occur 
providing a BIG lead story for what might otherwise be a dull news 
weekend?

Roger Kirk
rogerkirk@usa.net

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