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T Radio has been 'suspended'
By Ron Newman on Thu, 10/25/2007 - 3:37pm
Just got this in my e-mail box:
From: "MBTA radio" <[email protected]>
Dear MBTA Customer:
Thank you for taking the time to let us know your thoughts on T-Radio. As we stated at the launch of this pilot test, MBTA riders would determine the fate of T-Radio. We have heard from a number of riders on a wide range of issues including the content and style.
Consequently, as of Thursday, October 25th, T-Radio will be suspended. While it is suspended, personnel from the MBTA and Pyramid Radio (the operator of the pilot program) will review and discuss the hundreds of emails received. Following a sufficient period of consideration, MBTA staff will present a recommendation on how the comments and suggestions might be addressed and whether a resumption of the pilot program is advised.
As always, we will continue to try and make your commute better through various means, and always ask for your feedback.
Thank you again for taking the time to write and have your voice heard. Its appreciated.
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Comments
Thank God
However, the price of freedom from crapola is eternal vigilance, so...
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Yeah, I don't for a moment
Yeah, I don't for a moment believe it's gone for good, but it's a step in the right direction. The meeting between buskers and Pyramid Radio is still on for this afternoon, which I doubt would be the case if the T had decided to scrap the project entirely.
WOOOOHOOO! So in other
[size=30]WOOOOHOOO![/size]
So in other words, they'll review the letters where 99% say it sucked, put it back on, and claim success
The Globe has more details
After two-week trial, T Radio is silenced
"Grabauskas had initially said the trial run would go until at least Thanksgiving, but Pesaturo said 1,800 e-mails gave staff enough feedback to realize most riders do not like it, at least in the current format."
Ominous statement:
"The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority says it may bring back the private radio venture, after a period of study."
A Homework Assignment for the T
Study the reasons why the bus lines are always off schedule at rush hour and then fix the schedules.
Study why people get stranded on trains due to a single incident at a single station.
Don't waste time studying T radio.
Exactly! I have probably
Exactly! I have probably sent 1800 emails complaining about Franklin line service and they are clearly in no rush to fix that.
MBTA
Exactly. Perhaps if the MBTA spent more time studying how to improve their other revenue generating service (rail/bus/boat) it would prove beneficial to the bottom line. That "T Radio" even got off the drawing board (or out of some wine-induced rumination on "what if") when common sense would dictate that no one would like it makes me question whether there have been other, normal, common sense ideas that everyone would clearly find tolerable but that never got off the ground. Perhaps there is some sort of gas leak over at T headquarters seeping into the ventilation system that has caused them to become light headed.
And if they want to sell ads ...
... there are less obnoxious ways to do it. They could sell space on the 'Charlie' side of the CharlieTicket, or the back of the CharlieCard. (I have one that says First Night and Shaw's on it.) They could put up more 'moving picture' billboards such as you see on the inbound Red Line after Harvard station. They could sell ads on bus schedules to businesses that are along those bus routes.
Here's another revenue generating idea
Bring back T Radio, and have the customers
pay $.25/minute to turn it off! Kind of a
reverse jukebox, you put in a quarter to
make the music stop.
With the kind of dough this would generate
we could pay the pensions of a whole new
generation of Bulgers.
Wow
I can't believe how fired up everyone got over T radio. In hindsight, it was a great thing for the T, since everyone focused their energy on the radio programming, and not the poor service. I wasn't a fan, but the fact that the T is finally looking at new means of generating revenue outside of fare increases is a good sign. Plus, it's not like it was piped into the train, it was only on the platform. I'm shocked that they don't sell advertising on the Charlie Cards...even the Turnpike Authority has a sponsor for Fast Lane!
I don't know how much fuss
I don't know how much fuss would have been kicked up if it weren't for the fact that T Radio was going to put a small segment of the population out of work and that quite a few people really like the subway musicians.
Not everybody, of course, but I've gotten more compliments over the past few days than ever.
Now if that would translate into tips... ;)
YayYayYay!!!
Some good news at last!
But perhaps T Radio was just a way to focus all the customer anger onto something they could easily get rid of, instead of on the ongoing problems? Naah ... they aren't capable of being that fiendishly clever.
Yeay, another insidious invasion of public property derailed! :)
Congratulations on a well-earned victory to everybody who complained to MBTA.
Gary McGath, T-Radio actually focused public attention on MBTA's debt which is 8 billion now and projected to be 19 billion by 2020.
Now do you for a minute believe that T-Radio will cover even a tiny portion of the 19 billion?
T- Radio: Banned in Boston ! & a drop in H2Q towards the debt
T-Radio would have done ZERO to reduce the MBTA's debt. The amount of money they were receiving to do it was minuscule--not even a million dollars. T-Radio would never have worked. It was a desperate attempt to capture the youth market (who would have just cranked up their Ipods).
T - Radio: Banned in Boston !
The people have spoken: "Don't leave a giant boom-box in our subway!"
Suspended like Arborway service?
Then it must be pretty permanent.
Oddly, I never heard T-Radio. Just our usual buskers who are one of the highlights of public transit in Boston imho.
Hoooray!!!
Glad to hear that the T-Radio program has been axed!! The idea stank from day one, anyhow!!