MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas said, "This is a great opportunity to provide the customer with up-to-date information in an engaging and entertaining format. Providing news, sports and weather along with service alerts while also promoting destinations that can be accessed via public transportation are just a few of the many features available on T–Radio..."
Don't forget the ads, Danny! Don't forget the "seven-figure cash windfall" for the T on this! Can't forget those! And it really is a shame the T commuters don't really have any other way of getting news, sports and weather while trapped underground. If only there were these two people near the entrances of every station with bundles of news printed on foldable paper, handing them out for free or something. ...
Adam Reilly notes that even though the T set up a page for you to tell them how much this idea sucks comment on the new system, the T will pretty much ignore anything you write:
... According to the T's own press release, the primary measure of rider feedback won't be comments left at MBTA.com. It'll be "Pyramid work[ing] with a team of Emerson students to survey T-customers [sic] at the three stations on whether they like the overall concept, and if so, which features they like the best and which ones they like least."
Joseph Porcelli provides the contact info for members of legislature's arts and cultural development committee should you wish to express your outrage to some of the people who help fund the T:
... In the words of Tim Riordan, a friend and busker, "The T is starting a pilot program of piping constant radio (news, weather, lottery numbers) into its stations. If this program succeeds is will basically spell the end of my ability to perform in the subways. More over we'll all have to listen to news and music the MBTA thinks we'll enjoy. I can't imagine much of anything worse. Please contact the MBTA immediately and tell them you hate the idea of T Radio. And tell all your friends to do it too....."
... Sure, a hell of a lot of people are already angry on the T, as there are many reasons for both passengers and employees to be annoyed, but I believe this will just push many over the edge, and produce a new level of Masshole. A more concentrated, spiteful Masshole, as if such a thing could even exist. ...
No, Dan Grabauskas, I DON'T want to receive my service alerts when I'm standing on the subway platform. By then it's TOO LATE and I will ALREADY be alert to delays.
What *would* be engaging would be (silent) web-based or text message alerts to cell phones that included REAL TIME GPS information of trains and buses, so that I can find out about delays BEFORE I leave my home or place of business and make alternate plans.
Our fare increase contributed to the installation of GPS on all the new buses (which is why the bus and not the driver now announces the stop), but the T refuses to make the information they generate available to riders. But if they did, it could be ad-supported and a source of revenue (and arguably a far more productive one) than T radio.
Anyone who has been in an airport lately knows how much worse they are because of those annoying TV monitors blaring "lite" news at every turn. For the T to foist this noise pollution upon the public in the guise of "service alerts" is disingenous, to say nothing of the cultural loss of the buskers (who I consider part of the city's charm).
"Elevator Muzak" in the subway, what next?
I can't imagine anything worse than being forced to listen to radio commercials while captive in the sweltering subway. This is the ultimate corporate invasion of public space and the ultimate commercialization of urban life.
I did hear the radio in South Station
and gladly handed my dollar to the subway musician who valiantly and beautifully played despite the din blaring overhead.
I enjoy the subway musicians, who will probably starve because of this. People who don't like a particular subway musician can move down the platform, but there's no escape from so-called-music and ads piped through the entire ceiling. The notion put forth by the MBTA that the musicians can play on the radio is balderdash and tokenism designed to avert dissent.
Buskers playing on the radio is not live music.
This is the death of live music in the subway.
The Boston Public Schools long ago auctioned off their musical instruments. Now the MBTA has auctioned off the subway musicians. What will commercialization stomp on next?
T Radio is a horrible idea. Personally, I enjoy many of the buskers and hope that we can preserve their presence as a cultural aspect of the city. Also, I read quite often while waiting for a train to arrive and I could live without the annoying noise of T Radio.
But I fear that T Radio is here to stay - a service improvement that few of us actually want. I realize that the T thinks that there is additional revenue in this, but why do we need to be assaulted by this crap?
I think there are two approaches to solve this problem and get the T to actually notice. Perhaps, we all should start carrying baseball bats and every time we hear this god-awful muzac, we smash the speaker into submission. I am certain that the T would not look upon this vandalism kindly, but no sound comes out of a broken speaker.
Another more enlightened approach is to boycott the vendors that advertise on T Radio. I particularly like the method where you go to the store, pile a lot of stuff into a shopping cart, and go to check out. After the clerk has rung up your purchase, and before you pay, you "suddenly" remember that that store advertises on T Radio and you don't want to give them your business. It is a huge pain for the business to void the purchase and restock the items, but they get the message very quickly. If they stop advertising, the T loses the reason to have T Radio.
So smash a speaker today or boycott the advertiser......
I am certain that the T would not look upon this vandalism kindly, but no sound comes out of a broken speaker.
You obviously haven't experienced the T's public address system in action.
I particularly like the method where you go to the store, pile a lot of stuff into a shopping cart, and go to check out. After the clerk has rung up your purchase, and before you pay, you "suddenly" remember that that store advertises on T Radio and you don't want to give them your business. It is a huge pain for the business to void the purchase and restock the items, but they get the message very quickly
This is a terrible, terrible idea. There is no reason to needlessly piss off retail employees making virtually nothing for the sake of making a statement to their higher-ups who see this sort of behavior from customers on such a regular basis that it probably wouldn't even register.
The staff will hate you, and probably hate the next ten customers they encounter, and there will be no real change in policy on the part of the company. If you hadn't noticed before, businesses often do not care if their employees are treated terribly by customers, and insist that the employees take whatever abuse they receive without comment.
Then again, we have people regularly blogging about the tragedy of coffee droplets on the top of their Starbucks lids, so I'm not expecting a sudden acceptance of this reality, nor any serious thought towards how one might feel if people pulled similarly assholish tactics on them at their white collar jobs. Though I imagine if it did become a common occurance, the white-hot outrage and indignation would easily raise the ambient tempature of the city by a few degrees.
On the other hand, however, given the fact that customer service in general has become so much worse than it used to be, these kinds of retaliatory actions and behaviours on the part of customers understandably arise, and they may become an even more frequent occurrence as more downsizing, short-staffedness take place, with even worse customer service being the consequence. Not good for the general public, custumer service employees, or business(es) it/themselves.
Maybe, just maybe, if enough of this kind of retaliatory actions/behaviours on the part of customers did occur, then businesses would alter their policies somewhat.
MBTA to Web users: We're not listening, la la la!
Spatch, who broke the story several days before non-T-riding MSM reporters regurgitated an MBTA press release, gets even more outraged when he reads that press release:
Adam Reilly notes that even though the T set up a page for you to
tell them how much this idea suckscomment on the new system, the T will pretty much ignore anything you write:Idolator: Lock it in and rip your ears off.
Joseph Porcelli provides the contact info for members of legislature's arts and cultural development committee should you wish to express your outrage to some of the people who help fund the T:
Stacey J. Miller: And we need this...why?
Bostonist: T Places Bid to Become America's Most Irritating Subway
Arborway: The introduction of T Radio is easily one of the worst mistakes the MBTA has made in recent memory:
He suggests the T instead try this.
Earlier:
T-Radio: New threat to riders, buskers
service alerts???
No, Dan Grabauskas, I DON'T want to receive my service alerts when I'm standing on the subway platform. By then it's TOO LATE and I will ALREADY be alert to delays.
What *would* be engaging would be (silent) web-based or text message alerts to cell phones that included REAL TIME GPS information of trains and buses, so that I can find out about delays BEFORE I leave my home or place of business and make alternate plans.
Our fare increase contributed to the installation of GPS on all the new buses (which is why the bus and not the driver now announces the stop), but the T refuses to make the information they generate available to riders. But if they did, it could be ad-supported and a source of revenue (and arguably a far more productive one) than T radio.
Anyone who has been in an airport lately knows how much worse they are because of those annoying TV monitors blaring "lite" news at every turn. For the T to foist this noise pollution upon the public in the guise of "service alerts" is disingenous, to say nothing of the cultural loss of the buskers (who I consider part of the city's charm).
pfft!!
T Radio is utterly ridiculous!! Let's make it stop.....now!!
Radio in MBTA
"Elevator Muzak" in the subway, what next?
I can't imagine anything worse than being forced to listen to radio commercials while captive in the sweltering subway. This is the ultimate corporate invasion of public space and the ultimate commercialization of urban life.
I did hear the radio in South Station
and gladly handed my dollar to the subway musician who valiantly and beautifully played despite the din blaring overhead.
I enjoy the subway musicians, who will probably starve because of this. People who don't like a particular subway musician can move down the platform, but there's no escape from so-called-music and ads piped through the entire ceiling. The notion put forth by the MBTA that the musicians can play on the radio is balderdash and tokenism designed to avert dissent.
Buskers playing on the radio is not live music.
This is the death of live music in the subway.
The Boston Public Schools long ago auctioned off their musical instruments. Now the MBTA has auctioned off the subway musicians. What will commercialization stomp on next?
Remove T Radio
T Radio is a horrible idea. Personally, I enjoy many of the buskers and hope that we can preserve their presence as a cultural aspect of the city. Also, I read quite often while waiting for a train to arrive and I could live without the annoying noise of T Radio.
But I fear that T Radio is here to stay - a service improvement that few of us actually want. I realize that the T thinks that there is additional revenue in this, but why do we need to be assaulted by this crap?
I think there are two approaches to solve this problem and get the T to actually notice. Perhaps, we all should start carrying baseball bats and every time we hear this god-awful muzac, we smash the speaker into submission. I am certain that the T would not look upon this vandalism kindly, but no sound comes out of a broken speaker.
Another more enlightened approach is to boycott the vendors that advertise on T Radio. I particularly like the method where you go to the store, pile a lot of stuff into a shopping cart, and go to check out. After the clerk has rung up your purchase, and before you pay, you "suddenly" remember that that store advertises on T Radio and you don't want to give them your business. It is a huge pain for the business to void the purchase and restock the items, but they get the message very quickly. If they stop advertising, the T loses the reason to have T Radio.
So smash a speaker today or boycott the advertiser......
I am certain that the T
You obviously haven't experienced the T's public address system in action.
This is a terrible, terrible idea. There is no reason to needlessly piss off retail employees making virtually nothing for the sake of making a statement to their higher-ups who see this sort of behavior from customers on such a regular basis that it probably wouldn't even register.
The staff will hate you, and probably hate the next ten customers they encounter, and there will be no real change in policy on the part of the company. If you hadn't noticed before, businesses often do not care if their employees are treated terribly by customers, and insist that the employees take whatever abuse they receive without comment.
Then again, we have people regularly blogging about the tragedy of coffee droplets on the top of their Starbucks lids, so I'm not expecting a sudden acceptance of this reality, nor any serious thought towards how one might feel if people pulled similarly assholish tactics on them at their white collar jobs. Though I imagine if it did become a common occurance, the white-hot outrage and indignation would easily raise the ambient tempature of the city by a few degrees.
On the other hand, however,
On the other hand, however, given the fact that customer service in general has become so much worse than it used to be, these kinds of retaliatory actions and behaviours on the part of customers understandably arise, and they may become an even more frequent occurrence as more downsizing, short-staffedness take place, with even worse customer service being the consequence. Not good for the general public, custumer service employees, or business(es) it/themselves.
Maybe, just maybe, if enough of this kind of retaliatory actions/behaviours on the part of customers did occur, then businesses would alter their policies somewhat.