R.I.P.: Longtime Philly Traffic Reporter Rod Carson

Rod Carson

Rod Carson, one of the founders of Shadow Traffic and a pioneer of the kind of traffic reporting you hear on Newsradio KYW 1060 AM, died over the weekend at his home in Lehighton, Carbon County.

He was 75, according to CBS Local.

The KYW Traffic Center’s Sam Clover worked for several years with Carson.

“A pioneer radio guy, a pure, true radio guy,” Clover says. “No TV. He was not a TV guy. He was a radio guy. And, he wasn’t bad-looking either, it was just, you know, just you fall into your niche. He was a radio guy.”

Clover says he first met Carson back in the days when he was a rock DJ on WMMR and eventually ended up working for him.

“I worked for Walt Macdonald with the Go Patrol, people may remember that and we merged and Rod became my boss,” Clover says.

Clover says his traffic reporting style today is a combination of two mentors.

Carson was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Coatesville where he got his first job on the former WCOJ.

Before getting into traffic reporting, he was one of the Wibbage Good Guys on the former WIBG 990 AM, and also did the “Rock and Roll Roots” show on WMMR 93.3 FM.

He also worked in Allentown and later for several other Philadelphia stations.

In 2007, he marked 50 years in broadcasting.