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It's Curious City, where we take your questions about Chicago and the region. And investigate. Report.

Explore.

From WBEZ.

You might be sitting in traffic right now, wondering, should I get off this road and take a different route?

Maybe you're waiting for Melba Lara's next traffic report to make that decision.

Well, a curious city listener wanted to know how those traffic reports are put together.

My name is Mike Preece, and I am a traffic producer and reporter for Total Traffic and Weather Network here in Chicago.

Mike has been a traffic producer for a long time.

He says that folks who become traffic producers are, let's say, unique individuals.

We've joked around here at times that this is the aisle of misfit air talent.

Um, that just, you know, if you're one of those square pegs that doesn't quite fit in one of the round holes, then maybe you can do traffic. But not every professional broadcaster can do what Mike does.

The job is chaotic.

The room where Mike works has a computer with three monitors, a mixing console, and a microphone for recording traffic reports.

As Mike fires up the computer, the screens fill with all sorts of information.

And I suddenly hear this.

That is the sound of police scanners. Dozens of them. All broadcasting real-time information

from across Chicago.

...