John Wilsbach assists student JJ Molina at the Middletown High School operated broadcast station WMSS 91.1FM
Where there are roads, there are going to be vehicles.
Where there’s commuting, there’s going to be traffic.
And where there are bottlenecks, slowing and outright jams, there is going to be John Wilsbach.
In our chaotic, fast-paced world, Wilsbach is the voice of reason. He may peddle in traffic updates, but the true service he provides is sanity.
“I’m with you on the roads,” he said. “I hate sitting in traffic jams—that’s what drives me. I want people to get where they need to go, quickly, safely, on time. They rely on me to get to work on time. I’m here for them, because they’ve always been there for me.”
Wilsbach updates central Pennsylvania commuters on traffic conditions multiple times each workday, mainly during rush hours, 52 weeks of the year. His quick, to-the-point reports can be heard on numerous radio stations across the region.
He positively impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands of commuters each day, with a delivery honed by experience and intelligence, featuring just a hint of his mischievous personality.
“People have a goal, they have a mission, to get from point A to point B—damn other people,” said Wilsbach, a 56-year-old resident of Londonderry Township. “That’s why we have aggressive driving. You’re going to have bad drivers, you’re going to have good drivers, but what we need is safe drivers. We’ve all got to share the road.”
The majority of Wilsbach’s professional life has been spent on the radio. He started at WINK 104 as a backup sports and news guy in 1989, but then saw an opportunity to fill the need for a local traffic reporter.
Twenty-five years later, he’s still doing traffic, which he never imagined would become a lifetime career. But the need for a traffic guy on local radio hasn’t diminished during that time—in fact, it’s only grown.
“Since I started doing it, there’s more traffic on the roads, and we’ve got more lanes,” he said. “But what gets me is that it’s still local. It’s still radio.”
Contrary to popular belief, Wilsbach does not monitor traffic conditions by flying over the Harrisburg region by helicopter, even though much of his first 12 years of information-gathering was performed in the passenger seat of a Cessna. Now, his gathering techniques are much more sophisticated and intricate.
In his relentless search for trouble spots, Wilsbach relies heavily on the internet, including local counties’ 911 websites, Pennsylvania’s 511 website and the mobile application, Waze. But he’s also old school in his reliance on emergency radio monitors or scanners, the telephone and even tips from loyal listeners, including the occasional ones from police.
“I’m continually monitoring the traffic in central Pennsylvania,” Wilsbach said. “I get information out four minutes after an incident happens. So, you’re being updated when you’re driving, and it changes every five minutes.”
But, to Wilsbach, it’s not only about communicating traffic facts.
“Yes, I will try to entertain sometimes,” he said. “I try to be informal.”
Wilsbach covers a lot of territory for one man, as his reports span some 10 counties. He concentrates on all the major highways, but also knows the back roads like the back of his hand.
His main goal, he said, is to get people to drive safely.
“People who are driving crazy and driving over the speed limit aren’t listening to me,” he said.
If traffic reporting is the career path that Wilsbach has been led down, then his other interests help him remain true to his roots.
He is also the operations manager of Middletown High School’s instructional radio station, WMSS 91.1 FM, a play-by-play and color commentator for broadcasts of Lebanon Valley College football and men’s and women’s basketball, as well as the one-time owner and current voice of the Harrisburg Heat indoor soccer franchise.
“My wife would tell you that she never sees me,” Wilsbach said. “I’m at school seven days a week, so it’s a delicate balance.”
It’s hard to say what the future holds for Wilsbach. But, for right now, commuters shouldn’t worry. For the foreseeable future, they’ll be able to continue depending on him for their vital traffic information.
“I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing,” he said.
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