Currently there is a bulletin that states you must make “top of the rock” as part of your announcement. Only when the bulletin is resended will conductors stop saying it (although some stopped because… well some guys are just a little lazy lol).

Meanwhile, this morning at the Hicksville LIRR station, I heard a different voice shouting in my ear saying something to the effect of “Hi, this is Juliet Papa from 1010 WINS reminding you to speak quietly on your cell phone”.

What’s next — Smokey the Bear reminding us that “only YOU can prevent track fires”? (Perhaps I dated myself with that comment!)

The question, perhaps, is “How did the Maria Baritolomilolimo… momo…omo… spot get there in the FIRST place?” IF CNBC paid for it, OK, but to who, and how much, and for how long will it run?

There is a constant tension between commercial promotion and passenger amenities in Mass Transit. Early on the IRT Co. plastered their stations with advertising (look up some old photos of the stations), much to the dismay of many riders and City Beautiful advocates.

Many people believe GCT should be entirely unsullied by Shameless Commerce in the form of advertising, particularly illuminated posters. On the other hand, many folks miss the giant Kodak ad, and the big clock that used to hang on the south side of GCT’s Main Concourse.

It is somewhat ironic that so much 21st Century New Media has to be promoted upon that 19th Centuriest of environments, the railroad. Advertisiing brings hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue to the MTA, because transit is where people actually are, and where – unlike the internet – an advertiser can be sure people will see a product or service.