Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
Q: At the beginning of April, I noticed that “The Michael Baisden Show” was abruptly gone from Majic 107.5/97.5 and replaced with “Skip Murphy in the Afternoons.” What happened and why? Who is Skip Murphy?
— Jean Kelly, Decatur
A: Baisden and syndication company Cumulus couldn't work out an agreement, and his show ended on March 29. Baisden, who also is an author and speaker, was first heard on Atlanta radio on what was then known as Grown Folks 102.5. He went to Majic in 2009. "Thank you for 10 years of laughs, intelligent adult conversation, and activism," Baisden wrote on his Facebook page in late March. Murphy is described as a "radio veteran with over 30 years" of experience who has worked in Charlotte, N.C., and Dallas, in his bio on www.majicatl.com. His show started April 1.
Q: What factor(s) contribute to the miles-long afternoon traffic backup that can inevitably be expected from about Locust Grove to the I-75/I-675 split? It would seem that the divergence of I-675 and I-75, by splitting the traffic flow at the northern end, would tend to prevent the backup. Other than high volume, what is the cause?
— Dan Cowles, Cumming
A: The ramps for I-675 and Hudson Bridge Road/Eagles Landing Parkway are "not very far apart," and that leads to what WSB traffic reporter Capt. Herb Emory calls "Merging Madness." "Some people getting on at Eagles Landing are trying to get to the left lanes, while some already on I-75 are trying to move to the right lanes to exit at I-675 and Highway 138," he told Q&A on the News in an email.