"Welcome, to the Metro System News Network!"

Okay, that's probably not what they say when they get on the program but if I could hear the announcers that just might be what they say. I've covered in a previous post how different the metro system is in Madrid and about the "unwritten rules of the Metro" and how they compare to the New York City MTA system in a previous post you can find here:

http://gra345ronny.blogspot.com/2011/10/metro-system-woes.html

But if there is one thing the Metro does different than the MTA it is how it communicates with it's riders. Now both metro systems utilize one of the oldest methods of communication which are paper advertisements. I haven't read a good share of newspapers yet and I rarely get the chance to catch commercials when I watch television so I'm going to focus my analysis on the communication done inside the actual metro. Now given that the stations are the Metro system's personal domain, it is no surprise that they dominate all the advertisements. The same exact thing could be said about the MTA in New York City; there is no way you can ride the train without at least seeing one ad that has the MTA logo on it.

The differences between become more apparent however when you start to observe what exactly is being advertised. In the MTA, a lot of the advertisements are doing one of three things: Giving a positive reason why service is going bad and prices are going up, reminding riders that they are in a safe place, or telling riders what they should and shouldn't do for their own safety. Now the main reason why the ads focus on giving people positive reasons for the MTA's shortcoming is because New Yorkers are always complaining about the delays, re-routings, and yearly price hikes that the MTA seems to enjoy placing. Many of these shortcomings have led riders to find alternative means of traveling around the city because there is a consistent feeling that things are getting more expensive but the quality of the train system is not improving. These ads are meant to help riders understand that the MTA is attempting to improve the train system for the long-term benefits, but that riders just need to bare with things for now. The safety advertisements usually are ads that contain phrases that say: "If you see something, say something," which became extremely common after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the bombings in Atocha. Because of the fear of being attacked again and the Metro having been a target in Spain, many New Yorkers became afraid to ride the trains. These advertisements were meant to quell those fears and show people that the MTA is attempting to do what they can to keep riders safe. The last was done to inform riders they shouldn't litter or partake in risky activities such as running for trains, sticking their arms in before the train doors close or try and ride on the side of trains because they don't fit in the trains. Many of these activities have resulted in track fires or serious injuries and to address these incidents, the MTA decided to include these messages along with their safety campaign.

Now the Metro in Madrid has advertisements that are completely different. Many of the Metro advertisements have a phrase that says "Nos gusta como te mueves," which in English means we like how you move. A lot of these ads have various metro stops, one usually being a popular one that is specifically highlighted as opposed to the rest. I feel like this is meant to increase the number of riders but also to show both Madrid residents and tourists some of the places where they should go. There has been a spike of tourists coming to Madrid so I'm sure the advertisements are also meant for them to read it as well. I also feel like this is meant to show a friendly message and to encourage people to keep riding especially about the Atocha bombings. I'm actually surprised that safety and security hasn't been stressed as much as it is in NYC. It seems as though the Metro does not want to focus on such a negative moment in Madrid's history and would much rather keep things more positive. Another interesting method of communication I have seen in Madrid has been the screens that give news announcements to those waiting in the stations and to those in the trains. This does not exist in the MTA and I feel that it once again stresses the importance of current events and news to the Spanish culture. I'm not sure, but this is probably something that could also be utilized in terrorist situations to quickly inform all riders of what is going on rather than having them left in the dark.

I personally love the use of a news channel and announcements in the train stations. I know there are television screens in select MTA lines but at the moment they are only being used for advertisements and aren't as noticeable as the screens that the Metro in Madrid use. I would love to have something to watch while waiting on the trains especially since the delays in NYC are horrible!