Drivers Talk Radio Group

Drivers Talk began in 2000 as a California-based radio show. Automotive journalist Rick Titus and his co-hosts soon perfected their 2-hour live talk format with up-to-the-minute reviews of new vehicles and the automotive industry. “Our most important decision was to focus on consumer needs and interests,” Rick says.

Drivers Talk continues every week in national syndication and streams live on the Internet at http://www.driverstalkradio.com/. Drivers Talk also publishes videos and articles online to help consumers succeed in their quest for true quality and value in a new vehicle.

Car buyers rely on Drivers Talk for our:
Insider-level automotive product knowledge.
Commonsense approach to evaluating vehicles.
Head-to-head competitive comparisons.
Detailed automotive testing results.

About Rick Titus
Rick is an automotive writer, racer, public speaker and consultant. In high demand as a 3rd-party product expert, Rick Titus transformed his successful racing experience (16 pro wins on the SCCA circuit) into an outstanding journalism career. Rick has written hundreds of articles or segments for Motor Trend (Technical Editor) Popular Mechanics (West Coast Automotive Editor) and other well-known national publications.

A veteran “car guy” who thoroughly loves his topic and combines commonsense understanding of consumer needs with in-depth product knowledge, Rick knows how to dig for the “story behind the story.” In Rick’s view, “It all comes down to the fact that people don’t drive a price – they drive a product.”

Drivers Talk Radio
Hosted by automotive expert Rick Titus, Drivers Talk Radio is a broad-reaching program that discusses the automotive industry in an informative and entertaining fashion.

Along with co-host and Road Test Editor BJ Killeen, Producer and Business Editor Jay Dalton, Lifestyles editor Tracy Miller, and Co-Producer and Engineer Micah Muzio, Driver’s Talk Radio reviews the newest vehicles in the automotive marketplace, discusses the most controversial automotive topics, and conducts live interviews with the industry’s movers and shakers.

Drivers Talk Radio has already won 20 prestigious International Automotive Media Conference (IAMC) awards, and has reviewed over 400 vehicles. Our up-to-the-minute coverage of the hot trends in the industry, as well as reporting on local events, quickly has made the show a favorite among listeners and industry executives alike.

Rick Titus
Rick Titus is an accomplished automotive journalist and a racing champion. Following in the footsteps of his father, legendary racer and automotive journalist Jerry Titus, Rick Titus served as team crew member in the early ’70s and went on to capture 11 pro wins on the SCCA Endurance Road Racing circuit. “Motorsports requires split-second, high-stakes decisions,” Titus says. “My racing experiences taught me that individual choices, whether in driving or engineering or sales, really do count. Sometimes you just don’t have a second chance to get it right.”
Titus’ hands-on involvement with cars and trucks, including a stint as head of engineering at a leading automotive accessories manufacturer, led to an outstanding journalism career. His credits include over 350 articles or segments for Motor Trend (Technical Editor), Popular Mechanics (West Coast Automotive Editor), TNN (NASCAR Editor), Mustang and Fast Fords (Engineering Editor), Road & Track Specials (Features Editor) and Sports Car Magazine (Technical Editor).

As the host of Drivers Talk Radio, Titus knows what listeners like: “We help our listeners differentiate a vehicle from the competition. It all comes down to the fact that customers don’t drive a price, they drive a product.”

Delivering over 4,000 presentations in the past 10 years, Titus has reached automotive executives, dealers and sales consultants through new-product introductions, sales training sessions, and more. Although he has consulted and written for a number of manufacturers, Titus is especially proud of his 20-year association with Ford Motor Company people and products.

Recently featured in a national television campaign for the 2004 Ford Freestar, Titus takes his high-profile status in stride. “I consider it a privilege to share my point of view with the public,” he comments. “There’s a growing trend toward greater consumer information in advertising, and I believe these ads signal a new direction in the way major auto companies will communicate with the public."

Now a lifetime member of the American Automotive Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) as well as a member of the Motor Press Guild, Titus takes to the airwaves each week on Driver’s Talk Radio along with a stellar team of automotive journalists. “With a motorsports background, there’s always an undercurrent of competition in our group,” Titus says. "Our goal is to cut straight through the “product logic” of a given vehicle, helping our listeners navigate the marketing maze and mechanical double-speak of the new-car game. We’re part guide and part interpreter of the industry.”


Drivers Talk Testing
“On a regular basis I’m asked how long I’ve been testing cars,” says Jay Dalton, the man in charge of data acquisition and analysis for Drivers Talk Testing. “The correct answer is: as long as I’ve been driving.”

As teenagers, Rick Titus and Jay Dalton were exposed to a constant stream of some of the most exciting vehicles of the day, courtesy of Rick’s father, Jerry Titus. As Editor of Peterson Publishing’s Sports Car Graphic magazine, something unusual and new was always parked in the Titus’ driveway. Lotus, Bizzarini, Facel Vega, some little box called a MINI — even brand-new products from American manufacturers, like the first Chevrolet Camaro given to the press (red on red with a straight six) or Shelby’s first Mustangs, were at their fingertips.

On regular occasion, the teenage testing staff offered additional reviews of each vehicle, whether Mr. Titus wanted it or not. It’s easy to see how testing and evaluation of interesting vehicles was instilled in these two from a young age. This would be played out many times on the track and behind the scenes throughout their lives.

As fifth-wheel-based testing gear gave way to satellite-oriented GPS recording equipment, the data available from vehicle testing became more useful than ever. No longer bound by stopwatches and portable timing lights, vehicle testing today can reveal some amazing data that can support or embarrass a manufacturer…sometimes in the same test run!

GPS-based data acquisition starts with recording a data line on the face of the Earth where the test vehicles have traveled. Sometimes on a race track, sometimes on a testing surface, many times on formal proving grounds, and even spread out over miles of public roads across the open desert, the instrumentation draws a line inside a computer program where the vehicle has traveled. From that line comes thousands of data points that can be translated into comparable vehicle dynamics. Collecting that data accurately for each vehicle is a skill, while reading that line is a science.

The erratically drawn lines from each vehicle are then downloaded and processed through a computer. Much like a doctor reads a heart monitor, each wave and spike tells a story. At what exact speed did the driver enter the slalom course? How many feet did the vehicle travel before shifting into third gear? Do the skidpad results show better grip when the vehicle turns to the left or to the right? Can you prove that the vehicle speed was 22 mph while passing over the testing surface? It’s all there in the data points. Like DNA on a strand of hair, the answers are all “on the line.”

True evaluation is much more detailed than how fast a vehicle will go or how quickly it can stop. How the vehicle functions for the driver and passengers is another key area that involves ergonomics, interior measurements, ease of use, comfort, durability, sound deadening, visibility, sun glare, climate control, road feel, towing stability, and about 50 additional criteria that impact the quality of life inside the vehicle. For a magazine journalist or an auto critic, this is where they would conclude their work. For Drivers Talk Testing, this is only half of the story.

Drivers Talk Testing has been privileged to both administer—and be included in—complete vehicle teardown comparisons. This is where production vehicles are purchased from a dealer, driven to a disassembly area, and carefully and scientifically taken apart.

It started with a series called THE TRUTH ABOUT TRUCKS—five pickup trucks were purchased, disassembled, and compared bolt-for-bolt on film.

Since that time, Drivers Talk Testing has been involved with many other projects that detail how a vehicle is designed and assembled, down to the last spot weld. No exaggeration—the last drop of glue is weighed and accounted for, bagged, and labeled.

Simply put, Drivers Talk Testing provides vehicle comparison studies like no other group in America.

Currently, three Certified Level 3 test drivers are on the Drivers Talk Testing team. Our assignments have ranged from testing on high-speed banks at proving grounds to featuring what happens on the factory assembly line to dissecting components down to the last fastener.

Wherever the comparison story is best told, the team and production crew go there.

Drivers Talk Testing compares vehicles dynamically, physically, and structurally, explaining the results in a clear and informative way that consumers can understand.

Results are provided for informal testing, and can also be substantiated for fully certified product claims. Tests are conducted to comply with FCC broadcast standards for commercial use in print, radio, internet, and television. The team also provides expert affidavits for tested product claims, and has researched over 50 advertising elements for major manufacturers. Its work can be seen in automobile dealerships and advertisements across America.

Contact:
E-mail: help@driverstalk.com
Telephone: (800) 647-7268