More on Media Consolidation

A few more links on the important FCC decision coming up in a few weeks (see our previous story for more). Common Cause has a good set of background information and advocacy. The Washington Post has a story about the decision, focusing on how independent television stations will be squeezed even harder. This article about ClearChannel is a useful primer about the future of mass media.

Comments

I've tried to boycott Clearchannel, I really have

[pecosdave]

but they have bought every radio station station in the Houston area that didn't suck, and even a few that did. So I drive cross country, I find another radio station. I listen to it, sounds kinda cool, then you hear "Thank you for listend to KXYZ, the ONLY station that doesn't suck, a Clear Channel Communications station." So they admit that all their other stations suck?

I wanted to boycott them for taking off my morning show, and using the trained monkeys that borderline politicaly correct (the previous guys would never be mistaken for anywhere near politicaly correct) from New Orleans to broadcast to the entire Gulf Coast. Sounds like cost savings to me, but it really ruined the mornings for me.

So I swallowed my pride and listened anyways. Before Clear Channel bought everything I stopped listening to one of our local stations because I couldn't stand hearing "Did somebody say McDonalds" 13 times in a 30 second period. Now nearly half the commercials ClearChannel plays assume I can't get my dick up and I need to hear the phone number of the fixer 12 times because I can't dial a damned phone. I assure you neaither is a concern in my case. The quality of radio sure took a dive when they came in.

Dissolve Clearchannel

[pla]

Clearchannel has singlehandedly destroyed radio in the US. Five years ago, I had quite a nice variety of stations to pick from, with all twelve of my presets going to something that, depending on my mood, I would enjoy.

Now, I have two stations I listen to... A local college station, and NPR. And I don't even like NPR, but angry lesbians amuse me more than the same top-10 pop songs played over and over.


Clearchannel, as an "experiment" in media conglomeration, should end. Revoke its corporate charter, dissolve it, return control and ownership to each individual station. And more importantly, we need to IMMEDIATELY stop further Borg-like activity on the part of media megacorps.


I want decent independant radio back.

Hmm

[stratjakt]

Why are they losing audiences to cable channels?

Can it be because the programming they offer flat out sucks?

Can it be that people aren't as stupid as they've assumed since the 50s?

That they dont want to see another sitcom about a family with a precocious little kid that runs the house, or 5 20-something hipsters drinking coffee and making dumb wisecracks?

Can it be that they've reached the puking threshhold with this reality TV crap? That people dont care which of the 40 masked guys that some whore chooses?

Can it be that the old standbys of Leno and Letterman kissing hollywood ass is frankly BORING?

I mean there's a reason I'd rather watch some longwinded documentary about the treasures of King Razamatooten from the 3rd dynasty; as dry and uninteresting as it is, it's better than anything NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX and the DUBBYA-BEE have to offer.

Perhaps just getting "known star" to do a sitcom for 2 million an episode doesn't guarantee ratings anymore.

wait...

[kevin lyda]

where are all the libertarians crying out in joy? isn't this great - capitalism in action! more and more of those pesky government regulations being whisked out of the way!

and now you guys all have your free-market radio stations where you - yes, i mean YOU! - can make choices about which radio station will be #1! yes-siree-bob, all those companies are entirely dependant on your happiness with their programming decisions.

isn't it just GREAT!

Options dwindle, but some remain

[SmilingMonk]

Here in Portland, OR we have KBOO. It is entirely community funded, staffed, and operated. It is amazing how different the news, content, and programming is from corporate controlled media.

San Fransisco and LA have KPFA and perhaps one or two other radio outlets that are operated similarly to the way KBOO is. But nationwide our options for true community controlled media has become very very limited.

There are several reasons why corporate control of our airwaves remains an issue that is important to understand:

• FM/AM tuners remain a widely accepted standard for reception. Those in our society who are not wired, as many on /. are, use whatever technology is cheap and widely available. This makes radio listening somewhat different than newspaper reading.
• Local news and information can easily be sanitized or completely ignored by companies like ClearChannel (particularly true when they don't generate content locally)
• All bandwidth used to be a public resource. Protecting this used to be the charter of the FCC. Airwaves were to be used for the public interest and not as a simple money generator for a handful of people or companies

It amazes me how little the citizens of this country care about being controlled or manipulated. Perhaps it has come down to the power that can be purchased by a few people who have large sums of money and big desires that remain unfulfilled.

If you are a terror to many, then beware of many. --Ausonius

ClearChannel has put people in physical danger

[asmithmd1]

Last thursday I was driving home around the Washington, DC beltway when NPR interrupted their broadcast mid-sentence with a tornado warning. A warning is issued when a tornado has been spotted and, if you are in the area, you need to take cover now. I flipped over to one of the clearchannel stations, DC101, just to see how fast they reacted. You guessed it, they never did.

They have a license to use the public's airwaves for the public good. They are in gross violation of that license. Someone needs to organize a campaign to protest the re-newal of a stations liscense, they need to be re-newed every 8 years