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ClearChannel Complains About XM, Sirius Radio
andyring writes "In the latest attempt by a big corporation with a failing business model to win by legislation and not in the marketplace, ClearChannel is whining to the FCC about XM Radio's recent foray into localized traffic and weather reports." Here I was thinking that satellite radio was a good thing for competition in radio.
ClearChannel are a failing business?
Aren't they practically in a monopoly situation and trying to keep it that way?
Ceci n'est pas une signature
I got heavily criticised in a story a couple of days ago for saying Clear Channel should get one of those awards for being against free speech.
They may be a private corporation but they have used the FCC and other ways of influencing gov't to make sure that they get to control certain aspects of the airwaves. They may not be John Ashcroft but they are certainly interested in controlling the market and what you hear. =P
My Webcomic: Asylum on 5th Street
Is XM regulated by the FCC? Could they carry Howard Stern? That'd be a great way to sock it to ClearChannel.
Here I was thinking that satellite radio was a good thing for competition in radio.
Competition is good for radio... because it's bad for Clearchannel.
"Lawyers are for sucks."
- Doug McKenzie
Has anyone heard those radio commercials bemoaning the "problems" with satellite radio? It's really sad.
What's good for customers, is bad for them. CC want's total control of the market. I've heard good things about XM lately. I think I'll subscribe just to piss them off. I want to listing to what I want to...when I want to. I can't stand CC stations that only play a roster of 10 songs a day...shuffled over and over.
Oh ya, fuck hip-hop! God I had to get that off my chest.
Life is not for the lazy.
XM and Sirius ARE good for competition, that's why ClearChannel doesn't like them.
New corporate ideology for the 21st century:
When being beaten by a competitor, you have three choices. Bitch, moan, and complain to the government about it.
There is no chance of them ever competing with XM, because their traffic and weather is so much better, and without commercials, since I got mine, I haven't even once turned on my car radio since. So yes I think that ClearChannel DOES have something to worry about.
according to http://www.stereophile.com/news/032904news/ and many other news article that can be searched on google news, clear channel has part ownership of XM radio, so why is clear channel trying to stop XM radio? clearly, if XM radio prospers, then so does clear channel.
"Other major XM shareholders include radio giant Clear Channel Communications, Inc."
Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
...you don't hear commercial radio stations complaining about local BBC (which are commercial free) stations providing local traffic...they still complain in general, but they do have a point (because BBC radio is free to all, even though it's paid for off the TV licence)
This is ironic because ClearChannels is an XM investor (not much, but still owns a small percentage of the company and puts their talk shows on a couple of the channels).
I am a subscriber to XM radio and have been for almost a year. I don't listen to public radio anymore. If I could get uncensored comedy and headline news from a public radio station, we wouldn't have a need for subscription services. I think that if I'm paying for service, then XM/Sirius are more than welcome to push any content to me that they want, minus commercials.
Alcohol & calculus don't mix. Never drink & derive.
Regulations tend to be bad. Let the free market (ie, the customers) decide whether Clear Channel or XM is better. If Clear Channel isn't as good (although it has the advantage of being free...) then it will, and should, die.
The petition was filed by the National Association of Broadcaters of which Clear Channel is a member. I've heard so many tinfoil hat theories about Clear Channel that when I see /. editorial content that modifies the story like this it makes me question the motive here.
"cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/" ...! How many times do they need to get each organisation's name in there?
Many people wondered why Clear Channel was so quick to dump the Stern show in six markets without putting up any kind of a fight.
While at first they presented themselves as being truly ashamed of the "Indecency" over their airwaves, it seems now that they were supporting the FCC in a very public arena so they could work themselves into a position where they can influence FCC policies. It probably doesn't hurt that they are a huge corporate donor to the Bush campaign.
On a recent Stern show episode, Howard suggested holding concerts in major Clear Channel markets to combat their growing power. With this latest news we have all the more reason not to support them and their anti-competitive policies.
For more information go here.
I stopped going to my old laundromat because of the music they piped in from a Clear Channel-affiliated station? Have you heard the *shit* that spews forth from their playlist? Rod Stewart and Lionel Ritchie weren't good when they were new, but now they are intolerable.
"OH SHIT, THERE'S A HORSE IN THE HOSPITAL!"
What about satellite TV, they are allowed to air local television, why shouldn't satellite radio be allowed to air local reports as well. If all is fair, local radio is not great and in the morning drives is full of boring talk, not much music. Let them air everything. even yes, Howard Stern, after all no censorship on subscription services.
Entercom Communications Corp. , the fourth-largest U.S. over-the-air radio company, has been running advertisements poking fun at satellite radio services, roasting the $10-$12 monthly subscription rate as well as lack of local information and spotty signals when traveling between buildings.
Too bad they can't argue on the aspects of quality programming. Broadcast Radio quality has fallen to the point where I simply don't listen to it. Local traffic? Ha, it's usually old information. I get better information via my cell phone. Quality music? Rrrrright.... if you like to hear the same seven songs played hundreds of times within a month. I'll play my own music - at least then I hear something other than those 7 (once-good, now-annoying) songs.
Clearly broadcast radio quality has fallen substantially, and Satellite is quickly filling the void. I don't have it yet, but I'm thinking about it.
XM is a partnership between GM and ClearChannel Communications. The suit isn't being brought by Clear Channel, but by the National Association of Broadcasters.
And as for listening to satellite radio, I'll take Sirius anyday. They don't have the annoying Clearchannel DJ's and the "every stations sounds the same" Clearchannel effect (have they patented that yet?).
The FCC is evolving from a regulatory agency into a slush-fund generator (with full support of whatever party is in power of course).
Sure, its a bit of a conspiracy theory, or at least its damn cynical, but just look at the slew of recent rulings favoring not what is best for Americans, but what is best for the corporation.
The difficult thing for me to swallow, is that Clearchannel is not so different from the sattelite services, in that 99.9% of Clearchannel programming, including traffic, weather and news, does not originate anywhere near the locality where it is transmitted. In Essence, Clearchannel is a sattelite broadcaster that uses conventional radio transmitter for the last-mile service delivery.
Just as irrigation is the lifeblood of the Southwest, lifeblood is the soup of cannibals. -- Jack Handy
... was accused of generating it's own "local" news for many of it's markets? I.E. they didn't have a local news source (online newspaper in the area would probably qualify) so, rather than limiting their news to national coverage, they wrote their own stories with no basis in fact.
Fortunately in the Minneapolis, MN area we do have a reasonably good classic rock station that is not ClrCnl, which has locked out the ClrCnl morning shows. And for local traffic, one of the local Public Broadcast Radio stations provides updates every 10 min during rush hour, and actually has a great Jazz lineup.
ClrChn has attempted to "compete" in the Jazz market with their "Smooth Jazz" channel. I am not what you might call a conisour of Jazz, but I think their playlist is garbage.
I have listened to a couple of XM sat channels, but since I don't own a receiver (yet) I can't make any claims about it.
Radio stations mentioned...
KQRS - http://www.92kqrs.com/ - 92.5 FM
KBEM - http://www.jazz88fm.com/ - 88.5 FM - online
CC-SmoothJazz - 100.5 FM
There are a couple of other locally produced stations in the area. Since I like the Jazz88FM lineup, I have not listened to them.
For those concerned, KQRS is owned by Disney, but the Morning Show should be listened to a few times before you decide to let your kids listen in.
You never know...
I get tired of corporations complaining about new technology. Clearly XM and Sirius are both new technologies and are the wave of the future. Remember when t.v. cable was new and all these same arguements were presented? For ClearChannel to be competitive over the long haul, it needs to get off its rear and create a satelite network of its own or get its shows carried on the various satelite radio providers.
Passing legislation such as this is stupid to put it bluntly. It will not change anything. If passed, in 10 years, we will be back to hearing the same arguments and eventually, the satelite providers will be providing whatever they choose anyway with or without ClearChannel's participation -- just as cable carries your local t.v. stations. In fact, because of cable the television stations do not spend lots of money putting in new translator stations to obtain expanded signal coverage and instead rely on the satelite or cable providers to carry their local broadcasts.
Isn't this suspicious... Clearchannel has Howard Stern on in the morning, and then complains about his indecency to the FCC (not officially, through the court of public opinion).
Clearchannel owns a big chunk (30%?) of XM, and then complains about XM and Sirius.
I guess its all coincidence.
ClearChannel is whining to the FCC about XM Radio's recent foray into localized traffic and weather reports."
.
Clear Channel contends that patiotism demands that traffic reports only recommend right turns and not any of those pro-Dixie Chicks, gay marriage-ing, terr'ist aiding lefty turns.
As for the weather, well, Clear Channel says it's sunny days with n'ary a terr'ist in the skies for all God's chilluns under GW Bush, and there'll be pie in the sky when you die , and you that ain't got rich wealthy parents who provide and protect him / And high office relations , you can join the army, if you fail
But I saw you don't need a weather man/ To know which way the wind blows . I say pretty soon it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall
Cause I say the airwaves don't belong to a company in Texas, I say that this land belongs to you and me.
And I hope my playlist here (figurtively) kills Fascists
Opinions on the Twiddler2 hand-held keyboard?
They're not complaining about just XM, they're complaining about XM and Sirius.
Now if XM and Sirius both get out of the local weather/news business, the company left out in the cold is Sirius.
XM is hurt too, but as Clearchannel is a major XM shareholder, I suspect this is less important.
" Regulations tend to be bad. Let the free market (ie, the customers) decide "
Except when it comes to the FCC regulating content. That regulation is bad, right? Its just the regulation you don't like is "bad".
They may be a private corporation but they have used the FCC and other ways of influencing gov't to make sure that they get to control certain aspects of the airwaves. They may not be John Ashcroft but they are certainly interested in controlling the market and what you hear. =P
Clear Channel are not the ones trying to regulate the airwaves, the FCC is, and ohmigosh, it's their job to do that. The FCC operates under the rules that Congress creates. If people like Howard Stern really thought that their rights of free speech were being violated, then have them sue. Thing is, they'll lose.
This is about business, plain and simple, not free speech. The FCC threatened Clear Channel with a fine of $495,000 if they didn't pull Stern. While $495,000 might seem like a small matter, they were in danger of losing quite a bit more, things like station licenses. Seeing as how those licenses are what allows Clear Channel to exist in the first place, I'd say they were quite spooked.
Congress has a right to regulate commerce. AM/FM Radio is under the commerce clause because it is in the 'public domain'. XM is not, it's a subscription service, so while they can be regulated, they can't be regulated as much. The best example would be comparing it to Network vs. Cable television. Will you see unedited "Sex and the City" on NBC any time soon? No. If "shock jocks" want to make indecent comments, let them move to satellite radio.
You are lucky. My favourite hard rock station in San Diego was taken over by clear channel and is now pretty lame.
Its less about the FCC than about Michael Powell.
Time to get rid of the FCC. It no longer serves any public interest.
"There are thousands of profitable local radio stations in the US"
Yes, all owned by large radio conglomerates.
"and one of the reasons that Clear Channel is hated is that it is so large and profitable."
So if they're so successful, why do they hate satellite radio?
You CC whores crawl out of the woodwork everytime we discuss censorship and radio. But ultimately, most of the clear channel people will get cancer and AIDS, because nature is simply restoring karma to a neutral state. When you work for clearchannel, you're saying to god and nature "I am a a virus that needs to be wiped out". God and nature will bless you with the cleansing cancer.
Thanks Slashdot for telling me telling what opinion I should have. I'm too stupid to interpret news on my own. I always appreciate your colorful commentary in your news articles. They are always dead on accurate, and they are never biased, cynical, or unprofessional.
I love how the headline and writeup makes it look like Clear Channel is the one instigating this when they are now. You guys are pathetic in pushing your anti-corporate agenda. At least get the facts right. Is that so hard?
Stop defending Clearchannel; they are in inherently corrupt corporation (you guys make Enron look like a bunch of kids).
We know you are you, and frankly, despite posting AC, it is possible to track who you are and where you're posting from.
TROLL!
Clear Channel is a member of NAB as is Apple, IBM, and Cisco.
Considering NAB's coverage, I'm surprised XM and Sirius aren't members. The first place I ever heard about XM was at an NAB convention.
According to the FCC, there are about 13,000-15,000 radio stations in the US broadcasting at any one time. At last count Clear Channel had 1,176 stations. That is near 10%, not exactly a monopoly. Clear Channel is the biggest single owner, but they are not the only one. Cox, Infinity, Ennis, are all players in this game, and they are part of a lobbying group that asked for this. Clear Channel did not ask for this, the lobbying group did. This is the problem I keep talking about -- people think CC is the only one wrong so they ignore the other people too. Sigh.
Sounds like CCCI needs to quit whining and get on with business.
...we are from the government - we are here to help...
Or it is because this comment does not agree with your opinion?
I have a lot of hate for clearchannel but I dont want to rant all day about it here. You can find some observations about the way they do business here. Keep in mind its a very opinionated site, but then again you are reading articles at /. so you must be used to that by now.
"Capital punishment makes the state into a murderer. Imprisonment makes the state into a gay dungeon-master"
Those bastards can go away.
I subscribed to Sirius to get away from BS like theirs. The local traffic is fantastic for LA. Before they added that, I got all my traffic off KNX 1070 AM, which is an Infinity Radio, NOT ClearChannel station (I know, not much better)
They bought their way into the position they're in today by paying off Bush and that Michael Powell. Is anyone surprised that they whine about XM?
In NC, CC dominates the FM radio dial. Other than WCPE and college stations, there's CC. How bad do they suck? So bad that in the past couple of years, lots of wonderful Pioneer and Marantz Super Receiver of the 70s are being sold dirt cheap.
Michael Powell is at the center of it all. This is crooked politics at it's worst. I hope a terrible fate befalls him such that he is unable to enjoy his ill-gotten gains. Vote these crooked ass Republicans out this November!
Wansu, th' chinese sailor
Broadcast Radio quality has fallen to the point where I simply don't listen to it. Local traffic? Ha, it's usually old information. I get better information via my cell phone. Quality music? Rrrrright.... if you like to hear the same seven songs played hundreds of times within a month.
The thing that always gets me about broadcast radio is the tendency to lump all commercial breaks into one super-long segment at the bottom of the hour. That way, they can advertise "50 minutes of commercial-free music"... but they don't tell you that means "10 minutes of music-free commercials." It annoys just about everyone I know, so any service that got rid of that is bound to do well.
(Of course, I am a little biased. My father is the operations manager at a broadcast radio station, and his station doesn't do that. They play maybe a max of 3-4 commercials in a row, but spread out over the entire hour. They actually play more commercials, but it seems like less.)
As for music variety, I see satellite radio falling into the same trap. True, there will be some stations that don't do that, but that is also true for broadcast radio.... just not the big/popular (read: Clear Channel) stations.
NPR stations are worried about XM too, because of what they see as not only current competition, but also in the event that NPR begins placing NPR programs onto the XM schedule. NPR is like a franchise, with each member station deriving revenue based on NPR programming, with fees paid back to NPR. if XM and NPR were to begin a program agreement, your local NPR repeater (that is all they are really) would begin to suffer from lack of exclusivity. NPR has been vague about its plans, but there is worry at the npr station level that NPR will begin to make deals with XM, once XM subscriber numbers climb to higher levels. The issue of XM and Sirius using their ground level repeaters to offer local content has been worried about now since XM launched, and it will be interesting to see what happens. I say: whatever gives us more choices, and so I'm in favor of XM using their capability to deliver local content. Depending on a listener's preferences, XM probably already offers competitive programming to most of local, commerical laden offerings, and with BBC World Service, offers a better news channel than NPR.
Although I've not heard the Clear Channel adverts saying how bad XM is (mainly because I haven't listened to broadcast radio since I have had XM) this stuff about spotty coverage is a joke. I have even gotten reception in an underground parking garage! I can only recall loosing reception one time, for about 2 seconds. I did rent a car which had Sirius and was not nearly as happy with the reception as it did cut out even going under bridges. I am also a bit confused over the advertising against what Clear Channel partially owns..makes no sense. Then again - Clear Channel is the same group that thinks there are only 20 songs worth playing. I think it would be a bit funny for XM to pack up and move overseas. What is the US going to do - shoot down their satellite ushering in a new era of outer space warfare? Not to mention the free speach implications of doing such a thing.
Yah, where the shit did that sig come from?
Anyone who's got an inkling of historical perspective will and do realize that we're at a pretty fucked up point in history and god help us if there's another 4 years of the Bush regime.
For real man, you are dead on: the real enemies of America are in the White House right now. Fuckin eh!
This type of blind support of the special interest is What Is Wrong With The System (TM). I have been an XM subscriber for about four months. I signed up just before the local stations had ever been announced, but I can tell you, had I know they were offered, I would have signed up even faster. Last week I drove back down to Florida from Maryland down I-95, and I used their Baltimore, D.C. and Tampa channels to anticipate upcoming weather and traffic conditions. If you're not from the local area, you have no idea what AM / FM stations broadcast what type of content, and even then you have to shit through three to five minutes of mindless advertising (ever notice that the majority of ClearChannel ads hawk the same kind of stuff sold in spam?) before there's even a chance of lucking into a traffic or weather broadcast. The XM local traffic and weather stations are extremely helpful and an absolute blessing to frequent travelers.
I love XM because it puts choice of content back in the hands of the user. If I want to hear talk radio, I've got 20+ channels any time I want them, right, left or "neutral." If I want to hear just about ANY type of music, from jazz to death metal, it's always on and commercial free, and the quality is way higher than FM.
Fuck ClearChannel and their shitty ad-supported big media content. I hope they get run out of business, but no doubt their store-bought suckling government officials will shield them from such a fate and punish the sat radio providers accordingly. :(
Why cant XM and Sirius offer localized content? (besides the fact that it will create competition for National Association of Broadcasters) The article doesnt say. Isnt this a free speech issue?
"youre not allowed to talk about the traffic or weather"
"why not?"
"because..."
???*confused*
Clear Channel may only own 10% of the radio stations, but that can be misleading. A 50kW FM station in a top 50 market is worth a lot more, and has a much larger audience, than a 500W AM station in a rural area.
Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
In the fourth largest US market, Clear Channel took the #1 AM radio station
from being "News Radio 740" into the world of three hour syndicated shows.
That's a whole lot less local traffic and weather than they profess to care about.
Of course ClearChannel still pretends and professes the station to be a news
channel rather than the one-sided political medium they planned and executed.
"The petition was filed by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), not Clear Channel. "
Well seeing as how Clear Channel is the largest radio broadcaster and owns 1200 radio stations in the US, it is pretty safe to say they dominate the NAB, especially in issues related to radio. I am sure that is why Reuters inserted their name into the rpess release.
"Secondly, how is local radio a failed business model? "
Local radio may not be a failed bussiness model but it is very well documented that most clear channel's stations have been steadily losing audiences since being taken over by clear channel. Thus, clear channel is a failed bussiness model. And quite fittingly, their stock prices have been steadily decreasing ever since they obtained this large number of stations (around 2000).
The fact that satelite radio exists is further proof for the bad quality of local radio. Think about it -- people install additional devices in their cars and buy monthly subscriptions to get satelite radio, while they can get local radio for free. Well local radio must really suck.
This is like the pot calling the kettle black. Clear channel is a large national company that "owns" most of the large markets in the U.S.
Before deregulation local radio stations were pretty much just that. Many were locally owned, had local programming staff and even those that were owned by outside interests functioned pretty much autonomosly.
In Minneapolis (and many other cities) Clear Channel has bought up most of the more popular stations and consolidated their operations. The different stations share sales staffs, engineering staffs, and administrative staff and in some cases even on-air personalities. Their programming decisions come down from the corporate level.
Not all of this is bad. There are improvments in effiency and reduced labor costs and other business related benefits. I have no problem with that.
What does bother me is that it makes it difficult for new artists to get airplay. When the programming decisions are handed down by such a select few people for the whole country, they only pick from a stable of artists that are already established or have the right "influence."
It is like the difference between going to Mc Donalds and going to a mom & pop locally owned cafe. You aren't gonna find any local specialties and while you can probably find something you like at McDonalds, you won't get anything really great either!
Why is it that the FCC gets any say into what can be broadcast from space?
The FCC does not (yet...) regulate XM and Sirius (but wait 'till Howard Stern moves-over from FM, it won't be long after THAT!).
Me
I know bashing on Clear Channel is popular, but this is getting ridiculous.
First of all, it is not Clear Channel but National Association of Broadcasters that filed the complaint (contrary to what the original posting says) which Clear Channel is one of many members (as someone pointed out, they only got about 10% of the radio market).
Also, this request isn't that far out there. After all, local radio and TV stations have to pay fees and licenses to transmit locally, so why shouldn't satellite based radios have to-do the same if they want to have local content? DirecTV and Dish both provide local content, but they are very strict on the fact that you can only get your own local channels due to these rules. I don't see why satellite radio should be any different.
Now I wouldn't mind if the satellite services were allowed to have local content based on GPS, but I don't think its right to charge money of one group to transmit local content and not the other.
Currently, Sirius has an exclusivity deal with NPR and has two channels up.
This just fits the pattern of what the Bushies love to do - use government institutions to further their own agenda. I find it interesting how many Republicans talk of the evils of 'big government' yet seem to be the first ones to wield it's awesome power to crush those who oppose them. Regarding CC, I have been reading about the Bush connection for a couple years and have personally observed it - here in Phoenix there was a lot of hoopla over CC's yanking a talk show host who frequently criticized Bush - they then replaced him with a couple jokers who act like Bush is the second coming of Christ. An interesting link on the CC Bush connection http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/03/04/18_clear.h tml
"Yah, where the shit did that sig come from?"
I think the Sig was the whole point of his post.
(18 words in the Sig, only 13 in the post, the Sig WAS the message he's pushing).
He made a short comment simply repeating the stories angle, followed by a misleading political statement as a sig.
Do you think he got 5 points for restating the competition angle already mentioned in the original story? Probably not, Bush supporters mod him up to push the sig message.
From the story:
"Here I was thinking that satellite radio was a good thing for competition in radio. "
From his comment:
"XM and Sirius ARE good for competition, that's why ClearChannel doesn't like them"
Not insightful.
* Microsoft complains to the FTC about the Real Player
* AT&T files a complaint with the FCC claiming that Verizon promotes confusing cell phone plans
* Conservatives complain about liberal media taking over television and radio
* Hummvee company complains that the Toyota Prius is "too gay" to be allowed on highways
* Republicans cry "foul" over moveon.org PAC
* Spammers decry latest anti-spam legislation
* MTV files complaint against cartoon network citing inappropriate programming for young people
* Sony files suit against the makers of pong saying it infringes on a patent they hold relative to Everquest
* DMCA seeks to expands its powers to incorporate people thinking about movies as being a violation of copyright.
* Comcast sues ESPN, citing that the cable channel is "too appealing" to some consumers and detracts from their 14 cubic zirconia shopping channels.
* Bush holds a press conference
Oh, you mean the drug-addicted fat-assed windbag conservative shill. Yeah, I wouldn't want my kids listening to that!
NPR should tone down the pro-Bush, pro-war rhetoric and they would get a decent level of individual contributions again.
I've been listening to the BBC over the web, the news reporting is much better without the pseudo-left leaning BS pieces (Bob Edwards interviewing a folk singer every fucking week-that's supposed to balance interviews with Richard Perle or every other scum from the Heritage Foundation) Listen to the BBC or CBC/RCI, read the Guardian, fuck NPR.
This speech by Stephen Salyer, president of Public Radio International, is worth a careful read. He says "we face a crisis in public broadcasting that calls for us to reinvent ourselves. We need to change our mission, re-define what we mean by "community" and local service, reorganize our institutions around the needs of public media consumers, and develop new forms of public media organizations that can move quickly and attract private capital."
PRI is a program development/distribution organization that in many ways competes with NPR. It is a spinoff of Minnesota Public Radio. Many of the programs you hear on your "NPR station," such as Marketplace, Sound Money and The World, are PRI programs. PRI also syndicates BBC and CBC programming to U.S. public stations.
= 9J =
I haven't listened to to any stations owned by $conglomorate in $years. There are so many better alternatives out there like $NPR1, $NPR2, $internet_radio_station, or $satellite_company.
Besides, I don't even listen to radio while I'm doing $activity. I use my $mp3_player_brand or cd player.
...and that's all there is to it.
Back in the 70s and 80s when I was reading radio/tv trade publications, I recall a bit of contention between local independent television stations and the superstations on cable (like Ted Turner's WTBS). The complaint was that the amount of money the local stations paid to syndicate second-run tv shows (they were probably thinking about MASH in those days) implied that they should be given exclusivity in their markets (and the local cable operator would have to black out the syndicated program on WTBS). Fortunately, the regulatory agencies and courts didn't buy that one, and I'm sure the "issue" was adjusted over time by the market, i.e., licensing fees being reduced for locals and increased for national broadcasters. The world kept turning. (And the rich got richer.)
The NAB has many members who currently buy national programming with localized trimmings. Some member broadcasters may be about to start their third decade of doing this. Come to think of it, 21 years ago, I was working at a small-town all news station where the international/national news was the audio feed of the CNN Headline News channel (delivered via satellite) and we provided 8 minutes per half hour of local news/programming. If XM/Sirius start "localizing" their programs, then it's time for radio to innovate. After all, radio, you survived the displacement of phonograph records for live performances, how television killed your dramatic programs, how FM in car receivers wiped out AM powerhouses, how consultancy and ever-restricted play lists essentially eliminated the dj as cultural conduit, and how ownership rules have decimated the local family broadcaster. [You and the RIAA blocked internet broadcasters fairly well, but that's because you were going up against people without money.] Well, time for a new chapter; turn the page. Your MBA's may be thinking widgets, but this is radio - giving people something that's worth listening to - and don't count on government for saving your butts when somebody else with deep pockets comes strolling into town.
Really, this seems like a no-brainer to me. When ClearChannel took over most of the stations in the Fargo area, trying to get any kind of news or weather report out of the radio became a lot harder. Perhaps because they pipe these broadcasts all over the state of North Dakota, they don't want to localize them too much or people will "catch on" (like they haven't already).
Instead of whining to the government about their perceived competition, why don't they start a competing satellite service? They might be forced to learn a thing or two about what the listeners want instead of pushing the same tired station "formats".
Our local NPR station is purchasing a digital transmitter to provide services similar to satellite radio without fees. They plan on having specialized channels including all-news and all-music channels. The digital radio should have much clearer sound then FM. The major obstacle of course will be that people will have to by digital receivers to utilize these services.
STOP ROCK VIDEO
ClearChannel is an asshole of broadcast industry.
They are anti free speech, paranoid, and anti free enterprise.
XM Radio is like Cable TV, a subscription service.
If they want localized service, more power to them.
Boycott ClearChannel!
Howard Stern RULZ!
If you owned a radio station, and ClearChannel owns it now, shame on you, not ClearChannel.
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
I don't know a single person who listens to XM radio. I listen to FM (NPR).
I seriously, seriously doubt that any satellite radio will make serious inroads into ordinary radio listeners, FM or AM, while it costs money. You don't need to pay a cent to listen to FM radio (except the tiny cost of the radio itself). That's a pretty big advantage over XM.
Also, listening to NPR stations, I don't get commercials (at least, I certainly wouldn't call the regular announcers calmly reading the sponsors' slogans commercials). I'm lucky enough to get 2 NPR stations here: 1 that has news & talk-show-type-stuff all day (Diane Rehm, Talk of the Nation, Day to Day, etc), and one that plays classical music all day. That's all I would ever want from a radio station.
No satellite radio provider will ever get my business so long as WCNY and WRVO are on the air.
Dan Aris
Fun. Free. Online. RPG. BattleMaster.
First of all, this ain't ClearChannel, this is the whole NAB. The same fuckers who got things set up in such a way that now you can't watch out-of-market network affiliates unless you can happen to pick them up with an antenna.
The NAB is just sore because the FCC is supposedly cracking down on 'obscenity', and they want these rules applied to ALL forms of broadcasting, not just free-to-air.
Fuck the NAB, they get no love from me.
"Here I was thinking that satellite radio was a good thing for competition in radio."
Capitalists only think competition is "a good thing" when it competes with someone else.
I'm not an Anonymous Coward, but I play on on Slashdot
Being a Radio DJ myself, I can sort of understand where Clear Channel is coming from. But on the other hand, I kind of like the idea behind XM Satellite Radio.
I don't think XM will ever really beat out the FM band, but at the same time, the idea behind having your music station wherever you drive is cool.
That's my thoughts.
"Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky"-Pink Floyd
I don't think the satellite guys *at heart* are any better. But if they succeed, it will cause the general public to rethink the way they feel about network radio (a la CC), and will hopefully cause the kind of revolution the internet did to information.
Of course, congress has done its best to protect the incumbents in information so far ("they've made quite an investment!"...yeah, in congress); maybe these old bastards will retire and new fresh thinkers will take their place.
I am eternally hopeful.
...that XM and Sirius are relatively interchangeable? The FCC would only approve both if there wouldn't be a lot of hassle for customers of a surviving system should one die.
When you think of it, XM and Sirius are the popup blockers of radio.
Mail? Put "slashdot" in the subject to pass the spam filters.
In other words, they want the Satelite stations to be just like the Clearchannel broadcast stations. The same crap all the time everywhere.
I'd probably already picked up one of the two services if the pay plan allowed you to purchase a subscription that works on receivers in the car and in the house. Radio is too portable to be tied to a single receiver, and for the monthly fee (plus maybe a dollar for each additional unit), I should be able to listen in the car while my wife listens at home. For now, though, the only way to do that is with two full subscriptions.
Can you imagine if telegraph manufacturers tried to limit the growth of the telephone? "It's cutting into our market!" Or 8-track tape manufacturers?
Um....that's what happens in capitalism.
If radio goes obsolete someday because it was replaced by something that people prefer, then so be it.
This is ultra lame.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. The story is a dupe, the topic is boring, the facts weren't checked. WE GET IT!!
I'm whining because the metro area I live in is not one of the areas that has traffic and weather on XM.
I didn't go to XM to get away from Clear Channel; I just like having the kind of music I like coming in clear and strong no matter where I happen to be. Plus, I can listen to Coast-to-Coast with George Noory and Art Bell in tiny little towns that have no night-time stations (and I work in a lot of small towns!).
...the winner is "business model." I'm so sick of hearing about a "failing business model," "flawed business model," etc. Like this place is full of business majors or something. Where are all your multi-million dollar companies?
Almost as bad as "IANAL, but...". If you're not a lawyer, don't speak in the area of legality then because you've just declared your opinion worthless.
Sounds like Microsoft's competitors initiating the antitrust trial, or Linux users who bitch and moan about "M$".
Just another perspective to think about.
If Sirius and XM radio are actually causing problems to ClearChannel, more power to them!
I have had a grudge against ClearChannel ever since they bought the FunkyMonkey in Tacoma. Before CC, FunkyMonkey played the coolest songs, had very few commercials, and NO MORNING SHOW AT ALL!!! It was the greatest... no annoying dj's, and killer music. Now, they have 'Lex and Terry in the Morning' and though they still only have 'one commercial break an hour,' they still have liners every two songs, half of them about a contest sponsored by such and such, which is basically a commercial.
Sorry about the rant, but CC is definitely on my sh*t list.
Oh, and an added bonus, look at the webiste for a similar CC station, KFLY. Look at all the crap links above and below the pages...
Why oh why didn't I take the purple pill?
Exactly, if the NAB, and by proxy Clear Channel, wants to nitpick about XM and Sirius offering local weather and traffic then the FCC might want to ask the NAB about the fact that nothing in a Clear Channel market is local. It should be a condition of their license to offer locally produced, news, weather, etc. not shit beamed from across the country. What if there was a local emergency, how responsive would these stations be?
Clear Channel has nothing to bitch about when the offer a terrestrial only equivalent to XM and Sirius.
rock 105.3 has been removed from my dial since they removed stern. screw them.
For me, the anti-satellite commercials are having the opposite of the intended effect. Since I'm a fairly intelligent person, I know that the commercials are being put up by broadcast radio folks who want to stifle competition. Knowing this, all those commercials accomplish is to remind me that satellite radio exists and that I listen to enough radio to make it a worthwhile investment. Entercom will have noone to blame but themselves when I finally subscribe to Sirius and possibly stop listening to their station entirely.
...sue everyine, like SCO is doing...
Doesn't Clear Channel OWN XM Radio???
OK; stupid to reply to my own post but from XMRadio's website: "XM's powerful strategic and equity partners are leaders in their respective industries. These include General Motors, the largest U.S. auto and truck manufacturer; Honda Motors; Clear Channel, the largest U.S. radio station operator."
Fuck them right in the ear. >:-o
Seriously, they are worse than MS. >:p
Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati
when are the people of america going to stand up and fight these extremest right wing idiots. Its companies like clear channel that are trying to take our freedoms away, such as the most important freedom we supposedly have. Freedom of speech. If we let this religious extremest win then we are not going to have any freedom of speech anymore. Speech will be limited to what they allow us to say. Im personally fed up with the politicians that are in bed with this huge corporations. Its time to get rid of the democrats and republicans cause all they give a shit about is money, and large corporations like clear channel love to "donate" money to these political groups. Vote for a candidate that doesn't care about making money, but that cares about what is good for this country. Freedom. If clear-channel succeeds in punishing xm radio, then who is to say they will stop there and not go for the internet next. If we do not do something then the comments such as the ones you have made are not going to be allowed on the internet. stand up for freedom of speech and fight clear channel to the end.
what if Rockstar Games produced real radio like in their GTA series...that would be fun!
Fuck the PMRC
Great, instead of corporations and bible-thumpers we'll have senators' wives tell us what to do.
Hollow words will burn and hollow men will burn.
Some of the discussion here is treating XM as if it were competition to Clear Channel. They've got their fingers in that too!
Remember back when Sattelite TV (Primeco, Direct TV, etc) weren't allowed to carry network TV because it was "unfair" to cable providers? Eventually the FCC decided sattelite TV providers could offer what ever they darn well pleased.
I hope they make the same choice here, it's really the same issue, just for Radio instead of TV
Open Source for Open Minds
Yes, but by passing this legistlation they my "lose" local broadcast on XM radio. But it will force Sirius to not broadcast local content.
Therefore, killing off local content on the main competition to XM whilst holding on to the hundreds of stations around the country playing CC approved content.
(They hope) Sirius will die without the local content, and then CC will have control of all land based and satellite based radio! YEA!
(ii) I also got the portable boombox docking station. This can run off batteries and works just as an ordinary boombox. I use that at home, but it can be taken to the beach whatever.
(iii) Plus Sirius every subscriber a web streaming account so you can listen to the radio on your computer.
In the end I listen to sirius in my car, at home, and at work on my computer every single day and I have only a single account.
Based on upvotes, Ageism is the only "-ism" Slashdotters care about and think isn't SJW
The worst I've heard on Sirius music streams are the DJs talking about what else there is to listen to on other streams, including then the occasional joke about other streams ("This is the hard rock stream! If you want pussy rock, go over to stream 9!"). In general there's nobody there telling me what I like or what I should be listening to, which is all broadcast radio does these days.
I have heard that jab, I thought it was funny actually.
Dude that just station ID. It's smart to inform the user what station, they're listening too. FCC mandates it on over-the-air stations, but it probably is a good idea for satelite as well. Remember the listener's reciever may not have a display.
I have sirius. Station ID happens it seems about once an hour, maybe 1/2 hour and usually is about a 10 second blurb. What's so bad about that?
Based on upvotes, Ageism is the only "-ism" Slashdotters care about and think isn't SJW
Clearchannel owns 1,200 stations, if you think they don't control the NAB, and a large portion of the broadcast media in the United States, then you are living fantasies.
They also own almost all (literally) of the concert venues, and even the ticket agencies. They use tactics that would make Bill Gates proud, and they are in bed with theGeorge W. Bush administration.
When I have more than 5 minutes to spend digging up links, maybe I'll post a proper synopsis of what this evil empire is really about, although it'll be wasted at slashdot, and its probably been done better by somebody else anyway.
Lets vote this maniac out of office. If we don't then you can expect to see events unfold in a similar fashion to what transpired in Europe a little over 60 years ago, with the key difference being that weapons new exist which could destroy all life on this planet.
GWBush is a madman, and he has to go!!!
Okay, wait a minute...so which is it people. Either (a) Clearchannel is a monopoly which controls the majority of what we see and hear or (b) Clearchannel is a failing business that can't compete with all the competition out there. Look, we all know you're a bunch of anti-corporate CP-USA members, but at least be genuine and put some logic behind your criticisms.
"In the latest attempt by a big corporation with a failing business model"
/. as a credible news source when the editors choose these types of posts for the front page.
Why would anybody take
Everyone else complains about Clear Channel.
-Copyright law #69:Whenever Mickey Mouse is about to enter the public domain,copyrights get extended by 25 years.
Look at this company that Clear Channel, Radio One, Infinity, and a couple of East coast VCs of dot-bust fame have started...high definition air radio. Not only will they "upgrade" their station's equipment (and write it off as a business expense come tax time), but they'll profit from every other radio station having to upgrade when the government mandates high-def radio as the standard. Do we really need this to happen?
commercials drive me crazy, I'll stick with LPs (you know, vinyl!).
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I remember when that was a selling point of cable.
As soon as Howard Stern makes up his mind to move over to satellite, I will be buying receivers for home and car, and will probably not listen to FM radio again, except in other people's cars/homes. FM has been a musical wasteland for quite some time now.
Downmodding is the refuge of the weak. Don't downmod, make a better argument!
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This is from the CC complaint against SDAR.
I would just like to make the point that all though I live in a major city that I consider myself to be part of the underserved or unserved by terrestial radio.
FM radio sucks bad and has since CC took over.
I really don't understand how any of these media-specific networks/business models are going to hold up when true ubiquitous wireless comes of age. Clear Channel, cable companies, telephony(voice), direcTV, etc. all specialize in pushing one form of media to people who have little or no choice. Once everyone has wireless internet connections how are these incumbent monopolies going to prevent the low barrier of entry and stop new companies from distributing more variety and better service?
I'm happily paying $9.95 a month so I don't have to listen to commercials.
Which brings up a really good point.
If you pay that much per month to avoid commercials, then it follows that the useful stuff on the radio, the news, traffic, weather, music can be given a value.
Particularly music.
If you listened to X songs/month on the radio and it's worth $10 to you not to hear the commercials, then you get a market value on the songs of X/$10.
Which, I'll wager, is somewhat less than what you pay at your local CD retailer for that song.
You could probably fine tune the price/demand model by considering how much advertisers pay per listener per 30-second spot and get yet another value of the music on the radio.
When the free market place is distorted, you can see the slime oozing out the cracks.
"Provided by the management for your protection."
We've had streaming media technology for many many years no, even so good that we can stream high quality audio signals over modems and cellphones.
Why launch a satellite, or license spectrum, when in just a few years (if not already) we'll all be connected to a network of some kind within our car?
I just don't get it.
--D