Clear Channel CEO "We're not ruining radio, we're reinventing radio."

October 2, 2002 9:05 PM

Clear Channel CEO "We're not ruining radio, we're reinventing radio." OK, I admit it, you fooled me. He also says that radio consolidation is "a long, long way from completion." Well, that's something to look forward too, isn't it? It's Rocktober! Here's Tom Petty....
posted by BarneyFifesBullet (33 comments total)

Also in the news, Ken Lay reports that Enron didn't ruin energy trading, they reinvented it.

Film at 11.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:17 PM on October 2, 2002

Also in the news, Ari Fleisher reports: "We're not ruining democracy, we're reinventing freedom."

Film at midnight.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 11:03 PM on October 2, 2002

Interesting. Where's the Techno channel? I seem to miss it, both in the US, and in Canada.
posted by shepd at 11:09 PM on October 2, 2002

You know, in these trying times it takes a lot to get me really, truly red with rage. Why is it that this is the thing that does it?
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:28 PM on October 2, 2002

Hmm. Perhaps because it is truly repellent to think that something (musical variety and availibilty on the airwaves) that should ideally be driven by passion (either of the DJs or at least of the listeners) is so clearly manipulated and controlled by a tiny group of selfish, boring, greedy, pandering bastards.

But then, that's just my view as a college DJ and avowed music geek.
posted by jann at 11:39 PM on October 2, 2002

You know, in these trying times it takes a lot to get me really, truly red with rage. Why is it that this is the thing that does it?

Because deep down you have dreams of becoming the Bruce Banner of the radio world? You don't even have to look big and green when you get mad, dude, you can just start yelling a lot.

Do it.
posted by The God Complex at 11:40 PM on October 2, 2002

The God Complex: Because deep down you have dreams of becoming the Bruce Banner of the radio world?

ARGHHH! Joey Hulk smash stoopid Clear Channel!
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:48 PM on October 2, 2002

Maybe if Clear Channel actually offered variety and payed attention to what people want to hear instead of forcing people to endure what they think people want to hear, perhaps this terminal cancer of CC's hegemony over the radio industry would not be so awful.
posted by Down10 at 11:48 PM on October 2, 2002

Clear Channel killed my local rock station. It was a decent station that I listened to constantly (XL 102 out of Richmond, VA.) Now, they renamed it the Rock and all you here is the latest pop/rap pop/etc, no, music at all from the old format.
posted by SuzySmith at 11:55 PM on October 2, 2002

People get the radio they deserve.
posted by 327.ca at 11:56 PM on October 2, 2002

For a while, internet radio helped mitigate the problem -- thousands of tiny indie broadcasters providing all that missing variety. If you didn't mind the often crappy bitrates, that is. Then of course the CARP decision (driven by the RIAA, naturally) shot most of them in the head.

At this writing there's the faintest glimmer of hope, though. Stay tuned.
posted by George_Spiggott at 12:02 AM on October 3, 2002

CCC has taken over every major FM station in Dallas-Fort Worth. And we don't even have any college radio here.
posted by sixdifferentways at 1:03 AM on October 3, 2002

Clear Channel killed my local rock station. It was a decent station that I listened to constantly (XL 102 out of Richmond, VA.) Now, they renamed it the Rock and all you here is the latest pop/rap pop/etc, no, music at all from the old format.

I swear, in every state, they have some half-assed station named 'the Rock', playing the current flavor-rock. There has to be some sort of list of approved station nicknames they give out to these places.
posted by trioperative at 2:45 AM on October 3, 2002

Clear Channel's McDonalds-ization of the radio dial is trully sad. It used to be you could travel to another city and have a unique radio experience. Now, no matter where you go there's a KISS of The Rock. Same pre-packaged format - from the silly "prize van" and bumper stickers to the playlist. No localization.

Remember after 9/11/01 when Clear Channel sent a memo to stations about what songs to not play?

Maybe I'm just getting old but I've found my radio stuck only on NPR now.
posted by birdherder at 4:05 AM on October 3, 2002

I'm sure it's no surprise to anyone that radio in Kansas City is CC drivel. 97 stations all playing the same god damn thing. So if the radio is on at all, it's on NPR.

That being said, WOXY in Cincinnati (I think) is very cool. They somehow still manage to maintain some independence. The jocks are cool, the music is usually cool. I love 'em. Listen on IM tuner or Netscape radio (old Spinner). I'm sure there are many more, just one of the best I've found.

Some one has balls, at least. Thanks WOXY.
posted by damnitkage at 4:18 AM on October 3, 2002

birdherder This isn't a defense of Clearchannel but that list was largely a hoax in that there was never a ban, merely a list. (Snopes will explain it better than I)

Anyway, the truly depressing aspect of this spread of homogenization is that independent radio stations fearful of losing ratings or getting bought out are adopting the format of the Clearchannel stations in the hopes that Clearchannel will stay away. In other words they shed any identity they might have had in hopes of fitting in.
posted by jeremias at 5:21 AM on October 3, 2002

Maybe I'm just getting old but I've found my radio stuck only on NPR now.

You're not alone, though when I'm home I plug the laptop into the stereo and surf streaming music. radioparadise is my current favorite.
posted by Tempus67 at 5:50 AM on October 3, 2002

It's Rocktober! Here's Tom Petty....

"There goes the last DJ,
Who plays what he wants to play.
There goes your freedom of choice,
There goes the last pure voice."
posted by kayjay at 5:54 AM on October 3, 2002

I too have a "the rock" in my town. good heavy metal, but nothin' else.
posted by mkelley at 6:26 AM on October 3, 2002

Whaddaya know... I typed "clear channel sucks" in my trusty Google bar and found this site.
posted by thatweirdguy2 at 6:49 AM on October 3, 2002

I agree the CC sucks, here in Colorado they absorbed KBCO and kept its format pretty much the same. I'm sure they are tinkering around with things behind the scene, but it's the only CC station I'll willingly listen to.

And while they didn't play much on the air, they did sponsor concerts by Pat Metheny and Victor Wooten, as well as sponsered a free showing of Spirited Away (which I went to and enjoyed very much).

That being said, I prefer NPR. I only listen to KBCO because my kids like it.
posted by jazon at 6:59 AM on October 3, 2002

OOPS
The first sentence should be "I agree the CC sucks, BUT here in Colorado..."
posted by jazon at 7:00 AM on October 3, 2002

studies devoted to radio conclude that the intense ownership consolidation that’s occurred since 1996 doesn’t appear to have affected the availability of radio formats or significantly decreased musical diversity or driven up advertising rates.

LOLOL
posted by rushmc at 7:19 AM on October 3, 2002

hey, an anti-site that's designed at least somewhat decently.

And after searching for my town on there, I found out that the stations mostly just suck of their own accord. Uggh.
posted by trioperative at 7:20 AM on October 3, 2002

Here where I live, we have no less than THREE stations that play the exact same music... They even all play their commercials at the same time. Clear Channel ruined radio, so we tried Internet radio. But the RIAA destroyed that, so we were only left with the option of downloading our MP3s and listening to ripped CDs.

We had no choice..
posted by eas98 at 7:31 AM on October 3, 2002

I'm with you, eas98. I live in the US, but I have neither bought a CD nor listened to the radio here in years. I occasionally do both when I go back up to Canada, avoiding both Clear Channel and the RIAA. In the meantime, there's Gnutella via Aquisition.
posted by ramakrishna at 8:02 AM on October 3, 2002

eas98 -- the stations playing their commercials at the same time, unless they have the same owner, might well be an anti-trust violation (an anti-competitive collusion which increases the "price" of listening to radio by denying you the incentive to change chanels.)
posted by MattD at 8:23 AM on October 3, 2002

Right now I'm reading "Radio On" by Sarah Vowell, and it sums up the hate/love relationship I have with radio. Definitely worth checking out.
posted by drezdn at 9:23 AM on October 3, 2002

For those of you without decent college radio, my condolences. Here's a nationwide (well, U.S.-wide) list of college stations with webcasts. Unfortunately, the list doesn't include my favorite - this local uni station archives its shows and posts them for download. Very handy for grownups with jobs who can't listen whenever we want.
posted by boomchicka at 9:52 AM on October 3, 2002

Interesting.
posted by rushmc at 10:40 AM on October 3, 2002

i'm baffled that anyone even bothers listening to the radio for music. why would anyone do that to themself? turn the damn thing off. problem solved. not only will you get rid of shite music, but to hell with the ads and the moronic "personalities". i turned mine off in 1987 (along with the television) and have been much happier ever since.

People get the radio they deserve.

indeed.
posted by dobbs at 11:15 AM on October 3, 2002

rushmc ... the guy who wrote that article (Moses Avalon) is a frickin' spammer. I was getting his crap for months, and it only recently stopped. As far as I'm concerned, he's a bigger scumbag than the executive staffs of Clear Channel and Enron put together.

In other news, the Congressional vote on Internet Radio (CARP) was pulled earlier this week, with suggestions that a compromise would be announced Friday. *hmmm* *glances at watch* *tap* *tap* *tap*
posted by chipr at 11:22 AM on October 3, 2002

If by "reinventing," he means "shrinking the total audience," Clear Channel's work has been a huge success. Apparently they have to burn down the village in order to save it.

Me, I've got a satellite radio (XM) and I listen to what I want. I'd get all righteous about that except Clear Channel owns a big chunk of XM stock as an apparent hedge bet...
posted by Phaedrus at 6:40 AM on October 4, 2002