Inspiring Corporate Decay

[csberry]

The nation is covered with thousands of radio stations. Once upon a time, while some of the larger cities might have had stations owned by a network or a pairing of AM/FM stations, most stations were locally-owned businesses. One of the big criteria for FCC licenses for frequencies was that the station address local concerns.

Then deregulation came along in the late 80's. Companies started the accumulation of stations across the nation. Since these companies went into debt to purchase these stations, budget cuts were the first course of action at the new station. As time progressed, the people/things in a newly purchased station that could be considered "redundant" or unnecessary grew. Along with the ownership deregulation, the FCC also started rubberstamping station licenses without full reviews. The past ability of communities to have licenses pulled from stations has ended.

Like a red giant star, Clear Channel has found itself stretched too big. This monster of a company has swallowed the largest percentage of the stations in the US. But what will happen to the stations when Clear Channel is no more? Alas, I was reading recently about a group of investors and banks that are looking to buy Clear Channel for $1.2 billion.

I'm all for the American Dream of someone making something of themselves. But how big is too big? Must the company stay how it is or can we blow the damned thing to bits?

How delusional am I to hope for Clear Channel, Cumulus, and the like to find themselves broken apart instead of perpetuating the beast (or even increasing it - I shudder to think of a world where Clear Channel or Cumulus acquire the other)?

I am libertarian, but I have lots of problems with the shifting of financial risk with corporations.

Comments

[chris21718.livejournal.com]

I notice when I listen to Q107 that it reminds me more of a station from the early 80s. They do some annoying things, but it's better than any other station I've heard that's owned by a big company that uses the "swap songs in and out of heavy rotation each week" even if it's an oldies type station.

[otopico.livejournal.com]

sadly radio is near dead. it would be a lot healthier had the mega corps left it alone. ah, but they thought they could trick radio into becoming a profit center and forgot that radio didn't exist to make money.

the one true strength of federal regulation is that it can prevent monopolies. some times the public is more served by fences than open range.

radio is one of those beautiful things that when it was young and many people had their little part of it, it shone as a media people could attach themselves to. people were loyal to THEIR station. but deregulation in the name of supposed freedom took radio from being used in the public interest to being used as a way to make money. i can remember when stations would announce the times you could go by and look at their license because it was time for it to be renewed and the public got to have the opportunity to have a say in if station could continue. those were good days.

radio was never intended to make money. people forgot that and let it die. when people like art bell give up on it, you know something is very very wrong.

but while it lasted, damn, what an wonderful thing.
i miss dxing, that was fun.