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FCC VOTE ñ THE STORY OF THE MOMENT

I continue to fear a merger of Clear Channel and Microsoft. Or perhaps Clear Channel and AOL (after it separates from Time-Warner). It just seems a likely next step: first they dominate the airwave licenses, they own a substantial amount of the countryís outdoor advertising. What could be next? AOL would get them into loads of PCs. Or maybe theyíll try to buy The Gap, so we can all be told what to wear, what to listen to, what concerts to attend (they own SFX Entertainment), and what to think.

Hmm, what could they buy to get the monopoly on controlling what we think? Thatís a toughie. Maybe in a few years a major new Clear Channel division will be opened and run by a former FCC Commissioner?

Thereís a ton of coverage of yesterdayís FCC story:

Conquering the air waves
Corporate control of radio is fast becoming the rule
By Jen Aronoff

Did you hear about plans to weaken rules that govern media ownership?
Op-Ed piece by Edward Wasserman from The Miami Herald

Radio stocks soar despite FCC ruling
Ruling limits ownership, but no divestitures required
CBS Market Watch

Michael Powell and the FCC: Giving Away the Marketplace of Ideas
The Washington Post. Check out the myWashingtonPost sidebar on the right has a group of links to more on this topic.

From Radio trade mag Radio Ink:
Voicing his opposition to proposed new ownership rules, veteran radio broadcaster Chuck Blore wrote FCC Chairman Michael Powell the following letter
Good to see Chuck Blore's take on these activities.

NY Times: complete coverage on the media ownership issue
The Times has come out against the FCC's decision. This is very comprehensive coverage.

RELATED ISSUES

And speaking of radio, and big business (RIAA, CCU) and the desire of the entrepreneur, or even the hobbyist, to do radio, letís not forget about webcasting. There are new peer-to-peer concepts coming up by the day. The freedom to be a hobbyist or a creative 'caster of some sort must not be taken away!

And remember to think about Electronic Freedom, too. Visit and support the EFF!

Baghdad Bob Clings to Life

And then again, turning to the war waged on Iraq, thereís an interesting post-combat report. Everybodyís favorite Iraqi, Baghdad Bob (who really should come over here and get his own TV show, on Fox, to air at 11:30 Mon-Fri) turns out to be alive. Yes, heís still there! Thatís what this report says.

Only In New York

Lost treasures! An original Matisse and an original Picasso were accidentally left at a subway station. The value of these two works of art is huge. The story hits the local media (something that would never happen at one of those Radio or TV stations using Clear Channel voice tracks or that fake sort of ìlocalizedî TV news the Sinclair Group airs on its TV stations), and is the talk of Radio, TV, the Papers. You know where this story is going, right? Same ending as when Yo Yo Ma left his cello in a cab. A decent, honest, everyday regular New Yorker finds the missing valuables, and returns them to the rightful owner.

The news is good. The artworks are returned.

Then again, there still is the case of the missing Dali, no longer at its home: Rikerís Island.