Shed A Tear For Clear Channel

Note: the following was written a few days ago, before the Senate vote rolling back the FCC rulemaking. It has been edited only to reflect the "past tense" regarding the FCC Rulemaking. This has been a very busy week, on any number of fronts. Blog entries about some of the week's activities to follow, in the coming days.

Shed A Tear for Clear Channel

The LA Times staff writer Jeff Leeds combed through the proposed FCC rulemaking, and found that those poor little monopolists, Lowry Mays and Sons (aka Clear Channel) would have needed to divest themselves of some of their San Diego properties. This would have been the case had the proposed FCC rulemaking gone into effect. Read the Jeff Leeds article here [1].

Why do I say properties, as opposed to stations? Because they own the licenses for some stations, have what are called LMAs for others (Local Marketing or Management Agreements), putting them solidly in control one way or the other. But these are properties, commodities, which they seek to control via monopolistic market domination.

And Share the Love with Pacifica

On the complete other side, diametrically opposed, of the spectrum (thatís sort of an in-joke pun, btw) Pacifica Radio [2] is returning to its roots: Berleley CA. In yet another LA Times story [3], this article, written by Steve Carney, and byline-tagged as Special to The Times all but celebrates the ìBackñto-Berkeleyî symbolism of this move by the new board (they would probably get in a dither if I referred to them as ìthe powers that beî) retrenching itself where it was, as what it was, and will continue to be.

I got my start in Radio at Pacifica in New York City some 36 or 37 years ago. Growing up in New York City one does not have the little local station, available for cutting one's teeth in the business. Couldn;t crack the big-time NYC commercial stations as a treenager, but Pacifica's WBAI welcomed me with open arms.

As a WBAI listener, fan, devotee, and as an avid and devoted "future radio person" the opportunity to wrok at WBAI was a dream come true. At 15 years old, having a Summer job at WBAI was as good as it gets.

Any news of Pacificaís continued operations and a return to the original core spirit is welcomed and ballyhooed in this space.