Sunday, November 04, 2007
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Avoid 104.5, other Clear Channel stations in Philly
http://blogs.phillynews.com/dailynews/
It takes a lot to get the blood boiling after seven years of the Cheney/Bush administration, but Clear Channel -- that war-and-Bush lovin' media monopoly that dominates many markets around the nation and six here in Philly -- has got me more worked up than anything in recent weeks. If you care about what's been going in on this counrty -- and happen to love Bruce Springsteen, as I do -- then this should ensure that you never listen to Clear Channel ever again:
Bruce Springsteen should be very happy. He has the No. 1 album, a possible Grammy for Best Album of the Year, for "Magic," an album full of singles, and a sold-out concert tour.

Alas, there's a hitch: Radio will not play "Magic." In fact, sources tell me that Clear Channel has sent an edict to its classic rock stations not to play tracks from "Magic." But it's OK to play old Springsteen tracks such as "Dancing in the Dark," "Born to Run" and "Born in the USA."


It's OK to play the old songs, but not the new ones? Do you think that Clear Channel -- which held a series of thinly disguised pro-war rallies in the winter of 2003 -- objected to lyrics like this:
The kids asleep in the backseat We're just countin' the miles you and me We don't measure the blood we've drawn anymore We just stack the bodies outside the door

Who'll be the last to die for a mistake
The last to die for a mistake
Whose blood will spill, whose heart will break
Who'll be the last to die for a mistake


It's pretty bad when your best excuse for banning Springsteen is ageism (he's 58) but you have to conclude this is really all raw politics. Down with Tyranny has a good analysis of what's really going down.

The Clear Channel stations here are Q102, Power 99, WJJZ, WDAS-FM and WDAS-AM, and 104.5, which now plays the rock of the '90s, a format I never thought I'd live to see (no classic rock, by the way). I'm about to take 104.5 off my presets, and I suggest that anyone who cares about free expression exercise their freedom not to listen to Clear Channel.
It takes a lot to get the blood boiling after seven years of the Cheney/Bush administration, but Clear Channel -- that war-and-Bush lovin' media monopoly that dominates many markets around the nation and six here in Philly -- has got me more worked up than anything in recent weeks. If you care about what's been going in on this counrty -- and happen to love Bruce Springsteen, as I do -- then this should ensure that you never listen to Clear Channel ever again:
Bruce Springsteen should be very happy. He has the No. 1 album, a possible Grammy for Best Album of the Year, for "Magic," an album full of singles, and a sold-out concert tour.

Alas, there's a hitch: Radio will not play "Magic." In fact, sources tell me that Clear Channel has sent an edict to its classic rock stations not to play tracks from "Magic." But it's OK to play old Springsteen tracks such as "Dancing in the Dark," "Born to Run" and "Born in the USA."


It's OK to play the old songs, but not the new ones? Do you think that Clear Channel -- which held a series of thinly disguised pro-war rallies in the winter of 2003 -- objected to lyrics like this:
The kids asleep in the backseat We're just countin' the miles you and me We don't measure the blood we've drawn anymore We just stack the bodies outside the door

Who'll be the last to die for a mistake
The last to die for a mistake
Whose blood will spill, whose heart will break
Who'll be the last to die for a mistake


It's pretty bad when your best excuse for banning Springsteen is ageism (he's 58) but you have to conclude this is really all raw politics. Down with Tyranny has a good analysis of what's really going down.

The Clear Channel stations here are Q102, Power 99, WJJZ, WDAS-FM and WDAS-AM, and 104.5, which now plays the rock of the '90s, a format I never thought I'd live to see (no classic rock, by the way). I'm about to take 104.5 off my presets, and I suggest that anyone who cares about free expression exercise their freedom not to listen to Clear Channel.


--//---


Tied up with editing work tonight...here's a golden oldie, sung by Paul Krugman:
Most of the pro-war demonstrations around the country have, however, been organized by stations owned by Clear Channel Communications, a behemoth based in San Antonio that controls more than 1,200 stations and increasingly dominates the airwaves.
The company claims that the demonstrations, which go under the name Rally for America, reflect the initiative of individual stations. But this is unlikely: according to Eric Boehlert, who has written revelatory articles about Clear Channel in Salon, the company is notorious -- and widely hated -- for its iron-fisted centralized control.
Until now, complaints about Clear Channel have focused on its business practices. Critics say it uses its power to squeeze recording companies and artists and contributes to the growing blandness of broadcast music. But now the company appears to be using its clout to help one side in a political dispute that deeply divides the nation.

Why would they do that?
Or perhaps the quid pro quo is more narrowly focused. Experienced Bushologists let out a collective ''Aha!'' when Clear Channel was revealed to be behind the pro-war rallies, because the company's top management has a history with George W. Bush. The vice chairman of Clear Channel is Tom Hicks, whose name may be familiar to readers of this column. When Mr. Bush was governor of Texas, Mr. Hicks was chairman of the University of Texas Investment Management Company, called Utimco, and Clear Channel's chairman, Lowry Mays, was on its board. Under Mr. Hicks, Utimco placed much of the university's endowment under the management of companies with strong Republican Party or Bush family ties. In 1998 Mr. Hicks purchased the Texas Rangers in a deal that made Mr. Bush a multimillionaire.

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Sunday, November 04, 2007 6:14:14 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Related posts:
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