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Clear Channel and local music

>
> "Clear Channel stations in 70 markets devote airtime
> specifically to showcase new talent and some stations devote
> their entire format to local artists."
>
> Now name me a Clear Channel station (stations?) that are
> entirely formatted with local artists.
>

I don't think there is a station in the world that plays all music from its city of licence. In this case, at least they are doing a little something to give some airtime to lacal artists, a thing that very few stations do these days.

This should get congratulations, not brickbats.
 
Understood, anyone supporting locals should get kudos. However, I'm confused by the statement in that paragraph that claims some CC stations devote their "entire format" to local artists. Where are they getting that claim?
 
Clear Channel

No kidding. Geez, man- just because they're a corporate giant, it seems that no matter how hard they try, CC just can't do anything right for some people.
Whatever they try, it's not good enough or big enough or little enough or expensive enough or whatever.

My question for the original poster: what are YOU doing to make the radio industry better these days?


>
> I don't think there is a station in the world that plays all
> music from its city of licence. In this case, at least they
> are doing a little something to give some airtime to lacal
> artists, a thing that very few stations do these days.
>
> This should get congratulations, not brickbats.
>
> >
> > "Clear Channel stations in 70 markets devote airtime
> > specifically to showcase new talent and some stations
> devote their entire format to local artists."
> >
> > Now name me a Clear Channel station (stations?) that are
> > entirely formatted with local artists.
> >
 
Clear Channel local music program: Native Noise

> "Clear Channel stations in 70 markets devote airtime
> specifically to showcase new talent and some stations devote
> their entire format to local artists."

One of CC's atations in West Palm Beach had such
a program a few years ago, presented by one of
its off-air staff.... Didn't last long.

I did my bit, trying to help publicize it on my site:
<blockquote>
Native Noise, hosted by ChaChi, is heard Sunday nights from 7 'til 10 on WZZR (94.3), Real Radio. "THREE HOURS of local/unsigned bands from all around Florida and Indie bands from around the Nation."</blockquote>
73s....<P ID="signature">______________
"Murphy Brown is doing better than I am.
At least she knows she still has a job next year." ... Dan Quayle, 8/18/92

</P>
 
Re: Clear Channel

> No kidding. Geez, man- just because they're a corporate
> giant, it seems that no matter how hard they try, CC just
> can't do anything right for some people.
> Whatever they try, it's not good enough or big enough or
> little enough or expensive enough or whatever.
>
> My question for the original poster: what are YOU doing to
> make the radio industry better these days?

I do my part by not listening to Clear Channel
 
Re: Clear Channel

My post was not in any way criticizing Clear Channel. The point is, the context of the statement on their website suggests they have stations playing an "all locals" format. I can't find any stations in CC's ownership with that format, and was asking what stations they're referring to. The statement said "some stations devote their entire format to local artists." Fair enough. What stations?
 
Re: Clear Channel

> My post was not in any way criticizing Clear Channel. The

You're allowed to criticize CC here. They don't own the board.

> point is, the context of the statement on their website
> suggests they have stations playing an "all locals" format.
> I can't find any stations in CC's ownership with that
> format, and was asking what stations they're referring to.
> The statement said "some stations devote their entire format
> to local artists." Fair enough. What stations?

Wouldn't you like to know!

I can't imagine them even doing this on a HD channel.

73s<P ID="signature">______________
"You can get everything in life you want if you
will just help enough other people get what they
want."
... Zig Ziglar, "Secrets of Closing the Sale", 1984
</P>
 
Re: Clear Channel

> I do my part by not listening to Clear Channel
>

Agreed. Clear Channel is a poster child for everything that's wrong with terrestrial radio these days.
 
Re: Are there any "All Local" stations anywhere?

> My post was not in any way criticizing Clear Channel. The
> point is, the context of the statement on their website
> suggests they have stations playing an "all locals" format.
> I can't find any stations in CC's ownership with that
> format, and was asking what stations they're referring to.
> The statement said "some stations devote their entire format
> to local artists." Fair enough. What stations?

That brings up an even broader question... is there or has there ever been a station that only played songs by "local" artists?

The closest I can come is Mega 98.3 in Buenos aires, Argentina, which only plays songs by Argentine artists... nothing non-Argentine. Of course, that is a whole country, but one with about the populaiton of California.

Even a country station in Nashville would not qualify...
 
Clear Channel

> > My post was not in any way criticizing Clear Channel. The
> > point is, the context of the statement on their website
> > suggests they have stations playing an "all locals"
> format.
> > I can't find any stations in CC's ownership with that
> > format, and was asking what stations they're referring to.
>
> > The statement said "some stations devote their entire
> format
> > to local artists." Fair enough. What stations?
>
> That brings up an even broader question... is there or has
> there ever been a station that only played songs by "local"
> artists?
>
> The closest I can come is Mega 98.3 in Buenos aires,
> Argentina, which only plays songs by Argentine artists...
> nothing non-Argentine. Of course, that is a whole country,
> but one with about the populaiton of California.
>
> Even a country station in Nashville would not qualify...
>

Then why would CC make that claim?
 
Clear Channel

Examples?

>
> Agreed. Clear Channel is a poster child for everything
> that's wrong with terrestrial radio these days.
>
 
Re: Clear Channel

> Examples?

You seem to be heavily defending Clear Channel. You work for them?

You have to admit, they have made terrestrial radio a bit more boring now days. Since they own so many stations, there's less competition.
 
> Understood, anyone supporting locals should get kudos.
> However, I'm confused by the statement in that paragraph
> that claims some CC stations devote their "entire format" to
> local artists. Where are they getting that claim?

Some intern typist at HQ who doesn't know any better and wants to make the boss happy.

And the boss who doesn't know what the hell it all means.

Incompetence: it's what's for dinner in San Antonio. Their press releases are always laughably dumb.
 
Re: Clear Channel

The only people who'd listen to an "all local band" station would be the band members' buddies.<P ID="signature">______________
"Your right to know supersedes your right to exist"..Gary Burbank</P>
 
Re: Clear Channel

> > Examples?
>
> You seem to be heavily defending Clear Channel. You work for
> them?

I compete with them, and have a great deal of respect for them as competitors. they may not get everything right, but they are skilled, competent and know how to do radio.

Particularly, the Less is More initiative had to be done, and they did it first. That alone makes them great operators.

Now, back to figuring out how to beat them.
>
> You have to admit, they have made terrestrial radio a bit
> more boring now days. Since they own so many stations,
> there's less competition.

Of course, you can not substantiate this as it is malarky.
 
Re: Clear Channel

> > Examples?
>
> You seem to be heavily defending Clear Channel. You work for
> them?
>

One word is heavily defending them? I think he was looking for examples. still waiting.....

> You have to admit, they have made terrestrial radio a bit
> more boring now days. Since they own so many stations,
> there's less competition.
>

Thats BS. They own 10% of the stations out there. Thats like saying Apple is creating less competition in the computer business.
 
Re: Clear Channel

> > You have to admit, they have made terrestrial radio a bit
> > more boring now days. Since they own so many stations,
> > there's less competition.
> >
>
> Thats BS. They own 10% of the stations out there. Thats
> like saying Apple is creating less competition in the
> computer business.

I love this number that's always thrown out about Clear Channel. They own 1200 stations, 10 (closer to 11%) of the total number of radio stations in America.

But that tells me nothing.

Let's look at Cleveland-Akron, for example. Clear Channel owns 9 stations, a majority of them are full-market FM signals (in fact, of those 9, 5 are full-market), and one of two 50kw AMs. Both market's stations reach substantially all of the other's (that is, the C-town FMs reach substantially all of Akron, and vice versa).

What Clear Channel has done is programmed its clusters in such a way that none of the music FMs compete with one another. As a result of cluster programming, no one's toes are stepped on and each station keeps its audience with that one station. As a result of not competing in-house, and barely competing with the other stations, the incentive to be better vanishes.

Why be better when you can be mediocre, get the job done, make your boss happy, and make the cluster its revenue? It makes for mediocrity in radio, and makes for boring radio art.

This didn't happen 10 years ago. Clusters still existed, but they were smaller, meaning the number of market stations competing was larger. You had two alternative music stations, two top 40 stations, two AC stations, two soft rock stations, two urban stations, etc. Head-to-head competition was prevalent--and because two unrelated competitors went head-to-head for the same format audience, as well as general demo audience, it made for better programming. You HAD to be a better programmed station to beat the other guy and keep your collective jobs.

That's not true anymore. You don't have to be the better programmed station when you're competing with yourself. In years past WMMS and WMJI and WMVX would have competed for part of the same pie. Now, they're not even close to competing with one another. And whether they beat one another doesn't matter--because the money is all going to the same pot. So what's the incentive? If I can get by with the least, why do more work and be the best?

So, don't tell me there's less competition because nationally Clear Channel owns 10% of the stations. That means only that 10% of the stations aren't competing with one another. Is that progress?

What this all comes down to is that broadcast radio is sui generis--a thing unto itself. This is true in terms of how the law applies to it, and it's true how business doctrines apply to it. It is not a totally free market, as long as licensure, content regulation, and artificial limits on ownership exist. So let's stop treating it as a fake free market. It's not--and never will be. So expanding the "free market" in such a closed system does nothing but place the finite number of market licenses in fewer and fewer hands.

In other words--lessening competition, and lessening competitive impulses. It makes for bad economics, and makes for bad radio.
 
Re: Are there any "All Local" stations anywhere?

> > My post was not in any way criticizing Clear Channel. The
> > point is, the context of the statement on their website
> > suggests they have stations playing an "all locals"
> format.
> > I can't find any stations in CC's ownership with that
> > format, and was asking what stations they're referring to.
>
> > The statement said "some stations devote their entire
> format
> > to local artists." Fair enough. What stations?
>
> That brings up an even broader question... is there or has
> there ever been a station that only played songs by "local"
> artists?
>
> The closest I can come is Mega 98.3 in Buenos aires,
> Argentina, which only plays songs by Argentine artists...
> nothing non-Argentine. Of course, that is a whole country,
> but one with about the populaiton of California.
>
> Even a country station in Nashville would not qualify...
>

101.1 KBON/Lafayette, LA plays an "all-Louisiana" format consisting of Zydeco, Cajun Folk, "Swamp Pop" (50s-60s rock-tinged cajun folk music), and blues.

http://www.kbon.com/

Stelly
 
Re: Are there any "All Local" stations anywhere?

>
> 101.1 KBON/Lafayette, LA plays an "all-Louisiana" format
> consisting of Zydeco, Cajun Folk, "Swamp Pop" (50s-60s
> rock-tinged cajun folk music), and blues.

That would seem to qualify pretty closely. Interesting that what you have is a form of music that is seldom heard outside a very specific area.

This brings to mind KXTN in San Antonio, which plays Tejano music. Nearly all is produced within a 200 mile radius of SA, and the music has never gained a foothold outside the state of Texas.
 
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