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Clear Channel Wants To Increase Ownership Limits

It's bad bad bad. Unfortuantely I think it has a good chance of happening. Clear Channel is a Texas based company and our president is a Texas based president. (Yes I know it's ultimately up to the FCC, but I think the president could persuade the FCC to approve it).

Here in Hartford we have 9 FM Stations. 4 are owned by Clear Channel - WWYZ, WKSS, WPHH, and WHCN. 3 are owned by CBS - WZMX, WTIC-FM, and WRCH. 1 is owned by Buckley Broadcasting - WDRC-FM, and 1 is idependently owned by Marlin Broadcasting - WCCC. (Marlin only owns WCCC and WTMI (AM), but some how they are or were connected to WBOQ 104.9 in Gloucster, MA).

The AM Band in Hartford is different than most markets. There are many stations that do not cover the entire market. There are only 4 major stations. They are:

There's the 50KW Day/Night 1080 AM WTIC which is owned by CBS.
There's the 5KW Day/Night 1410 AM WPOP which is owned by Clear Channel
There's the 5KW Day/Night 1360 AM WDRC which is owned by Buckley. (Programming is on 3 other Buckley Stations throught Connecticut).
There's the 5KW Day/Night 910 AM WLAT which is a Spanish/Tropical station owned by a company that owns two small stations in the market 1230AM, a 1KW Daytimer that plays R&B Hits & Oldies which primarily serves the Eastern Portion of the Hartford Market and La X 1480 a 500 Watt daytimer that plays Spanish Oldies which serves the Northern Part of the Hartford Market.

Two other stations both 1KW Spanish stations try to serve Hartford. WPRX 1120 is a 1KW Day/500 watt night Station independtly owned licensed to Bristol (their towers their too) with studios in Hartford. There's also WRYM 840. Their studio and towers in Newington. 1KW Day/125 watts night. (COL = New Britain).

One other station may also be heard in Hartford, but it depends on what type of radio you use. It's WXCT 990 which is 2.5 KW day/80 watts night. They're a talk station (with some ethnic and religious programming on Sundays) owned by the Davidson Media Group. They're licensed to Southington and their studios and towers are located in the Plantsville section of Southington.
 
MarcB said:
It's bad bad bad. Unfortuantely I think it has a good chance of happening. Clear Channel is a Texas based company and our president is a Texas based president. (Yes I know it's ultimately up to the FCC, but I think the president could persuade the FCC to approve it).
Click to expand...

Wow. Half the country seems to think that because he's from Texas Bush controls oil companies and now you advance the theory that because Clear Channel is based in Texas he can persuade the FCC to help them out. If that's even close to true, I'm moving to Texas!

If you think this has any chance of "fattening" Clear Channel's wallets, by all means buy the stock and fatten your own. The stock has been "on sale" for quite some time now and is trading at about 70% below its all time high. I'm going to pass because I've been waiting way too long for this "wallet fattening" to take place.

Too many people seem to on the one hand applaud iPods, internet radio, satellite radio et al and tell Clear Channel its days are numbered. Then when Clear Channel agrees and asks for relief, they are accused of being part of an oligopoly.

It's a big world out there with lots of alternative delivery systems. Or as the radio execs like to say: "platforms". No need for the FCC to be regulating the terrestial guys out of existence.
 
Maintaining some semblance of local ownership limits is hardly the equivalent of "regulating terrestrial radio out of existence."

In my opinion, a large number of different companies owning radio stations with competitive signals impresses me as being likely to *help* terrestrial radio remain a strong, viable medium. How so? More opportunities for innovation and new ideas to develop. Also, when vigorous competition forces everyone to stay on their toes, the result can be truly outstanding radio of the sort that we're unlikely to hear on satellite services. While more owners almost certainly means lower profits, that shouldn't be the only focus of regulation -- but must instead be balanced against promoting competition, diverse ownership, etc.
 
What is likely to happen is what happened before, 6 A/C stations in a market because owners have to focus their only signal on the biggest piece of the demographic pie. It's largely a myth that we had all this "diversity" before 1996.
 
I wonder if it will mean, in Pittsburgh, CC will give, say, Saul Frischling an offer he cannot refuse and take over Steel City Media [WLTJ-FM, WRRK-FM].
 
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