The big difference between Cumulus and Clear Channel at the time was that Cumulus was really doing everything CC was being accused of doing. Don't get me wrong, no one ever said CC was good. However, many of the bad things that were happening actually occurred at the local level. Corporate wasn't dictating them, at least not directly; they just turned a blind eye to them.
Cumulus, on the other hand, really did many of these things, like the corporate playlists and corporate format dictates. However, I can't say Cumulus was all bad. During the time I worked for them, they didn't practice blanket firings. If your station changed formats and you were a good employee, chances are they'd find another place in the company for you. They also had a lucrative 401K, a good ESPP, and good, and cheap, health insurance. So, if you could put up with an extremely bottom line focused company that was pretty dictatorial about what went out over its airwaves, they took pretty good care of you. However, all that seems to have changed, starting right before Halloween a little more than two years ago.
