Before anyone wants to bash local radio, they should check the facts. While Clear Channel and other large groups control a good deal of the bandwidth in both AM and FM across the United States, there are many smaller groups still around. (Yes, I work for one.) Our company owns 6 total radio stations, as AM/FM combos in 3 different cities in Southern Wisconsin. As for "the same 10 songs over and over again", that is a format, and not an ownership issue. Top 40, CHR, Country are but 3 formats I know of that play "hot" or "top" hits repeatedly during a broadcast day. This is for one purpose only. To make you want to buy the single or album the single is from. It's always been that way on radio. (since the advent of radio playing recorded music as opposed to live music at least.) And who can we blame for Clear Channel owning 1200 stations? The FCC of 1995-1996 and the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which, among other things, removed most ownership restrictions. And which was signed into law by then president Clinton. there...I feel better now.

I was trying to write a simple headline, which is why I wrote that., I agree we can't blame CC for creating or even playing the 10 songs that repeat endlessly format. We can however blame them for moving into a territory, buying all the rock stations, and turning them all into other formats, leaving one rock station behind with a crappy format and no competition (because of lack of dial space for new stations to fill the void). They claim this helps to put other formats on the air that wouldn't normally be there, but of course they do it because it's easier to sell ads on one popular station as opposed to 5 less popular stations. This prevents stations that don't play the same playlist over and over again to even exist. They fire DJs and then hire a single DJ to cover 5 or 6 stations at a time, often with canned chatter.

The FCC, Congress, Clinton, all are to blame for allowing this to happen, I'll happily agree there. Clear Channel is now crying that they're not able to keep up their expansion and they're at a disadvantage. They want Congress to legislate them the ability to buy up more control of the airwaves and help them with their business by allowing them to become a monopoly. The new ownership rules do not serve the public interest, which is why they existed in the first place.

I shoudn't let it upset me though, satelitte radio is definitely the way to go now that CC has completely ruined radio in my area of the country. I should thank them for making that fact more obvious everytime I turn on one of their stations. Trust me, while I hate to dish out more money for subscription based services, my listening time is worth more to me than trying to save a couple bucks at this point. Even with ten stations programmed into my wife's radio, I can't listen for more than ten minutes without encountering a ten minute block of commercials on almost every single channel at the same time.

Yeah, I hear you. The industry I work in has yet to wake up and see the blood on the water. Unfortunately, with CC such a large presence in the NAB and RAB (National Association of Broadcasters & Radio Advertising Bureau respectively), we're unlikely to see any change for the better to how things have become. And sadly, at least one of the two satellite radio companies have started putting commercial matter on some of their channels. Seems that cannot survive on subscriber base alone. I (and people like me) will just keep existing in the trenches until rampant apathy (by ownership and advertisers) completely kills local radio. Wish I had been in the business in it's heyday instead of now. Thanks for listening. (pun intended) And hope you didn't tgake my comments personally. (I was in "vent" mode after a day of meetings. Peace.

I ceased to take anything personally on the web a long time ago (and a day of meetings always makes me want to remove my fingernails with pliars). There's been commercials on the satelitte providers all along though, just some of the channels though.

dudes, clear channel has a moneyed stake in XM... they're playing both ends of the field and not many people know that, specifially the people they're begging to ease station ownership restrictions...

nice theory Dave, except Clear Channel sold their stake a couple years ago. Right before XM and Sirrus began seriousily increasing their subscriber base.

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