Insidiousness of Clear Channel in one market (Cincinnati)

One TV station (CBS affiliate)

Eight radio stations (including talk station 55KRC with Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Dr. Laura, and Matt Drudge)

All three major concert venues (Riverbend Amphitheater, Taft Theater, Bogart’s)

Scripps-Howard owns the Cincinnati Post and the ABC affiliate (which plays Dr. James Dobbs' "Focus on the Family" segments during its morning show).

There are four or five Clear Channel stations up here, too, now -- they either drove out or bought out everybody else. Dayton used to be anybody's market, though WTUE (the rock station) had a corner on the youth market. Now, the only alternative here is either NPR or the independent modern rock station, WOXY, down in Oxford. Everything else, from country to rock to urban contemporary, is Clear Channel-owned and operated or has to compete on their slimy, whale-shit on the bottom of the ocean level.

Clear Channel didn't come into Cincinnati and buy everything themselves, though. They bought out/merged with Jacor, owned by the Wood family and operated by Randy Michaels, so they could get Jacor's concert booking operation (which had a pretty good vise-grip on most Midwestern venues).

Frank Wood used to be a cool guy, and the station that was the bedrock of Jacor, WEBN, was pretty cool back in 'the day,' when it was a family-owned, independent FM rock station. Sadly, money came to mean more than anything else, now it sucks just like all the other FM stations, and it's sucked the 'cool' out of most of the local market.

Of course, whatever they shove down your throat is guaranteed to sell, because of the onslaught of advertisment, the cross-marketing and the "synergy" across various all media platforms (TV, movies, radio, print, internet).

The record industry is stupid to let this continue to happen. If they want to sell more music they need more variety. I just can't believe there's more money in strangling all competition and boring people to death.

But then, again, there's the most money in brainwashing the public to think and vote Republican, because that way you don't ever have to fend of the competion of the independent start-up. Convince people to vote Repubican, and they'll perpetuate this idiotic, economy constricting BS.

What a mess.

Your concentration of Clear Channel media is actually below average, only 127th out of 337 metropolitan areas.

http://www.openairwaves.org/telecom/analysis/Chart_MSA_radio.aspx?msa=1640

http://www.openairwaves.org/telecom/analysis/default.aspx?action=msa

is 79

http://www.openairwaves.org/telecom/analysis/Chart_MSA_radio.aspx?msa=4280

They control 15 stations there alone (this includes some Mexican broadcasters through licensed agreement) and booking for major venues through SFX.

Nothing goes on in town without going through Clear Channel.

Check this out:

http://www.openairwaves.org/telecom/analysis/Chart_MSA_radio.aspx?msa=7320

Note that this pie chart only shows the nine ACTUALLY owned by CC. Add the six Mexican broadcasters and you've got half the stations in the market owned by CC! Yikes!

but they do own Verizon Amphitheat

Nough said...We do have Johnie Dare and Murphy. And now we have Stan Glazier on KMBC from 10-1....LOLOLOL