[BC] Clear Channel Wants More?

[Rich Wood]

------ At 11:37 AM 10/4/2005, Sid Schweiger wrote: -------

>It's painfully obvious that Mark Mays:
>
>1) doesn't think he can make his own product better, so his answer is
>to attempt to legislate controls on his competition, and
>
>2) doesn't comprehend the meaning of the First Amendment, from which he
>has profited mightily.

I wonder if this problem is unique to owners of 1200 stations. I 
think I'd be inclined to accept the rules change once every major 
operator reached the 1200 mark and we could compare. If all of them 
suffered the same we could see it as a competition problem. If only 
Clear Channel suffered I'd suggest programming changes. With the mood 
at the FCC and in Congress over concentration of ownership I think 
global warming will be solved first. Someone might suggest they 
interview some of the local concert promoters to see what effect the 
company has had on them and what links there might be between airplay 
and an artist's agreement to sign with a CC venue. Is that a level 
playing field?

If we allow unlimited ownership I think it's only fair to drop the 
localization restrictions of XM and SIRIUS. Let the marketplace rule. 
Same with TV. If Rupert Murdoch is allowed to own multiple channels 
and a newspaper in a city, so should everyone else.

Somehow I think the last thing a dominant player wants is a level 
playing field.

Rich