Corperate radio/Clear Channel

[Jeremy Mixer <mixer@zoso.net>]

After going through a barrage of emails posted to the list over the past
two weeks, many of them concerning corperate radio I would like to make a
few comments (or ramblings if you wish) on my take on the subject.

Corperate radio is evil. Period. I don't care what anyone says. I have
never been a fan of it, and as a 22-year old relative newcomer to the
world of radio I am disgusted by what radio sounds like today compared to
what it did five years ago when I was graduating from high school.

I think it is sad that the radio industry has gone so corperate and these
corperate companies have not only taken a lot of the localness out of
radio but have turned it into a big money making venture and really could
care less about their employees, and to an extent, their listeners.

Anyone who is a fellow Mainer will agree with me that the WTOS of a couple
of years ago was a great station. While format wise they haven't changed
too much, their music is very corperate sounding, the fact that they've
eliminated overnight jocks (and don't even do voicetracking) over the past
year and a half during the time they've been owned by both Cumulus and
now, Clear Channel. The station is a smidgen of what it once was.....and
the couple of people that I've talked to that have worked there through
this transition agree with me.

We, as either former or current participants in the radio industry, should
attempt to do something to reverse the direction of this. We should do
whatever in our power that we can do. Impossible task you say? Maybe,
maybe not, but it is worth a try.

Has anyone ever thought of making a petition and getting signatures to get
something on a future election to downsize the corperate companies? Clear
Channel owns too much, period. I stated in an email an hour or two ago
that I think it is rediculous that they own 9 stations here in Bangor when
the other two radio companies only own a combined total of 7. That's just
an unfair advantage if you ask me, it really is.

I am not going to sit here and compain about employees of the companies,
some of you are some, I used to work for Cumulus. That was my first true
job in radio (while I did work for Allan Weiner's WREM before working at
Bangor's WBZN, there was no incoming money, therefore no paycheck)

WHile working for Cumulus I had the same opinions on corperate radio as I
do now, which is a good portion of the reason I did whatever I could to
get into WKIT when I heard there was an opening.....in my radio career, I
realized there are not going to be too many opertunities to work for a
locally owned station anymore.....at least I can have the pleasure of
working for what one of my instructors, a former radio station DJ, owner,
and engineer, as well as a former recording engineer, the only station in
Bangor that is a "real" radio station. I don't think anyone could have
nailed the bottom line down better then that.

Talking to another one of my instructors who works at a station which
Clear Channel bought that is located outside of Bangor, he pointed out to
me that the whole reason he moved to a small town in Maine from the Boston
market was to get away from corperate radio, and this is a man who has
worked in a lot of large markets. Now Clear Channel has bought his
station, so he's back at the drawing board, and what else can he do?

Other then the stations in northern Maine which are really having trouble
making it  (I understand Citadel is trying to get out of there because
they  can't find northern Maine profitable) any market which means
anything is completely corperate now, and it is DISGUSTING. As people who
really do care about the radio industry, I think it's our job to try to
change this. I'm sure you could get enough people together by getting in
touch with other mailing lists for radio around the country, and save
radio before it is killed by corperate BS.

Just my opinion on the matter, all opinions are my own and are not meant
to offend anyone. All names have been left out to protect the struggling
radio personalities who work for companies that suck.

Thanks for your time,
Jeremy