ClearChannel and Howard Stern (was: WGIR)

[Donna Halper]

>Sean wrote--
>The accurate statement in this case is: "Clear Channel, nor any of its
>representatives, never acknowledged on the record to a ban of the Dixie
>Chicks."
>
>Whether or not they did in more clandestine channels remains up for debate.

Lisa Stark, who produced the ABC Nightline piece, found clear (no pun 
intended) evidence that there was such a ban, at least on all of the 
Cumulus stations, and found sufficient evidence from some album rock PDs at 
CC that they were in fact told not to play anti-war songs.  It's 
disingenuous to say that because Lowry Mays himself, a very media savvy 
guy, didn't step up and say "Yeah I told 'em to do it", that means it 
didn't happen.  At the risk of turning this thread political, there was a 
lot of pressure coming from the current Administration to get us into a war 
with Iraq, and many of Mr Bush's supporters at the highest levels of media 
were eager to co-operate.  And don't forget-- it wasn't that long ago when 
anyone who dissented about the war was immediately labelled "a traitor" or 
"unpatriotic", so it doesn't shock me that certain networks did what they 
thought was their part to make sure the pro-war sentiment won out.