Cheap Channel Inc. Website Up and Running (Apr 1, 2002)

I found it from a post in this forum http://radio-info.com/boards/ctc/

http://www.cheap-channel.com/

Says various people on the board: It looks like it's just someone or some people who're pissed off at CC. That could qualify as a LOT of people, don't ya think? Yes.. I for one am only semi-pissed at them.. Actually, it was more of their former company, AMFM, because they were the ones who killed my favorite station. In any case, any web site that exposes just how evil Chump Channel is an endorsement in my book. I'm glad that I'm not alone in my contempt for these sorry chumpsters.

Cheap Channel Inc., as they are calling themselves, are "just regular guys who love to work and listen to radio. We have been screwed by the man and that mans name is Randy. We really just want to sell some [censored] t-shirts and this seemed like a decent way to make some money and give a big [censored] you to corporate radio in it's latest form. I know we could try to start a revolution but we know how insecure radio people are and to actually take a stand might cost you your $10.00an hour gig even if you know your going to get whacked soon. You will live and die by the need to feed your ego and the fear that you may end up selling records at Sam Goody again and no one will know just how cool you are. We don't expect you to wear the shirts to work and show them off. We do expect you to wear the shirts underneath your sweaters while you continue to suck that corporate [censored]."

Cheap Channel Inc.'s website (not "Cheap" Channel) also has a links page to several articles including those written by radio expert Eric Boehlert, who has his own website on "Salon Radio's big bully." You can check it out here: http://www.cheap-channel.com/articles.html For the past few months, Salon reporter Eric Boehlert has been tracking the story of Clear Channel Communications, the little-noticed media giant that has quietly taken over the country's radio and concert industries. The company owns nearly 1,200 radio stations and effectively controls the rock radio market. It also owns SFX Entertainment, the nation's dominant concert-venue owner and touring promoter. \ In the stories on the page, Boehlert has detailed the corporation's evolution under the aegis of Randy Michaels, the one-time shock jock who has turned the industry upside down with rampant cost-cutting and a good-ol'-boy approach to management.

Cheap Channel Inc. has its own messageboard http://www.cheap-channel.com/msgboard.mv. It was apparently started in mid March. Here is a posting.

Posted by Rad on 20:41:20 3/26/2002 from 209.4.43.120: I am submitting this for your consideration. We as radio folk already know that the public community owns the airwaves. The community however, from my experience, is unaware of this. So, what does that mean? Radio is to provide the community a service. If the community as a whole thinks a station by the statutes not providing this can they do anything? You bet! But we all seem to think we are at the mercy of corporate, if everyone knew the legal stuff and chose to act on it, well would that be true? NO! For example, and they will find a legal way out of it but we could tie corporate up in courts and change their ways of months if not years. If you are to provide the community a service how are you doing that by have automation run your station with maybe one person taking FCC meter readings? Is that a service? If you call a radio station, as a public service there should be someone on the phone, at EACH AND EVERY STATION a caller should chose to call. The public owns the airwaves and the public is letting corporate radio, none company specific, get away with murder! This happens as they complain about how radio is not fulfilling their needs. This has nothing to do with format, as a public there is nothing we can do about that. It has to with what corporate radio is offering the public when they should choose to down size and have a single person watching over three stations, with out the ability to answer phone calls that should come in, what kind of pubic service is that? Maybe you should get your community involved in changing the current state of this degradation of your air! Believe me if you take it to the top, start with your Senator and don't quite there. Get some community group behind you and you will see a change in the current state of current operation! Attorneys know, you know - so should the general people, after all they do have rights to the air and they don't know! Your community, as a people, ownes the airwaves so stop corporate now, if you didn't know - as a group you HAVE the POWER. Is it satisfactory to reach voice mail, if you are lucky, when you as a comminty member call a station providing a pubic service? I'd have a hay day making thing change if I were you! Make people aware and get them involved. This is advice only and by know means a legal representation.

Posted by downsized on 15:56:59 3/25/2002 from 131.103.148.82: someone should send this link to allaccess.com that would draw some attention!! Nice job guys!

Cheap Channel Inc. Wonder if they trademarked their name before Clear Channel did. April Fool's Joke 4-1-02

Dear Readers:

For the past three years, DFS News has provided a much needed angle in radio, music, and Internet reporting to give you an alternative to the mainstream media which often ignores topics for the rest of us.

Well, my friends, due to peer pressure and financial problems, I am forced to refocus the scope of DFS News to cover the mainstream topics most people are interested in reading about such as Must See NBC lineups, Top Ten Billboard Pop artists of the week, how Clear Channel has made choosing music easier to understand by limiting their playlists, how great the radio programmers playing mainstream music are, and talking about the top movies of the week in the all new...

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