News From The Wires (March 24, 2004)
FCC MULLING PLAN TO ACCELERATE DTV MIGRATION...The FCC is reportedly considering a plan that could speed the transition to digital television and free up analog spectrum for use by others. But an element of the proposal requiring over-the-air viewers to pay to see programming they now receive at no cost isn't likely to sit well with lawmakers or the viewing public.
Clear Channel, rejecting Howard Stern's claims that he was canned for slamming President Bush, says its radio network does not have a political agenda. But new political contribution data tell a different story about Clear Channel (CCU) executives. They have given $42,200 to Bush, vs. $1,750 to likely Democratic nominee John Kerry in the 2004 race. What's more, the executives and Clear Channel's political action committee gave 77% of their $334,501 in federal contributions to Republicans. That's a bigger share than any other entertainment company, says the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. In contrast, Viacom (VIA) executives and its political action committee gave just 30% of their $545,650 to Republican candidates. Viacom syndicates Stern's show. (read USA Today)
Letters from Cleveland.com: Too high a price on naughty words?
From insideradio.com: Stations are pruning their Pink Floyd and cleaning up Steve Miller's "Jet Airliner." The indecency scare has rippled down to station playlists, causing PDs to pull or edit some of the real staples of rock and CHR. One classic rock programmer says it's odd that 25-year-old songs that have literally made billions of impressions now get neutered.
Many people think that the satellite radio industry is finally turning a corner, and that seems to have terrestrial radio broadcasters reacting. While satellite still has a ways to go toward increasing profitability and reducing debt, Wired.com reports today, some radio broadcasters are exploring ways to defend their turf. Read more in today's issue of "RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter," published online every weekday, and always available for free (the way it should be, right Don Barret? Three words for you: sponsors, sponsors, sponsors.)
Clear Channel, rejecting Howard Stern's claims that he was canned for slamming President Bush, says its radio network does not have a political agenda. But new political contribution data tell a different story about Clear Channel executives. They have given $42,200 to Bush, vs. $1,750 to likely Democratic nominee John Kerry in the 2004 race. What's more, the executives and Clear Channel's political action committee gave 77% of their $334,501 in federal contributions to Republicans. That's a bigger share than any other entertainment company, says the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. In contrast, Viacom executives and its political action committee gave just 30% of their $545,650 to Republican candidates. Clear Channel CEO Lowry Mays and his sons led the campaign giving. Mays gave $12,500 to the Republican National Committee in September. He gave $2,000 to Bush in July. President Mark Mays and Chief Financial Officer Randall Mays each gave $2,000 to Bush last year, as well (read USA Today)
DJs can sue back? Mancow Muller, who has been the target of a listener's crusade against alleged on-air indecency for the last five years, is about to fight back by taking his accuser to court. The nationally syndicated WKQX-FM (101.1) morning personality is expected to file a $3 million lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court today against David Edward Smith, the Chicago man whose Citizens for Community Values has lodged 66 complaints about "Mancow's Morning Madhouse" with the Federal Communicatons Commission (read Feder of Chicago)
It took the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake debacle during the Super Bowl to wake up the FCC. The technology which allows broadcasters to block single words in a live broadcast with ease has been available for some time. The use of such language - especially on television - is a sign of a limited vocabulary and an unconcern for who may be listening. "Shock jocks" attempts to be noticed by sexual discussions are bids for ratings. Since the broadcasters are unwilling to force them to clean up their act, we are glad the FCC is finally taking action. Reports that fines may be increased even more will be an added incentive to broadcasters to clean up their acts (read Somerset Daily American)
Global media and entertainment company Clear Channel Communications has been recognized for outstanding business and national service leadership four times in nearly two months by leading national media and service organizations: Fortune and Institutional Investor magazines, the Children's Miracle Network and the Multiple Sclerosis Society. The announcements follow recognition of the company's historic donation of public-service-message airtime across its properties to the Ad Council. "Clear Channel is an excellent example of how strong corporate citizenry can make a powerful difference in the community," said USAF General (Ret.) Mike Dugan, president and CEO of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. "We congratulate Clear Channel for communicating its commitment to philanthropy by supporting employees' participation in the fight against MS." (read)
FMQB Stories.
Rock Radio Listeners: Hey, FCC, Leave Our Jocks Alone!
A new Edison-Jacobs Media survey of Rock radio listeners shows an overwhelmingly majority feel the government should keep away from regulating radio programs.
Also: Mancow Sues His Indecency Whistleblower, the Adolf Hitler of music organizations,
the RIAA, unleashes Another Round of Lawsuits as 532 more consumers are being sued by the RIAA for illegal distribution of music online,
and more.
All Access.
According to an online survey of 13,700 Rock radio listeners around the country, some 70% believe the
FCC's recent investigations into indecent broadcasts is "an overreaction to the JANET JACKSON incident."
Other key findings include
55% of listeners of Rock stations are never offended what they hear on the station's radio morning show,
74% say, "Those who want to listen to HOWARD STERN should be allowed to do so,"
75% of respondents agreed that, "Small groups of people are having too much influence over whether radio programs should be fined or punished."
and only 12% agreed with the statement "The FCC should take programs that it considers indecent off the air."
More at allaccess.com. Look for the complete findings of these polls on MONDAY (3/29) at www.edisonresearch.com and www.jacobsmedia.com.
News From The Wires (March 23, 2004)
Today, we're just going to the wires to see what's up on the Internet.
Satellite Struggles to Find Niche (DAT's Entertainment 2:00 a.m. PDT) In a sure sign of success, satellite radio providers XM and Sirius attract direct attacks from their earthbound competitors. But uncertainties still cloud the companies' financial futures. By Randy Dotinga.
USB Ports Just Ducky (Technology Sunday) The universal serial bus, developed as a faster, easier way to connect printers and other computing peripherals, has become the choice to power all kinds of gadgets -- blankets, noodle cookers and even a duck.
Clear Channel Communications CEO L. Lowry Mays received total compensation valued at $7.2 million in 2003, more than double his pay from a year earlier. The San Antonio-based radio giant paid Mays, 68, $2.01 million in salary and bonus and gave him stock options valued at $4.27 million. He also received restricted stock worth $915,500 that he can sell in five years, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In 2002, Mays received total compensation of $3.08 million, but he didn't receive any stock options. Mays' sons, Mark P. Mays and Randall T. Mays, the two other top officials at Clear Channel, each received $1.69 million in salary and bonus and $915,000 in restricted stock in 2003. They also each received 225,000 stock options valued at $4.27 million in 2003 (read San Antonio Express-News)
A dispute is brewing in Fort Wayne over broadcast indecency. Shannon Johnson of Fort Wayne has lodged a complaint with the FCC claiming local radio station "Hits 96.3" played an explicit, unedited version of rapper Eminem's new song 'My Band.' Johnson says he heard the song while driving his son to school, and that it was one of the most obscene broadcasts he's ever heard. The head of Travis broadcasting, which owns "96.3" disputes Johnson's claim, saying it's false, and at no time does the company air obscene or indecent programming (read WPTA)
Record Stores: We're Fine, Thanks (DAT's Entertainment 2:00 a.m. PDT) The recording industry may protest, but some owners of independent music stores say file trading is good for business. Katie Dean reports from the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas.
Reallocating radio spectrum to satisfy America's wireless Internet appetite could raise fears about signal interference, whether real or spurious. Four years ago, after the Federal Communications Commission tried to expand FM radio spectrum use by hundreds of new low-power community stations, Congress overruled the regulators by passing a broadcaster-supported law. An engineering study ordered by Congress, released last month, supported the FCC's contention that low-power stations posed little or no interference threat to commercial FM broadcasters. But when, or if, Congress will restore the low-power station initiative is uncertain. The FCC's smart radio initiative pits incumbent broadcasters against cell phone carriers and high-tech firms like Intel and Microsoft that want more spectrum for high-speed data (read Chicago Tribune - Jon Van)
Michael J. Copps was always certain he was on to something. He just had to wait a little longer for the rest of Washington to catch up with him. Since becoming one of five commissioners at the Federal Communications Commission nearly three years ago, Copps, 63, has crusaded against the raunchy radio talk and TV imagery known in FCC-speak as "broadcast indecency." Copps has been nudging the agency -- and its deregulatory-minded chairman, Michael K. Powell -- to crack down on radio and TV broadcasters who air the kind of talk that made Howard Stern famous. Broadcasters, he has declared repeatedly, "are in a race to the bottom." (read Washington Post - Paul Farhi)
Howard Stern accused Oprah Winfrey of being a fellow potty-mouth yesterday, saying the afternoon TV queen has aired the same kind of kinky sexual material for which he was being pilloried. "If they fine me for this, then they got to fine Oprah - the darling of the world," Stern told listeners after trying to play a shocking excerpt of an Oprah show on teen sex. "And if they fine Oprah, all hell is gonna break loose." The shock jock pleaded on the air with his station's general manager to let him play a tape of Winfrey and her guests discussing an erotic activity known as "tossing the salad." "This is Oprah Winfrey at 4 in the afternoon saying this - Oprah graphically discusses it," Stern told his K-Rock boss, Tom Chiusano. On Thursday's Winfrey show, a writer for her magazine O explained in meticulous detail what she described as popular sexual pastimes for America's teenagers, including oral and anal sex practices. The writer, Michelle Burford, also described in detail a variety of other slang sex terms
The static that has enveloped the Internet radio industry is starting to clear. The protracted legal and regulatory battles involving so-called Webcasters, the recording industry and the federal copyright authorities have dissipated, while the number of consumers who listen to the radio over their computers has risen to the point where the medium should - according to its proponents, at least - begin to gain respect from mainstream advertisers. "We're just about to turn the corner," said Evan Harrison, an AOL vice president who heads the company's online radio division, the AOL Radio@Network. "This is going to be a blossoming business." (read NY Times)
Radio Babe knows truth is stranger than fiction, especially in the world of radio (just listen to what passes as music, and entertaining fare, these days). Therefore, she's certainly not surprised to hear of 98.5 FM's reflective foray, particularly knowing that it was recently sold. Former Domino's Pizza head Tom Monaghan (whose sole life purpose now is giving money to Catholic causes) bought the Fort Myers/Naples/Marco Island WNRW 98.5 FM for $4.9 million in December. His investment in the station coincides with his ownership of Naples' Ave Maria University, where the studio for the new station will be built. Monaghan also owns Ave Maria College (among others) in Ann Arbor, which in turn owns WDEO 990 AM along with Bay City/Flint/Saginaw, Mich.'s 1440 AM. Both run Catholic-themed formats (read Dawn Scire - Radio Babe)
In California, gasoline prices have skyrocketed to more than $2 a gallon -- higher than in Texas ... people there are calling radio talk shows with news of relatively cheap gasoline at a certain corner, and that station will become mobbed. Consumers shop much less aggressively when gasoline prices are falling, according to a University of California Energy Institute study (read Houston Chronicle)
Live365, the largest Internet radio network, announced today that it has hit an industry milestone, surpassing 20,000 streaming radio channels, including broadcasts of music, talk and more. Offering the most diverse array of streaming radio channels from around the globe, Live365 provides an unparalleled choice of music and other streaming audio content, and a unprecedented "voice" for its tens of thousands of professional and independent broadcasters (read) (read Arbitron) (editor: try topping that, Clear Channel!)
Todd Clem should be glad he got the boot from Clear Channel Communications before the San Antonio-based media giant added the new zero tolerance provisions in its contracts with on-air talent. Otherwise, the off-color disc jockey could have been responsible for picking up part of the record $755,000 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fine that Clear Channel has agreed to pay after allowing indecent material to air over some of its radio stations via Clem's show (read San Antonio Biz Journal)
Insideradio.com: Oprah won't like what's just been posted on HowardStern.com. Infinity lawyers wouldn't let Stern use an Oprah piece about teen-age sexual practices on his radio show, but now the transcript's online at HowardStern.com. Not only that, Stern's instructing listeners how to file an FCC complaint about the description of "tossing salad." Stern says there's a double standard at work.
Robin Quivers Not Concerned About Indecency Debate Howard Stern's longtime sidekick tells the Associated Press that while she's amazed the debate over broadcast indecency is still raging years after the Stern show was famously fined $1.7 million for violating the FCC's indecency rules, she has also accepted the fact that there's little she can do to impact the efforts on Capitol Hill and at the FCC to enact tougher regulations against obscenity on the airwaves. "I can't believe after all this time we're still going through the same thing,'' Quivers says. "So much has occurred in a few short weeks.'' She also adds, "You can't do anything about it, so why worry about it? What am I going to do?" Quivers' comments come just days after the FCC hit Infinity with a $27,500 indecency fine - which Stern had been expecting - and at a time when Viacom President/COO Mel Karmazin is under fire from Capitol Hill to clean up Infinity's programming.
FMQB Stories. Lowry Mays' Compensation: $7.2 Million. The Clear Channel CEO's total pay doubles from 2002. Clear Channel CHRs Selling Playlist-Specific Ringtones. Ringtone selections specific to the playlist and audience of each station are for sale on Clear Channel station Web sites.
Many wires are reporting this news: This one is from allaccess.com. Sadness is sweeping across the Country music community as we have learned of the passing of WUSN (US99)/CHICAGO OM/morning man TOM RIVERS. The TAMPA TRIBUNE is reporting that the popular on-air personality, programmer and manager was found in his CHICAGO area home early SATURDAY morning (3/20). He passed away after complications from bronchial asthma. He was 38. COUNTRY RADIO BROADCASTERS President and KZLA/LOS ANGELES PD R.J. CURTIS commented on RIVERS' passing: "The entire COUNTRY RADIO BROADCASTERS BOARD is shocked and saddened by the news of his untimely passing. TOM was a dear friend; an accomplished broadcaster; a trusted board member; and great ambassador for the Country industry. Our thoughts and prayers are with TOM, his family and friends."
All Access Stories.
HOWARD STERN's livid that OPRAH WINFREY gets to air shows about teen oral and anal sex with graphic descriptions while he can't, and when he tried to play clips of OPRAH's THURSDAY show on FRIDAY morning (3/19), he was prevented from doing so by WXRK (92.3 K-ROCK)/NEW YORK GM TOM CHIUSANO at the behest of station attorneys.
The Wires (March 2004)
Radiodailynews: Bill BennettÆs ôMorning in Americaö premieres April 5th, and has already signed to clear on radio stations in Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, Atlanta, Denver, Phoenix, San Diego, Minneapolis and other key radio markets from coast-to-coast. Joining Bill Bennett as co-host and executive producer of Bill BennettÆs ôMorning in Americaö is Tom Tradup, former president/general manager at WLS-AM&FM in Chicago. Tradup created winning talk programming in New York, Dallas, Kansas City, and other major markets (details, details)
(read Bill Bennett -Chicago Tribune) (Howard) Stern is free to speak--in graphic, pornographic and even racist terms. But our corporations are also free to refuse to give him a microphone to do so. And if they did not exercise their own self-restraint, they would possibly have to pay a price in fines. Such is the price to be paid for handling the public trust of the public airwaves; such is the price broadcasters pay for their license the government protects by not allowing other broadcasters to bleed into their frequency. There is no law, and should be no law, keeping Stern from speaking, but red light districts should not receive easements to trespass into our living rooms, our carpools, our school yards or onto Main Street. Stern can say what he wants, however offensive, to live audiences in comedy clubs, on CDs and tapes. What he should not be able to do is put what is suitable in a night-time, adults-only, red-light district club on prime-time morning public air. That is the rational, free, standard agreed to by acts of Congress and society as a whole. Many stations have made the decision to keep airing him. That is their right
(read Radio Netherlands) The gloves are off in the battle between America's commercial radio stations and the new kids on the block - satellite radio services XM and Sirius. That fact alone will delight the management of the satellite broadcasters, as it means they are now regarded as serious players in the industry. This week came news that one commercial radio group, Entercom, has launched an aggressive advertising campaign slamming its satellite rivals, calling them - amongst other things - a "lousy deal". The ads are reported to be running on most of Entercom's 104 stations nationwide, and the company is understood to have offered them free of charge to any other broadcaster who wants to run them
(read Cincinnati Enquirer) The Federal Communications Commission could levy up to $302,500 in fines against Clear Channel Communications Inc. stemming from 11 allegedly indecent daytime broadcasts by personalities at WEBN-FM (102.7). Members of the Cincinnati-based social action group Citizens for Community Values taped the programs and on March 4 filed a complaint with the FCC. A commission spokesperson acknowledged the group had filed complaints but would not comment further
(read NY Post) While industry insiders are pointing out the hypocrisy of Clear Channel, which kicked Howard Stern off six of its radio stations while funding and promoting concert tours for Britney Spears and Chris Rock. "They punish Howard for something he didn't even say - it was a caller who said the offending word - and yet both Britney and Chris' tours are NC-17," said one publicist. John Hogan, the executive in charge of Clear Channel Radio, said he was "ashamed" of Howard Stern. Yet, Rock uses profanity on a regular basis in his tour, while Spears simulates sex in hers and has human figures projected onto a screen behind her in graphic sexual positions
(read John Gorman - Cleveland Free Times) Though he claims to have talked to XM and Sirius satellite radio companies, rumors of Howard Stern moving his show to satellite are just that. He has two years remaining on his current contract, and in two years, Viacom could be controlling Sirius to challenge Clear Channel's investment with XM. Meanwhile, Clear Channel claims that its radio division implemented the industry's strongest policy against airing indecent material. But that statement is now haunting the distressed radio division. When CEO Lowry Mays told his radio division head, John Hogan, to put a positive spin on indecency charges leveled against Clear Channel, he responded by condemning his own programming policies as content he'd never want his nine-year-old daughter to hear. To show that he found religion, Hogan pulled Howard Stern from six Clear Channel stations. It's no loss for Howard or rival Infinity Broadcasting, which syndicates the show. He'll find other stations in those markets, preferably Infinity-owned, and in the process, bury the stations that dropped his show
(read Reuters) A commentator who was fired from National Public Radio's flagship station for Southern California for inadvertently allowing an obscene word to be broadcast said Wednesday that the incident has had a chilling affect on her former colleagues. Loh was fired from Santa Monica-based KCRW-FM after a technician failed to bleep an intentional use of the "F" word during a Feb. 29 radio commentary on knitting. "That I could get fired over this has everybody in a white-hot panic," Loh told guests of a Beverly Hills Bar Assn. luncheon on censorship, the FCC and Justice Department. "I think I've gotten more media attention than would merit for a person who works for $150 per week."
Cashing In on Virus Infections (IT/IS Important 2:00 a.m. PDT) The recent spate of online epidemics made clear that leading antivirus products aren't very effective. But for the vendors, viruses are the goose that keeps laying golden eggs. They're not about to kill it. By Michelle Delio.
Aussies Pull Broadband out of Air (Technology 2:00 a.m. PDT) Denizens down under can now get a wireless service with a range much greater than Wi-Fi and speeds much faster than cellular. If the service takes off in Australia, it could spread to other parts of the world. Patrick Gray reports from Sydney.
More Legal Wrangling Around Kazaa (Business Wednesday) The company that owns the file-sharing software is embroiled in legal battles all over the world. Now it's being sued by a developer who says he wrote the source code to Kazaa and should be paid for his trouble.
Insideradio: Arbitron's back at the negotiating table with Infinity and Clear Channel. Those two customers - Clear Channel and Infinity - made up 31% of Arbitron's revenues in 2003. Nearly all of Clear Channel's contracts expire December 31. The showdown with Infinity is even more imminent - Last July Arbitron and Infinity agreed to a one-year extension to the contracts that were up for renewal. More in today's Inside Radio.
Insideradio: XM says Entercom's anti-satellite ads "sound painfully desperate." Though XM's Chance Patterson says "we have not engaged in bashing local radio, and we believe these are mediums that will co-exist and be successful in the future" -- meaning satellite and broadcast radio.
QUOTE: "Obscenity...I'm for it." (laughter) - Tom Lehrer at the beginning of his song "Smut"
(read Miami Herald Editorial) The Federal Communications Commission prepares to step up indecency fines and talk-radio personalities lose access in some markets, critics are raising free-speech concerns. But both private companies and the public -- as represented by Congress and the FCC -- must maintain some standard of decency in public broadcasts. The FCC describes indecency as patently offensive material that depicts or describes sexual organs or activities -- a vague definition that begs for clarification.
Radio Daily News: WYSP 94.1-FM has set up a "First Amendment Line" to support morning personality Howard Stern and his fight against the FCC. The number is 215-625-9723. For more information on how to support Stern, go to www.wysp.com
(read Richard Huff) made a suggestion yesterday that Howard Stern stop jabbering about working under the growing threat of tougher indecency rules. So, what happened? He went on and on about me and the FCC yesterday. Work around the situation, I said. Listeners expect your inventiveness and cleverness. Stern called me a moron, an idiot, a "chrome dome" and a bunch of other cool things. "You know who says, 'Why don't you be clever?'" Stern said. "Your grandmother." I, like a lot of other folks, had grown tired of Stern discussing the misery of his life in the wake of Janet Jackson's Super Bowl stunt
(read AlterNet - Bill Berkowitz and Arnie Passman) It may be a bit premature to declare Howard Stern's reign as king of shock radio over, but if it is there may be a bright future for him on satellite. According to CNNMoney.com, "there has been rampant speculation that Stern might eventually join Sirius Satellite Radio or XM Satellite Radio, which like pay cable stations, are not subject to the same decency and obscenity rules that affect major TV networks and terrestrial radio stations." According to Paul La Monica, "Stern has some 15 million listeners nationwide, versus little more than 1.5 million for XM and 260,000 for Sirius." Coincidentally, or not, writes La Monica, "both satellite radio stocks have bucked the market's downward trend: Since Feb. 2 (the day after the Super Bowl halftime show), shares of Sirius are up about 3 percent while XM Satellite has gained 7 percent." At the same time, "shares of traditional radio operators Clear Channel Communications and Citadel Broadcasting are down 7 percent." For what may be his final mainstream-radio battle Stern is casting himself both as a political organizer and a martyr
(read Celebrity Justice) Reports are that Stern has met with Sirius satellite radio in what some predict could be the shock jock's end run around decency rules. So what happens if a personality of Stern's popularity joins "The Sopranos'" Steve Van Zandt, who's also signed to do shows on Sirius? "I'm sure the people who run the satellite radio stations are salivating at the prospect," said Rubin. "At the same time, you're never going to reach as many people as you reach now for free over the air broadcasting."
(read MSNBC) It turns out that Clear Channel Communications' recent decision to yank Howard Stern's syndicated radio show off its stations may be the best thing that ever happened to Stern -- and the worst for the Bush administration. He has amassed his army of supporters in an us-against-the-world pose replete with pledge-your-dedication-to-Howard marketing and promos. The message: This time it's personal. If we don't back Stern now, he's liable to go away forever. Not that there seems much chance of that happening anytime soon - Stern's show makes way too much money for Viacom-owned Infinity Broadcasting - but you can't blame the guy for a little knee-jerk rabble-rousing. Then we have the issue of why this can of worms stands to be a massive miscalculation for the re-election campaign of President Bush, which appears to have underestimated the danger posed by a cornered and re-energized Stern
Who's Teaming Up Against P2P? (DAT's Entertainment 2:00 a.m. PDT) A leaked letter may foreshadow a new legal attack on peer-to-peer file-sharing software. Language from the California attorney general's office sounds an awful lot like the party line from the movie industry. By Xeni Jardin.
Webcasters to Report and Pay (DAT's Entertainment 2:00 a.m. PDT) In April, the feds will require webcasters to track playlists and pay royalties to artists and music labels. Naturally, the recording industry is delighted, but small webcasters call the requirements onerous. By Joanna Glasner.
(read Reuters) The maelstrom over indecency at the big U.S. radio conglomerates could propel "shock jocks" like Howard Stern to the freer air of satellite radio, but such a move would likely mean smaller audiences and thinner paychecks. Satellite radio, a nascent business with fewer than 2 million subscribers who pay about $10 a month to hear shows broadcast coast to coast, is being painted as an oasis of artistic freedom in light of a crackdown by federal regulators against indecent broadcasts. Already, dozens of personalities, ranging from hip-hop trailblazer DJ Red Alert to rock radio veteran Kid Kelly, have set up camp on Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.'s music system, whose programs are so far unregulated by Washington. Stern's misfortune may be good news for the satellite radio industry, according to independent media analyst Jack Myers
(read NY Post) Two diehard Howard Stern fans were so angry that Clear Channel yanked the King of All Media off its airwaves in their hometown, they've created a new Web site devoted to the long-haired chatmonger. "Devastated" Miamians Jonny Lieberbaum and Chris Gordon set up FreeStern.com "to launch a national grassroots campaign"
(read Seattle Times) KOMO-TV's local news was knocked off the air midway through the 5 o'clock news hour yesterday by a computer-system failure, station general manager Dick Warsinske said. "We're having a complete, utter meltdown," one newsroom staff member said as she sat by a frozen computer. She asked not to be identified. The KOMO Web site said engineers were "working feverishly on the problem," which, it said, also affected KOMO-AM (1000) radio station. Warsinske said at 8:45 p.m. that the station was "up and ready to go," and its 11 p.m. television newscast aired as planned
(read NY Times) Questions for Jonathan Schwartz: Reading your moving new memoirs, ''All in Good Time,'' brought me back to the 60's, when FM radio hit its stride, and made me wonder what has happened to it. Why is commercial radio so bad today? What does the word ''commercial'' mean? Endless commercials! Packages of commercials! And then the robotic repetition of mediocre recordings that have been defined through research as hits. There is no original voice. The original voice has gravitated to public radio and to satellite radio. In order to listen to satellite radio, you have to subscribe on a monthly basis and get a bill in the mail. Isn't it basically the HBO of radio? No, not at all. It's the savior of intimate communication. By comparison, it makes listening to a CD sound like listening to AM radio during a thunderstorm. And of course it offers the vastest library of music ever assembled anywhere. Are you in favor of the F.C.C.'s current assault on shock jocks and obscene shows? There's got to be someone to say, ''Hey, you cannot do this on the radio or on television!'' If left to their own devices, the shock jocks would inspire audible fornication on a daily basis. Human beings would arrive in the studio at the beginning of the program, in droves, to audibly fornicate and would cease at the end of the time slot five days a week, and on the sixth and seventh day they would rest
(read Don Russell - The Stamford Advocate) It appears that talk radio all around the country is pointed in one direction -- to the right. With talkers such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, the airwaves, in my opinion, are filled with a single opinion, the conservative view. Finding a diverse opinion on the radio dial is next to impossible. But that may be headed for change with the emergence of a new broadcasting company called Progress Media Inc. A subsidiary of Progress Media, Central Air Network, has already started broadcasting and will soon be heard on five AM stations in the New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Boston areas. Progress Media has invested millions of dollars in the project
(read Salon - Eric Boehlert) Declaring a "radio jihad" against President Bush, syndicated morning man Howard Stern and his burgeoning crusade to drive Republicans from the White House are shaping up as a colossal media headache for the GOP, and one they never saw coming. The pioneering shock jock, "the man who launched the raunch," as the Los Angeles Times once put it, has emerged almost overnight as the most influential Bush critic in all of American broadcasting, as he rails against the president hour after hour, day after day to a weekly audience of 8 million listeners. Never before has a Republican president come under such withering attack from a radio talk-show host with the influence and national reach Stern has. "The potential impact is huge," says Charles Goyette, talk-show host at KFYI in Phoenix. While the article offers opinions to varying degrees of HOWARD's potential influence, and all indicate its potential is significant, using hard facts: "Approximately 8 million listeners tune in each week. And at any given moment during his four-hour program roughly 1.4 million people are tuned in. By way of comparison, that's more than the number of morning viewers at any given time watching FOX NEWS, CNN and MSBNC -- combined."
(read MLive) Regulators proposed a quarter-million-dollar indecency fine against Clear Channel Communications on Friday, a little more than a month after hitting the nation's largest radio chain with a record $755,000 penalty. The Federal Communications Commission voted 4-1 to cite Clear Channel's "Elliot [Segal] in the Morning" show for nine alleged violations "that involved graphic and explicit sexual material, and were designed to pander to, titillate and shock listeners." It was second large fine this year against the radio giant, which has recently promised to clean up its programming. The fine? $275,000.
(read The Kentucky Post) The city of Covington has sued radio giant Clear Channel, saying the multi-billion dollar company hasn't paid its business taxes since it bought Jacor Communications six years ago. It's unclear how much Clear Channel owes the city -- the lawsuit doesn't put a dollar amount on the debt, and city officials didn't have an exact figure. The city says more documentation is needed to determine the amount. "I don't think that we know, because (Clear Channel) didn't supply certain documents that we need,'' said City Solicitor Jay Fossett. Clear Channel, which reported earnings of nearly $9 billion in 2003, has its corporate headquarters in San Antonio, Texas. But it maintains an office in Covington, a remnant of the old Jacor Communications
Stern Getting Sirius? Is Howard Stern getting serious, I mean, Sirius? I'm told that Stern visited the offices of Sirius, the satellite radio company, late last week and talked about moving his show onto their system. This would be a brilliant answer to Stern's current problems since he was bounced from six of Clear Channel's major stations for "indecency" on Feb. 25. His show still runs on stations that belong to Infinity Broadcasting, Stern's syndicate. But Stern has voiced worry that even Infinity will eventually bow to FCC fines and terminate him. Satellite radio is not covered by the FCC or its regulations. This would be quite a leap forward for Sirius, which prides itself on innovative programming. Several times last week Stern talked about satellite radio during his show. Sirius would get an immediate jump-start of very calculable proportions if Stern joined because his legions of fans would have to get the Sirius system installed in their cars...which is easier than you think. If Stern takes this turn, he'll be remembered for launching an entire medium. Interesting, no?
The Wires (March 2004)
(read David Hinckley) While most on-air personalities have limited their public comments on the new indecency proposals to nervous jokes, Howard Stern has railed against them daily. "We're losing our freedom of speech and no one cares," he said. He has said he expects to be hit with heavy FCC fines and "probably taken off the air. ... Right now, I'd really like to go to [the much less regulated] satellite radio, just so I can do my show and say what I want again." One of the few opposing the House bill was Queens Democratic Rep. Gary Ackerman, who said, "We're going down the slippery slope of limiting our Constitution and [its] protections." Meanwhile, the FCC is widely expected to show Congress it takes the indecency issue seriously by handing down a series of stiff fines within the next few days
(read CNN Money) There has been rampant speculation that Stern might eventually join Sirius Satellite Radio or XM Satellite Radio which like pay cable stations, are not subject to the same decency and obscenity rules that affect major TV networks and terrestrial radio stations. Both satellite radio stocks have bucked the market's downward trend: Since Feb. 2 (the day after the Super Bowl halftime show that kicked off much of the indecency backlash), shares of Sirius are up about 3 percent while XM Satellite has gained 7 percent
(read LA Times) The White House issued a statement applauding the House bill. The bill drew objections from the American Civil Liberties Union, which complained that the bill would "turn down the thermostat in an already chilly atmosphere, deterring speech that is constitutionally protected." The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, in a letter to lawmakers, objected that fining performers represented an "unconstitutional threat to free speech" and would have a "chilling effect on artistic freedom." The National Assn. of Broadcasters, saying it favored voluntary industry initiatives to government regulation, issued a statement saying that broadcasters had moved to address concerns of parents, such as Clear Channel Communications' decision to pull Howard Stern off the air in six cities, firing a Florida shock jock known as "Bubba the Love Sponge" and establishing a "zero-tolerance" policy on profanity and sexual content for its on-air personalities
(read Chris Baker - Washington Times) Clear Channel Communications Inc. has adopted the broadcasting industry's toughest policy against airing indecent material, but some critics charge the radio giant with unfair enforcement of the rules. The San Antonio company last month dropped Howard Stern's syndicated show from the six Clear Channel stations that carried it because the program featured a lewd sexual discussion and a caller to the show used a racial slur. The day after Clear Channel dropped the program, a comedian on the syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show" used racial terms similar to those that aired on Mr. Stern's show. Clear Channel carries Mr. Joyner's program on its stations in Chicago, Philadelphia, San Antonio and other cities. It has not pulled the show. "I'm a fan of Tom Joyner, but I was deeply offended by that skit. It seems like a double standard to drop Howard Stern but not take action against Tom Joyner," said Nathaniel Livingston Jr., a community activist in Cincinnati who has called on Clear Channel to punish Mr. Joyner.
(read Philly Inquirer) Broadcasters airing indecent programming could be fined up to $500,000 - almost a twentyfold increase over current levels - under legislation expected to pass the House. Lawmakers have decried what they say is an increase in indecent program during hours when children are likely to be watching television or listening to the radio. They have said that the current fines are dismissed by giant media conglomerates as simply a cost of doing business. On Wednesday, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists sent a letter to House members objecting to a provision allowing the FCC to fine individual performers for indecency. "Such legislation should be rejected on the grounds that it represents an unconstitutional threat to free speech and would have an unnecessary chilling effect on artistic freedom," said the letter from union president John Connolly and national executive director Greg Hessinger
(read Reuters) Viacom Inc. and EchoStar Communications Corp. said on Thursday they ended a contractual dispute, restoring CBS broadcasts to 1.6 million EchoStar viewers. Viacom said that more than 9 million EchoStar viewers nationwide will be able to watch Viacom-owned cable networks including MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central again. The agreement follows EchoStar's removal of CBS in 16 local markets and 10 Viacom national channels from its service on Tuesday as the companies had failed to reach an agreement on contract terms by a particular deadline. The new long-term agreement means that EchoStar will also air a new Viacom channel Nicktoons this spring
(read Boston Globe - Clea Simon) The sound of mornings is changing. Whether it's because of ratings battles or format shifts, a more personable, somewhat more serious tone is the order of the day. The most obvious departure is the shift in Howard Stern's show. The syndicated host, carried locally on WBCN-FM (104.1), has grown increasingly political in recent weeks
(read LA Weekly - Jonny Angel) Three things in life used to be certainties: The sun rises in the east, everyone dies someday, and commercial music radio in L.A. is overwhelmingly atrocious. The former are inevitable conditions of nature, the last a result of corporate consolidation, tighter-than-a-streetwalker's-jeans playlists and the played-out state of most musical forms - there's nothing much to get excited about on the airwaves today. One rare bright spot on the dial, though, has been the amazing "Indie 103.1," an unpredictable outlet whose format changes have run every conceivable gamut, including that of the late and much-lamented '90s MARS-FM
(read NY Times) Four major Internet providers announced yesterday that they had filed lawsuits meant to shut a number of leading senders of unsolicited junk e-mail, or spam. The suits, which are seeking monetary damages and injunctions against further mass e-mail messages, are among the first to invoke the new federal antispam law, which went into effect Jan. 1. So far, the law has not done anything to stem the torrent of spam. In February, 62 percent of all e-mail was spam, according to Brightmail, an e-mail filter company. That is up from 58 percent in December. The four companies - America Online, Earthlink, Yahoo and Microsoft - filed suits in federal courts in their home states against different groups of suspected spammers
(read Dan Gillmor) I have no special affection for Howard Stern or his radio show. While some people find him hilarious and incisive, I find him offensive and mostly sophomoric. But he has my backing in his dispute with one of the media giants that has done so much to lower the quality of American radio in recent years. There's something seriously putrid about the decision by radio conglomerate Clear Channel Communications to remove his show from six of its stations until he cleans up his act sufficiently to make his show pure pablum
Kurt Hanson for March 9: Howard Stern, saying he feels targeted by the recent FCC actions to "clean the airwaves" and Clear Channel's decision to drop his show on six of its stations, has been threatening to move to satellite radio. In today's issue of "RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter," we have experpts from a Washington Times piece that suggests that Stern could help establish the satellite radio industry in much the same way that Jack Benny and George Burns did with television. Also, a Wall Street Journal story indicates that if Stern were to make such a move, many of his advertisers would stick with him.
(read Wall Street Journal) Subscribers of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. might not even notice that shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge disappeared from their radios when he was fired by Clear Channel Communications Inc. last week. The reason: XM still offers what it calls "Gonzo Radio at its Most Warped" around the clock. As traditional media giants buckle under pressure from federal regulators and lawmakers to clean up the airwaves, the nation's two satellite-radio providers need not worry. Federal rules limiting foul-mouthed talk on broadcast-television networks and radio stations don't apply to satellite radio, just as they exclude cable and satellite TV
(read Washington Times) (read UPI) Howard Stern's threat to move his syndicated radio program to satellite radio would boost a fledgling medium with a small but growing subscriber base. The move would be similar to those by George Burns and Jack Benny, two radio stars who helped usher in a new era in entertainment in the 1940s when they moved to television. At the time, TV sets were a luxury afforded by only the very wealthy, but the popularity of Mr. Burns and Mr. Benny helped spur sales of sets to working-class families. "The movement of Howard Stern would be transformational for the industry," said analyst Kit Spring, who studies satellite radio for Stifel, Nicolaus & Co Inc., a financial services firm in St. Louis. Mr. Stern offered to move to satellite radio a few years ago, but the companies turned him down because his $30 million asking price was too steep, according to Tom Watts, an analyst for SG Cowen Securities Corp., a New York securities and investment firm. "Given the fact that he's being shut out of traditional radio, the question is: Is he willing to drop his price?" Mr. Watts said
Wired One File Swapper, One Lawsuit (DAT's Entertainment Monday) The music industry cannot file one lawsuit against 200 alleged file swappers, says a federal judge in Philadelphia. Instead, the Recording Industry Association of America will have to sue each individually. By Katie Dean.
FMQB: Amendment Could Stall Senate Indecency Bill The Senate Commerce Committee unanimously approved legislation to impose harsher indecency penalties, but Senator Brownback's proposal could get bogged down by an amendment that would reinstate the old FCC ownership rules.
Insideradio: No indecency fines Monday - is this whole thing back on "Pause"? Howard Stern says he hears that last week's uproar caused the FCC to pull back on plans to issue new fines. He now thinks it could be weeks or months before the FCC releases its fine again him. Looming Senate indecency bill has even tougher language than the House version. The Commerce Committee pretty much liked all the amendments it saw this morning: Escalating fines for each violation. "Three strikes and you're out" license revocation hearings. Fines of up to $500,000 for non-licensees (like artists or talent). An attempt to protect children from violent programming. And a $3 million-per-day cap for indecency. Dealbreaker in the Senate version? Senators Dorgan, Lott and Snowe use the bill to take aim at ownership consolidation. They'd require the GAO to study the relationship between consolidation and indecency -- and they want a total moratorium on the FCC's June 2 ownership rules until the study's complete. That could be a dealbreaker, because the House studiously avoided wading into ownership. And we'd say it would effectively freeze the FCC rules in place well into 2005.
(read Newsday) Howard Stern, sounding grim and depressed, said Friday on his top-rated morning show that he expected to be forced off the radio within three months, the victim of a political and financial campaign driven by right-wing religious conservatives. He urged listeners to vote against President Bush in revenge. ``The plug is about to be pulled on me,'' he told his audience, which he estimated at about 16 million listeners nationwide. ``I'm saying my goodbyes now. There's nothing you can do about it. . . . Vote George Bush out of office. That's all I ask. Remember me when you go to the voting booth.''
(read David Hinckley) Scott Shannon and Todd Pettengill of WPLJ (95.5 FM) had fun this week recounting Ryan Seacrest's debut as a morning radio host on KIIS in L.A., where he replaced Rick Dees. On Seacrest's first day, apparently the tape-delay system wasn't turned on. Sure enough, Seacrest's first live caller used the F-word and it sailed out over the air - at almost the same time that John Hogan, CEO of KIIS' parent, Clear Channel, was assuring Congress that Clear Channel is taking every possible measure to ensure that its listeners hear nothing inappropriate. KIIS blamed "audio terrorists," and said it would try to get the tape-delay working
(read Reuters) Kinky Friedman, best-selling author, country music singer, humorist, friend of stray dogs and salsa merchant, is running for governor of Texas in 2006 as an independent. Friedman is the man behind the song "Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed" and author of the book "Kill Two Birds and Get Stoned." Kinky said country music greats Willie Nelson and Dwight Yoakam have pledged their support along with actors Robert Duval, Billy Bob Thorton and Johnny Depp. Magicians Penn and Teller have promised to make any opponent disappear. When it comes to bipartisan support, Kinky is one of the few people around who can list presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush as friends
Insideradio.com reports: More indecency fines today from the FCC? Stay tuned. All the complaints from 2-3 years ago that slept in a file cabinet are now being scrutinized as if they came in last week. Commission Chairman Powell tells House member John Dingell they should resolve about two dozen complaints soon. Also: "Safe" morning shows are going to be in demand. Today's push-the-line shows are going to reel themselves in -- or get grounded. We predict that some GMs and groups will be looking for a new kind of morning show, that's entertaining but not "blue." And: The Senate marks up its own indecency bill tomorrow morning. For now S. 2056 looks tame compared to the House version that pushes fines up to $500,000 with no "cap" -- but that could change on Tuesday.
(read Salon - Eric Boehlert) From the moment last week when Clear Channel Communications suspended Howard Stern's syndicated morning show from the company's radio stations, denouncing it as "vulgar, offensive and insulting," speculation erupted that the move had more to do with Stern's politics than his raunchy shock-jock shtick. Stern's loyal listeners, Clear Channel foes and many Bush administration critics immediately reached the same conclusion: The notorious jock was yanked off the air because he had recently begun trashing Bush, and Bush-friendly Clear Channel used the guise of "indecency" to shut him up. That the content of Stern's crude show hadn't suddenly changed, but his stance on Bush had, gave the theory more heft. That, plus his being pulled off the air in key electoral swing states such as Florida and Pennsylvania. This week, Stern himself went on the warpath.
(read Reuters) The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday approved a measure to dramatically stiffen penalties against television and radio broadcasters who cross the line on airing indecent material. In a surprise move, the panel approved fines of $500,000 per violation, instead of the ten-fold increase to $275,000, which had earlier passed a subcommittee and had been recommended by the Federal Communications Commission. Lawmakers, who voted 49-1 in favor of the bill, set no maximum for the total fine for an entire incident. They also agreed to require the FCC to hold hearings on revoking a broadcaster's license after three violations
(read Arizona Republic) Nothing like a little George Carlin monologue on the way to work, with the raunchy words bleeped out. Or an all-about-nothing story from Jerry Seinfeld, topped off by some Drew Carrey. That, at least, is what the All Comedy Radio promoters are counting on with their new 24-hour comedy format for KPHX-AM (1480) in the Valley, which debuted Monday. Michael O'Shea, chief executive officer of Hollywood-based All Comedy Radio, says that taking over KPHX, formerly a Spanish-language station, is all about bringing innovation back to radio.
(read Reuters - Keith Girard) Wow, what a shocking week for news. Osama captured? Peace in Iraq? A cure for the common cold? Nah . . . Howard Stern's show was suspended on six Clear Channel radio stations, because the shock jock supposedly violated the conglomerate's decency standards. In the wake of the controversy, Clear Channel president/COO Mark Mays not only worked overtime apologizing for Stern's show, but he appeared ready this week to abrogate all programming decisions to the U.S. government.
Wired: Shocking Way to Transform Waste (Technology 2:00 a.m. PDT) Penn State researchers say they've made a fuel cell that eats waste to produce electricity, potentially making water treatment a self-sustaining technology. By David Snow.
Wired: Some Like It Hot (Wired magazine 2:00 a.m. PDT) OK, P2P is 'piracy.' But Hollywood, radio, cable TV and, yes, even the music industry all sprang from different forms of thievery. By Lawrence Lessig from Wired magazine.
Wired: Snafus Aplenty in E-Voting (Machine Politics Wednesday) Frozen touch-screen monitors and malfunctioning computers caused problems at a number of polling places Tuesday, but election officials say the glitches are all part of the teething process. Others fear the worst, come November.
RDN Virus Advisory -- Since Friday, virus writers have been on a rampage, unleashing more than a half-dozen new viruses, some of them proving to be quite effective.
XM Radio: Beginning today (Monday) XM Instant Traffic & Weather will offer listeners in-depth, up-to-date information about road and weather conditions in 21 major metropolitan markets plus several interstate corridors nationwide. Traffic for Los Angeles is on channel 222.
Sirius: Sirius Satellite Radio has begun delivering around-the-clock, nonstop traffic and weather reports for the most congested cities across the country to all SIRIUS subscribers
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