Real Reason for Clear Channel's Move to the Left

[erpowers]

There is an article in the local newspaper talking about Clear Channel's move to the left in that they may be allowing more liberals to talk on their stations. I think the real reason for Clear Channel doing this is to stop people from listening to Air America Radio. I would not be surprised if they put up some weak talk show hosts on their stations. I think Clear Channel hopes to break up the liberal market and put people in a position where they will either listen Air America or some of the people they put on their stations. I think the point of this is to bring down the rating of Air America and then claim that nobody wants to listen to liberals. I think Air America should begin to hire some of the more popular liberals, like Nancy Skinner and others, and give them shows on its stations. This way people will be able to listen to their favorite liberal talkers on Air America. This would prevent a split in the ratings. Anyone who wants to look up the story can go to Associated Press or chron.com and look at the business section.

[kiraboo]

1. The following article says that CC is actually picking up AAR!

Maybe they do smell the money and are making a mercenary move. I hope so. It can only help our cause.

http://www.nyblade.com/2005/1-28/arts/main/lesadio.cfm

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. Yup. They've done such a good job of silencing the "liberal media"

through ownership of the airwaves. Clearchannel is just expanding squidlike, before surrounding its prey.

[LiberalEsto]

2. The Washington DC radio station for AAR

is owned by Clear Channel. WWRC 1260 AM

I was surprised when I heard an announcement on the air saying "This is a Clear Channel station."

It's anything BUT clear. Imus, whose show is broadcast on WWRC in the morning, recently joked that the station's signal was so weak that even dogs couldn't hear it.

[mattclearing]

5. And I'm sure they have exclusive rights, ensuring no one will hear it.n/t

[Richardo]

9. That's a surprisingly funny line

...from that grizzled nobody.

[Suziq]

3. It's the Money . . .

Clear Channel realizes there is money to be made in liberal radio. It is strictly business.


:hippie:

[calimary]

23. YES. It's the money. They've watched it start to succeed in other

markets and realize that

A) it DOES draw an audience.
B) that audience is at the moment largely untapped. HUGELY untapped.
C) that audience is a goldmine of new income dollars that could be of benefit to their advertisers, and so far are NOT being reached.
D) they may realize they've reached a saturation level with conservative talk. I mean, it's EVERYWHERE. At this point, where can they possibly expand? Can you say - overexposed? Meantime, there's this other load of people out there who are NOT being reached by the wrong-wing talkers (case in point: how often do YOU listen to that shit?) and there's gold in them thar liberals.

[mattclearing]

4. I doubt that.

More likely is that they see that there is money to be made and are carving out their portion of the market share.

Whether or not they get real liberals will determine whether their ploy works.

If they go the Fox route (Colmes, anybody?), you can bet it will fail.

[izzybeans]

6. And Randi Rhodes was on contract with CC before AAR

Businesses do what the market strategies tell them. they will sell snake oil if someone convinced them it could turn a profit. And they did-Rush Limbpuke. Someone was fudging the marketability numbers on liberal markets. It turns out most of us money spending consumers are liberals. Whodathunkit? Someone somewhere is out of a job for not tapping a huge money market earlier would be my bet. keep the profits churning expand the market. They wouldn't deliberately miss out on an opportunity to accumulate as much capital as their grubby little fingers could snatch away from the ad agencies. If AAR continues to expand they will have no choice but to either compete with like minded and hard hitting people of their own or try cash in on it is some way. My bet is they are trying to corner the market like they have cornered every other. We have to ensure that our most progressive talkers remain the centerpiece no matter who is in control.

[bunny planet]

11. Randi Rhodes still works for Clear Channel. Her West Palm show is a

Clear Channel station. She was their number one show in her market. She convinced them to let her syndicate with Air America and still keep her position with them for a simul cast. CC will go where the money is, she said she'd prove to them that liberal talk could be successful, and they've gone from 3 to almost 50 stations in less than a year. They wouldn't syndicate her before she proved herself in a national market. They still won't put her on in Jeb country, she and AAR need to be on the West Coast of Florida. Right now, I think only her show is on in Miami, and only one hour of it at that.

I agree that AAR needs to hire the best talk show hosts, Thom Hartmann would be great for starters.

[izzybeans]

18. Thanks I guess I thought she got out of that contract when she came to AAR

I stand corrected.

[blm]

7. The REAL reason is that the 2004 election is over, they did their job.

Now they feel they don't want the left to hold it against their advertisers so they'll throw a few bones for "appearance's sake" just like FOX does every now and then.

[fasttense]

8. Good point. See we are not really white racist who think Democracy

is for sale. See we carry Air America. Send us your love and money too.

[yourout]

10. Money....

Money....Money....Money....Money....Money....Money....Money....Money....Money....Money....Money....Money....Money....Money....

[The Great Escape]

12. I Tend To Believe It's Just a Good Business Move on the Part of CC...

there are loads of AM stations that are just floundering and utilizing formats that just aren't going to get it done. Think of the glut of "sports talk" stations, or stations that don't have the pull to get the better rated talk shows on their stations. CC owns alot of these stations. AAR brings a ready made line up and programming. Mix it with Ed Schultz (if they choose) and maybe a local host or two and you have a station that is probably going to do better than any format they currently have. Personally, I feel AAR is doing more to subvert change in Clear Channel than vice versa.

[xultar]

13. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ is the reason! n/t

[ClassWarrior]

14. They're doing it for the same reason any corporatist whore does something.

Profit.

NGU.

[DaveinMD]

16. its about money

not everything is a conspiracy theory. Clear Channel wants to make money and AAR demonstrated their is a nitch for progressive radio.

[GOPBasher]

17. That won't work. If all their libs are weak, liberals will just keep

listening to AAR.

[K8-EEE]

19. I've Got Franken & Rhodes Again During Drive Time, Yay!

I never thought I'd be cheering Clear Channel but I really missed AAR in the car. Wonderful to hear them in L.A. again! In never made any sense to me at all that our wonderful, liberal City of the Angels only had rednecks from God knows where on the radio. I don't even KNOW any people like that, yet my whole freaking radio dial was Freeperville Rants!

[otohara]

20. They Put AAR On Struggling Stations - Here's The Deal

under the rules they can own 5 FM's / 3 AM's in a single market.

With AM's the choices are limited to talk, sports, and talk in Clear Channels world. I bet if you look at the stations they put AAR on, it was the least performing CC station in the market. Sure as hell was here and it worked.

The station went from a 0.2 to a 1.6.

CC only cares about money, ratings.

[OneTwentyoNine]

21. Don't think so...they woke up to the fact of 50+ MILLION Dems out there...

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/nation/10928958.htm

Thats the story as it appeared in our paper today. WTF,20 stations added by the end of 05!! Works for me. Living here in Wichita ALL we get is flaming RW crap,looks like CC woke up to the fact that Kansas didn't go 100% for Republicans. There is a market,a big one for Liberal radio,in fact around here Entercom is the one carrying RW radio.

[LittleClarkie]

22. They're only doing things like allowing AAR on their channels because

it's making them money. Unlike Sinclair, Clear Channel isn't above selling out their RW principles for a buck.

Not to say I don't appreciate that. I prefer CC over Sinclair for that reason.