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Nov 11, 1998
KBLT: ONGOING STORY
full story online at LA Weekly
Imagine a radio station with a wide-open programming policy, well-informed DJs,
no corporate or collegiate affiliations, and no annoying commercials or pledge drives.
Sounds enticing, doesn't it? Well, between Thanksgiving evening 1995 and October
30, 1998, L.A. actually had a station that fit the above description. It was called
KBLT, it resided at 104.7 on your FM dial, and it was a breath of fresh airwaves,
with more than 40 volunteer DJs spinning everything from out-there indie stuff to
old-time country music.
It was also unlicensed, and thus, in the eyes of the Federal Communications Commission,
completely illegal.
On the morning of October 30, the station's signal went out. Jarrett went to check
on the transmitter, only to be met in the building's stairwell by a gentleman flashing
an FCC badge. "He said to me, 'You've got two options. We can confiscate the
equipment and give you a receipt for it, or you can give us your name and we'll fine
you $11,000.'"
Jarrett opted to let them keep the transmitter and antenna, which had cost around
$500. "It wasn't a huge amount," she says. "It would have been worse
if they'd come to the studio and confiscated the other half of the transmission equipment,
and the entire studio and music library." All of which the feds are entitled
to do, of course, in the name of serving the public interest.
PACIFICA RADIO CHOOSES NEW HEAD
full story online at Current
Pacifica has chosen longtime community radio advocate and its second-in-command
Lynn Chadwick to succeed Pat Scott as executive director. As the former president
of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters and the Pacifica Foundation's
director of operations and planning since January, Chadwick isn't a surprise choice.
Observers note her long career in the system. "She has a background in public
broadcasting and community radio of over 20 years," says Valerie Van Isler,
g.m. of Pacifica's WBAI, New York. "That same experience, completely and fully
advocating for community stations, whether before Congress, before CPB, and other
agencies ... is going to be very powerful and extremely helpful."
Nov 9, 1998
KBLT SHUTDOWN BY FCC!
full story online at AllstarMag
Los Angeles residents and visitors in the know have long known that the most creative
radio station in a town filled with hits- driven playlists is Silver Lake's 40-watt
pirate outlet KBLT. For the past three years the station has seen its share of celebrity
DJs, including regulars Mike Watt, ex-Circle Jerk Keith Morris, and Bob Forrest of
Thelonious Monster fame, as well as guest DJs including the Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Howie B, Glenn Danzig, Flaming Lips, Jesus and Mary Chain, John Squier (of the Seahorses
and Stone Roses), and Helium, among others. But on Friday, Oct. 30, the FCC shut
the station down.
The Federal Communications Commission gave KBLT founder Paige Jarrett a choice: an
$11,000 fine or confiscation of her broadcast equipment. She chose the latter. This
wasn't the first time the station has gone dark. In July, KBLT was tipped off that
the FCC was looking for it, so they proactively took themselves off the air for two
and a half months, before returning to the airwaves Oct. 13, only to be discovered
by the FCC a few weeks later.
KBLT has always been supported by big-name local bands -- this past year it hosted
a surprise live on-air performance by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and benefit concerts
have been headlined by Mazzy Star (in March 1997), and Mike Watt (in the fall of
1997). Low was also scheduled to perform on-air on Oct. 31.
RADIO CARSON SHUT DOWN BY FCC!
full story online at The Post Gazette
Radio Carson is dead. Maybe dead is too harsh a word, but agents from the Federal
Communications Commission and U.S. Marshals executed an arrest warrant 10 days ago
at Mark Lange's South Side home and took away his transmitter, pulling the plug on
his unlicensed radio station.
It's not as though Lange didn't know what was coming. For three years, he's been
using a low-grade transmitter to broadcast electronic music -- a mixture of instrumental
and synthesized music he says mainstream stations have all but ignored -- on 91.7
FM in Pittsburgh.
Lange liked the arrangement. Local DJs helped him mix the dance tunes on compact
discs, and Lange left his 50-disk CD changer on autopilot while he went to his day
job as a technician for a telecommuncations company that he declined to name. At
night, he would add commentary to the broadcasts and spin the discs himself.
"It was nothing profane or offensive," Lange said of Radio Carson. "It
was just a music format that wasn't available on any Pittsburgh radio station."
The FCC does let some low-power stations operate, but at 10 watts, Radio Carson exceeded
the FCC's limit by more than 100 times, according to Harry Litman, U.S. attorney
for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
"We feel that the Free Radio movement is a challenge to the FCC," Lange
said. "Free Radio threatens commercial radio's ability to make money."
Lange invested about $4,000 into his station for equipment and operating expenses.
He said that a commercial license would cost him $100,000 to $500,000, and operating
costs at the larger stations run into the millions.
Lange has been off the air since the two FCC agents and two U.S marshals visited
him on Oct. 28, hauling away about $2,000 of his equipment and warning him that broadcasting
would result in a $10,000 fine and an arrest for violating a court order.
"If my role is as a martyr, if I give this city a taste of what radio should
be and I have to be shut down as a result, then maybe that's what we need to make
the system change."
CUMULUS BUYS ALABAMA RADIO
full story online at Excite News
Cumulus Media Inc. announced today it is entering the Muscle Shoals, Alabama radio
market through the purchase of two FM stations and one AM station. The Company is
acquiring WKGL-FM, WLAY-FM and WLAY-AM from U.S. South Broadcasting Company, Inc.
for $6.3 million.
Including this announcement as well as pending acquisitions, Cumulus has made 74
acquisitions in 1997 and 1998. Today, the Company operates 185 stations in 36 markets.
Following FCC approval and completion of all pending acquisitions, Cumulus will own
and operate 204 stations in 39 markets.
Z-SPANISH RADIO BUYS TWO
full story online at Sacramento Business Journal
Z-Spanish Radio Network Inc., a fast-growing national radio chain based in Sacramento,
has just bought two more Spanish-language stations -- one in Phoenix and one in Miami
-- for a combined $27.6 million.
The company, which focuses on the Spanish-speaking U.S. market, now owns 32 stations.
It wants to own 50 and become publicly traded by late next year or early 2000.
Nov 4, 1998
ABC/DISNEY LOCKS OUT WORKERS
full story online at Yahoo News
full story online at Yahoo News
full story online at Yahoo News
ABC Inc. locked out 2,200 employees Tuesday, and the workers' union retaliated
by urging politicians not to talk to ABC News during Election Day coverage, saying
Vice President Al Gore had already joined the boycott.
The National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET), which has
been negotiating a new contract with ABC for nearly two years, also threatened to
target ABC's parent company, Walt Disney Co., in its labor actions.
"We will pursue all legal action including the parent company," NABET spokesman
Tom Donahue said in an interview when asked if Disney was being targeted.
ABC technical workers will file an unfair labor practice charge against the TV
and radio network for locking them out of their jobs, their union said on Wednesday,
claiming prominent politicians and at least one Hollywood celebrity were honoring
their picket lines.
In addition to the legal move, the union reported the network had been forced to
cancel high-profile "Good Morning America" location shoots scheduled for
next week.
The bitter labor dispute, now in its third day, has forced ABC to use managers and
non-union staff behind the cameras to continue broadcasting its programs. Workers
have been picketing outside the Disney-owned network's New York City headquarters
and studios, as well as at ABC offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and
Washington.
The National Association of Broadcast Employees & Technicians (NABET) said several
politicians -- and at least one celebrity -- heeded its appeal to boycott ABC News
and other ABC broadcasts.
NABET workers, whose contract expired May 1997, had staged Monday's walkout to protest
what it said was the network's refusal to provide information on a proposed health
plan for employees.
"On the outside it's roses and happiness and gaiety, but on the inside Disney
says, 'This is what you get and if you don't like it, tough!'" said one videotape
technician who declined to give his name.
His colleague, 22-year ABC veteran John B., said of Disney: "I'm not happy with
them at all. It's not an employee-friendly company at all."
ABC PULLS STORY ON DISNEY
full story online at Yahoo News
This little story popped up a few weeks ago but didn't get much attention. Why not?
Is it a true story and a quick and quiet squashing or did it really just "not
work" ?
ABC News has pulled the plug on a proposed "20/20" story
about theme park security that was based upon a book critical of the network's parent
company, Walt Disney Co.
ABC News Chairman David Westin made the decision on his own without direction from
network or Disney executives, spokeswoman Eileen Murphy said today. She said the
story "did not work" and no decision has been made on whether it will ever
air.
The network had signed an agreement with publishers of "Disney: The Mouse Betrayed"
to give it exclusive access to research in the book before it was published, The
Washington Post reported today. The book alleged that Disney World in Florida fails
to perform security checks that would prevent the hiring of sex offenders, the Post
said.
DEATH OF RADIO REPORTING
full story online at Columbia Journalism Review
Improbable as it seems, television's unglamorous seventy-five-year-old sibling,
radio, now reigns as the most profitable of all media. Radio's recent tidal wave
of corporate consolidations, its cheap production costs, and its high cash flow have
transformed it into the darling of Wall Street. One troubling result of radio's remarkable
financial turn-around: the elimination of serious radio reporting. It is fast disappearing
from stations across the nation, replaced by talkers, "shock jocks," syndicated
headline services, or no news at all. Except at public radio and a few all-news stations,
radio reporters have become a vanishing breed.
What's happening to radio today is likely to happen to television tomorrow, as radio-style
managements bring to the nation's television stations the same cost-cutting techniques
that succeeded in generating record-breaking profits from the older medium. Forbes
magazine reports that CBS's biggest stockholder, Mel Karmazin, made so much money
in radio that he was able to "swap his radio company, Infinity Broadcasting,
for effective control of CBS." According to CBS's most recent proxy statement,
he owns 10,847,739 shares, worth approximately $328 million. Now, Forbes says, Karmazin
"is trying to use radio-style management to turn CBS around."
Since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 changed the limit on the number of radio
stations one company can own, four multibillion-dollar corporations have gained control
of nearly 33 percent of the $13.6 billion-a-year radio business. They are: CBS; Hicks,
Muse, Tate and Furst; Jacor; and Clear Channel Communications. What was basically
a locally owned media business has been converted into a national oligopoly.
[Editor's Note: Clear Channel now owns Jacor, making it THREE corporations
who dominate radio.]
ALLIANCE BUYS MICHIGAN RADIO
full story online at Yahoo News
Alliance Broadcasting Group said it has agreed to acquire Northern Radio Networks
(NRN), which owns and operates a group of stations in Michigan. Alliance owns and
operates a group of radio stations in Florida and Indiana. The merged company will
operate under the name of Alliance Broadcasting Group Inc. and will include 12 stations.
Joe Newman, CEO of Alliance Broadcasting, said, "This is the first step in developing
a broad-based communications company to include radio stations as well as radio and
television production and syndication."
Robert Currier, CEO of Northern Radio Networks Currier, added, "We felt that
the recent consolidation in broadcasting including mergers of several major companies
indicated that this was the right move at the right time. Together, we feel that
we can become a major force in the communications industry," he said in a statement.
CBC FINALLY SELLS STATIONS
full story online at Yahoo News
full story online at Yahoo News
Children's Broadcasting Corp. said it amended its agreement to sell 10 of its
radio stations to Catholic Radio Network, and will now sell three of those to Radio
Unica Corp.
Under the terms of the amended agreement, Catholic Radio will buy 7 stations for
$37.0 million and Unica will buy the other three for $29.25 million. The amended
deals raise the total purchase price to $66.25 million from the $61.7 million Children's
would have received from Catholic Radio. This is the second time the deal with Catholic
has been amended.
MOBILTRACK GETS NUMBERS
full story online at Gavin
What really happens when a station gives away $25,000 cash? Does expensive TV
advertising make an impact? How do different format clocks affect listenership? A
new passive audience research technology called MobilTRAKô promises to shed
some light on the previously imponderable.
Although the technology is sophisticated, MobilTRAK's collection methodologies are
simple. Markets are segmented into neighborhoods based on demographic information.
From there, a minimum of three electronic measurement units are permanently mounted
on utility poles at high-traffic locations in each neighborhood. As an auto whizzes
by, these units record to which station the in-car radio is tuned.
According to Lucius Stone, Director of Sales and Marketing for MobilTRAK Inc., the
service fills in three new and valuable pieces of the radio research puzzle. "The
sample sizes are larger than have ever been gathered before - we do over 100,000
samples a day in each of our wired markets - so we can offer extreme accuracy,"
he explains. "Also, the data is electronic, so it's immediate. You can literally
try something on the air and know the very next day whether or not you gained or
lost audience. Plus, from a geographic standpoint, you can look at specific neighborhoods
or at specific retail locations in some instances. This technology makes radio the
only empirically auditable medium."
ARBITRON TO MONITOR INTERNET RADIO
full story online at Gavin
With an eye towards the fragmentation of radio usage by digital satellite services
and listening on the Internet, Arbitron took steps at last week's NAB Radio Show
to keep up with new technology. First, the ratings firm released the findings of
a recent study
of Internet listening (and potential satellite impact). Then, Arbitron announced
a deal to offer the first audience measurement ratings for Internet listening.
RADIO TO GET FRAGMENTED
full story online at Gavin
related link at Arbitron
It is said that in the Chinese language the written symbol for "danger"
and "opportunity" are the same. Given Arbitron's presentation and announcements
at the recent NAB convention, it seems that new technologies - satellite broadcasting
and Internet radio - have the potential to live up to either or both sides of that
Chinese character. Arbitron's Internet
Listening Study formed the basis for the concern/excitement.
Oct 19, 1998
FCC CHAIR KENNARD WORRIED
full story online at CBS Marketwatch
read the full speech at FCC.gov
William Kennard, the chairman of the Federal Communications
Commission, told radio station owners and other broadcasting professionals that he's
worried increasing consolidation of the radio industry may be threatening competition
and diversity.
In a breakfast address at the National Association of Broadcasters Radio Convention
here, Kennard said the FCC is "re-examining all of its broadcast ownership
rules" and is actively soliciting input from broadcasters and the public at
large on the possible negative effects of consolidation.
"I'm concerned when I talk to small, independent
broadcasters who tell me they're being squeezed out of their markets," Kennard
said. "I'm concerned when I talk to advertisers who tell me that large multiple
owners have locked up certain demographics in many markets."
The FCC chairman also emphasized that he'll continue to look for ways to promote
minority and female ownership and employment in broadcasting. Kennard, an African-American,
said a federal appeals court's recent decision to strike down the FCC's Equal Employment
Opportunity rules closed doors that had been open to minorities and women for 30
years.
Kennard also reiterated his commitment to so-called microbroadcasters, who operate
stations with signals of 100 watts or less. Big consolidators, conversely, argue
that a bunch of these tiny stations creates interference and could take up enough
space on the FM band to impede the industry's move to digital radio.
Kennard said the FCC "will not undermine the integrity of the FM band"
and won't do anything to stand in the way of digital progress. But, he said, the
commission "cannot deny opportunities to those who want to use the airwaves
to speak to their communities simply because it might be inconvenient to those of
you who already have these opportunities."
Kennard also said:
"And I learned back then -- first hand -- about the power of radio as a community
voice. It was one of the most exhilarating times in my life. And now, as I stand
here, privileged to be chairman of the FCC, I want to do whatever I can to provide
opportunities for others to use the airwaves to speak to their communities."
He also said he wants input from the public. That's YOU! Go to it!
Federal Communications Commission
1919 M Street N.W.
Washington DC 20554
(202) 418-0200
Chairman William Kennard: wkennard@fcc.gov
Commissioner Susan Ness: sness@fcc.gov
Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth: hfurchtg@fcc.gov
Commissioner Michael Powell: mpowell@fcc.gov
Commissioner Gloria Tristani: gtristan@fcc.gov
CHANCELLOR CANCELS GRUPO DEAL
full story online at Yahoo Business
full story online at CNNfn
full story online at Yahoo Business
Chancellor Media Corp. is terminating its agreement to buy a 50 percent stake
in Grupo Radio Centro S.A. de C.V., one of Mexico's leading radio broadcasting companies,
Grupo Radio said Friday.
The Mexican company said it would fight to enforce the agreement.
Chancellor, set to become the largest U.S. radio broadcaster through a series of
recent acquisitions, notified Grupo Radio of its decision Thursday.
Chancellor gave no reason for terminating the pact, the Mexican company said, and
Chancellor officials weren't available for comment.
The deal's cancellation comes on the heels of Chancellor's aggressive buying spree
in the radio, advertising and television industries over the summer.
In June, it agreed to acquire LIN Television Corp. for $1.5 billion, as well as outdoor
advertiser Martin Media L.P. for $610 million. In August, Chancellor purchased six
Cleveland radio stations for $275 million, then bought Whiteco Outdoor Advertising
for $930 million.
The deal with Grupo Radio fell squarely in the middle of the company's acquisition
spree. In July, Chancellor signed a definitive agreement to purchase a 50 percent
stake in Grupo Radio for about $237 million. Chancellor's stake would have been a
non-controlling interest.
Grupo Radio Centro believes that Chancellor's attempted unilateral termination is
improper. GRC reiterated that it will vigorously challenge Chancellor's alleged termination
notice, and that is exploring its legal rights and remedies.
CUMULUS ADDS 12 MORE
full story online at Yahoo Business
Cumulus Media Inc said it has completed the acquisition of 12 radio stations in
four markets and now operates 179 stations in 35 markets.
The total purchase price for the eight FM and four AM stations was $27.6 million.
Including these most recent closings and other pending acquisitions, Cumulus Media
has made 73 acquisitions in 1997 and 1998. Following regulatory approval and completion
of all pending acquisitions, Cumulus will own and operate 200 stations in 38 markets.
WILL FCC BE KILLJOY TO NAB?
full story online at CBS Marketwatch
As radio executives, on-air talent and others gather for the annual National Association
of Broadcasters Radio Convention in Seattle, their industry's urge to merge might
be raising red flags in Washington.
Just last week, Clear Channel Communications agreed to buy rival radio giant Jacor
Communications in a $4.4 billion stock swap. The deal will make Clear Channel the
second-largest U.S. radio broadcaster in terms of stations; its total of 454 will
trail only Chancellor Media, which will own 463 stations upon completion of a mega-merger
of its own.
In August, the Hicks Muse Tate & Furst unit entered a pact to swallow its Hicks
Muse sister Capstar Broadcasting in a $4.1 billion transaction.
Those are just the latest in a string of giant radio mergers made possible by the
1996 Telecom Act. Chancellor Broadcasting and Evergreen Media combined to form Chancellor
Media. CBS swallowed Infinity Broadcasting and American Radio Systems. The list is
endless.
But are we getting to a point at which the FCC may have to rethink the 1996 Telecom
Act?
"I think we're just about there," said Fritz Messere, a professor at State
University of New York Oswego. "I'd be interested to see what's going to happen."
FEDS ATTACK LOWPOWER IN TN
full story online at Bergen
Federal regulators have shut down an unlicensed radio station in Memphis, part
of the government's ongoing efforts to stop pirate radio operators.
The Federal Communications Commission seized radio equipment from the station, which
was operating at power levels ranging from 90 to 6,400 times the legal limit.
Penalties for operating unlicensed stations include fines and a prison term of up
to one year. But the FCC did not say whether it would seek any sanctions against
the FM station, which was operating on 94.7 MHz. The station called itself "Free
Radio Memphis."
In August, the government shut down 15 unlicensed radio stations in the Miami area,
one of its largest enforcement actions against pirate stations to date.
About 260 pirate radio stations have been shut down in the last year. Most of those
stations closed voluntarily after being contacted by regulators.
CPB PROPOSES FUNDS FOR RURAL RADIO
full story online at Current
When public broadcasting gets a $50 million raise in its federal appropriation
next fall, most of public radio's share would go to strengthen rural service, under
a recent proposal from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
All stations would see their CPB grant amounts rise but the biggest beneficiaries
under the proposal would be state and regional networks serving rural areas, Native
American stations, and the little stations that CPB now classifies as rural.
Last year, when Congress raised CPB's forward-funded appropriation by $50 million--to
$300 million for fiscal year 2000--it directed CPB to foster service to underserved
communities, particularly rural and Native American ones.
CHANCELLOR -vs- CLEAR CHANNEL?
full story online at Expressnews.com
Texas may be big enough, but expect fierce competition between South Texas' Clear
Channel Communications Inc. and North Texas' Chancellor Media Corp.
"There are going to be a lot of head-to-head battles" for market share
in revenue and listeners, said Thom Moon, director of operations for the research
and analysis firm Duncan's American Radio. "It's going to be very spirited and
probably it's going to be pretty interesting."
Duncan's American Radio tracks U.S. radio companies, listing Clear Channel as the
second- largest operator of radio stations behind Chancellor. But Clear Channel is
third in revenue, with CBS second. Jacor had been fourth.
ARBITRON ON THE NET
full story online at Yahoo Business
Arbitron NewMedia announced that it has reached an agreement with RadioWave.com,
the interactive radio subsidiary of Motorola, that will enable Arbitron to provide
Internet listener reports for radio stations and the other outlets that stream audio
programming on the Internet.
Arbitron will use RadioWave.com's proprietary software to track Internet listening
sessions. On-line and printed reports will be available later in the year covering
listening to as many as 300 Internet radio stations during the third quarter.
NEW SATELLITE RADIO (END OF LOCALISM?)
full story online at Yahoo Business
Radio listeners nationwide who have grown up with AM and FM will soon have an
alternative -- XM. American Mobile Radio Corporation President and CEO Hugh Panero
today announced that the company has changed its name to XM Satellite Radio Inc.
He also unveiled programming agreements with USA TODAY, Bloomberg News Radio, Heftel
Broadcasting Corporation, Salem Communications Corporation, AsiaOne and C-SPAN Radio,
to provide audio channels for the XM service.
"First there was AM, then FM and now XM Satellite Radio. Our new name represents
the next band of radio and the future of the industry, offering diverse programming,
coast-to-coast coverage and digital-quality sound," said Panero.
XM Satellite Radio Inc., based in Washington, D.C., was founded as AMRC in 1992 and
obtained one of two satellite digital audio radio service (SDARS) licenses from the
FCC in October 1997. The company expects to begin offering up to 100 satellite radio
channels in 2000.
"With XM, listeners will enjoy the clearest, hottest, hippest and most provocative
radio entertainment, seamlessly across the country," said Panero. "Wherever
they live, whenever they want, in any style they can imagine -- blues, classical,
Tejano, rock, oldies, jazz, R&B, country, gospel, news, talk -- XM Satellite
Radio will provide the quality programming, choice and convenience that today's consumers
demand."
Oct 8, 1998
CLEAR CHANNEL BUYS JACOR FOR $4 BILLION!
full story online at Akron Business Journal
full story online at Nando.net
full story online at ExpressNews.com or ExpressNews.com
full story online at NY Post
full story online at St.Petersburg Times
Clear Channel Communications Inc. is acquiring Jacor Communications Inc. in a
$3.4 billion stock swap, forging a much stronger position in the rapidly evolving
radio industry.
The purchase of its coveted rival will give Clear Channel 454 radio stations in
101 U.S. markets, as well as 20 television stations and outdoor advertising
businesses in 25 countries (the deal will create the world's largest outdoor
advertising company, with 220,000 advertising displays in 25 countries).
Clear Channel and Jacor last year had combined radio station revenue of about $1.1
billion, which would rank third behind Chancellor Media Corp. and CBS Corp. Clear
Channel would rank second in station ownership.
In addition to the purchase price, which is based on Wednesday's closing price for
Clear Channel stock, Clear Channel will assume $1.26 billion in Jacor debt.
In addition to its radio stations, Clear Channel owns 29 percent of Heftel Broadcasting
Corp., the nation's largest Spanish-language radio broadcaster, and 93 percent of
Eller Media, the country's biggest billboard advertising company. Jacor also provides
syndicated radio programming, including talk shows featuring Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Dean
Edell, Dr. Laura Schlessinger and Art Bell.
The acquisition is subject to approval by regulators and shareholders. The companies
expect to close the deal by Sept. 30, 1999.
HACKING THE AIRWAVES
full story online at MSNBC
Call them what you will, "outlaw broadcasters," "radio rebels"
"microbroadcasters" or "frequency freedom fighters." The government
calls them criminals. These low-tech rebels are the vanguard of a movement aimed
at wresting control of airwaves from media conglomerates and returning them to their
rightful owners: the American public.
Fact is, microbroadcasters operate illegally -- that is, without a license from the
Federal Communications Commission.
However, those operating pirate radio stations claim they have a First Amendment
right to the public airwaves and don't need a license.
The FCC, it seems, isn't interested in such trivial free speech arguments. In fact,
in the few cases in which pirate radio stations have fought back in the courts, claiming
abridgment of their First Amendment rights, the FCC refuses to debate the point.
Instead, the Commission points to antiquated law, dating back to 1934 refusing to
even argue the merits of First Amendment claims in court.
So microbroadcasters came to Washington Monday to protest the heavy-handed tactics
of the FCC that have shut down some 318 pirate radio stations in the last 13 months.
The radio rebels also came to lobby Congress asking for help in getting the FCC air
police off their collective backs.
Pirate radio stations are an eclectic mix of radical, conservative and, for the most
part, selfless individuals who are filling a niche in countless communities throughout
the United States. These communities can be as big as San Marcos, Texas, (population
of 50,000) or as small as a few square blocks of New York City's Lower East Side.
The programming is diverse, edgy, educational or just plain fun.
LPFM MARCH ON DC COVERAGE
Check out this site http://www.sinkers.org/microradio/
for nice coverage of the recent microradio march on DC featuring pictures, QuickTime
movies, and audio. You can also hear a fairly decent little piece that National
Public Radio produced (in RealAudio).
Another related site, FreedomForum,
has a 3-part series on micropower radio that you might want to check out.
LOCALISM DYING?
full story online at InteractiveWeek
At the beginning of the day, Sprint Corp. Chairman William T. Esrey was ready
to bury the Internet. By the end of the day, former U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Chairman Reed Hundt was ready to bury local television broadcasting, as well.
"Analog broadcasting is a dead medium," Hundt said Monday at The Wall
Street Journal Technology Summit in New York. The only question that remains:
whether local broadcasters can make the shift to digital technology.
If those broadcasters don't make the move on their own, other technologies - such
as the "fixed wire" systems that most people call cable television - will
take over.
"There is no question that this trend is unstoppable," said Hundt, now
a principal at the Charles Ross Partners consultancy, noting that all computing and
communications devices and networks - from cellular telephony to video programming
itself - are moving to digital technology.
[editor's note: who's side is he on, anyway?]
Oct 5, 1998
THE AMHERST DECLARATION
There is a new document of freedom circulating these days. This rather concise
and simple document deals with freedom of the airwaves and is simply entitled "The Amherst Declaration." We at Americans for Radio
Diversity have unanimously endorsed Amherst and encourage everyone to do the same.
No matter what our individual beliefs and goals might be, we can all support the
spirit and general outline of Amherst. Rallying behind a unified front will only
speed the process of allowing better access to our own airwaves. Read it, sign it,
copy it, share it.
A BATTLE OF BROADCASTERS
full story online at Washington Post
As political protests go, it was small, but it did have a certain swashbuckling
panache.
A merry band of "radio pirates" -- low-power FM broadcasters who operate
stations without a license -- marched on the headquarters of the Federal Communications
Commission and National Association of Broadcasters yesterday. Their claim: that
in an era of corporate consolidation, community needs are no longer being served
by local stations.
The pirates fill the gap, they say, with alternative music, talk and intensely local
news and public affairs shows broadcast from garages and bedrooms. Their signals
can cover anywhere from a few blocks to several miles. All, however, are illegal
if unlicensed. Theirs is a brigand image the pirates actively cultivated during their
march yesterday.
The highlight came outside NAB headquarters at 18th and N streets NW, when they hauled
down the association's flag and hoisted the Jolly Roger to lusty cheers.
The pirates ranged from youthful to middle-aged, from anarchist to black nationalist.
No matter how much they disagree politically, they all believe they are guaranteed
the right to affordable radio broadcast time.
"We can't afford access anymore," said Zeal Stefanoff, of Micro Kind Radio
in San Marcos, Texas. FCC Chairman William Kennard, a communications lawyer and one
of the targets of the pirates, agreed.
"When I started in the early '80s, you could buy a small AM or FM radio station
for an amount of money that made it within the grasp of a small business," he
said. "Unfortunately, with radio consolidation and deregulation by Congress,
that's no longer possible. We've got to find other ways for folks like those who
were outside the FCC today."
The FCC wants to accommodate small-power broadcasters, Kennard said, but they must
be licensed to prevent "chaos" on the finite number of frequencies available.
The pirates assembled in Dupont Circle, then marched to FCC headquarters, near 19th
and M streets NW. In the middle of the procession were three large puppets: The largest
symbolized Corporate Radio pulling the strings of the NAB, which in turn pulled the
strings of "Kennardio," a Pinocchio puppet meant to represent Kennard,
complete with growing nose.
As the pirates marched west on M Street, they broadcast their message and chants
on a hand-held transmitter operating on the FM band at 97.5, a frequency they appropriated
for a distance of perhaps a few blocks. The transmitter was hidden in one of several
backpacks, which the protesters urged the FCC to confiscate.
JACOR TO BUY IOWA STATIONS
full story online at Akron Business Journal
Jacor Communications Inc. is buying radio stations KBKB-FM and KBKB-AM in Ft.
Madison, Iowa, from Talley Broadcasting Co. for $850,000. The deal is subject to
Federal Communications Commission approval.
Including pending deals, Jacor owns, operates or represents 230 radio stations in
65 broadcast markets and WKRC-TV in Cincinnati. Jacor also provides syndicated radio
programming, including talk shows featuring Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Dean Edell, Dr. Laura
Schlessinger and Art Bell.
RADIO WANTS NEWSPAPER
full story online at PostGazette
Owners of the Pittsburgh City Paper are "seriously considering" a sale
of their alternative newsweekly to the Frischling family, owners of two local radio
stations.
The deal would pair a media company perhaps best known for WRRK's conservative morning
radio host Jim Quinn with a free alternative weekly with a liberal editorial bent.
It would also mark another change to Pittsburgh's free newsweekly market. City Paper's
chief competitor, InPittsburgh Newsweekly, was acquired last year by Philadelphia-based
Review Publishing.
WMMS CALLS IT QUITS
full story online at Akron Business Journal
On Nov. 1, the Buzzard will rock no more. WMMS-FM, once one of the most influential
radio stations in America and home to some of the most powerful disc jockeys in the
country, will change its call letters, its mascot and its format at the end of the
month, after 30 years of rock 'n' roll.
Sept 30, 1998
CBC BEATS ABC/DISNEY!
full story online at StarTribune
full story online at Nando
full story online at Channel 4000
After deliberating the Children's Broadcasting case against ABC/Disney for FOUR and
one half days, the jury has ruled in favor of CBC to the tune of $20 million. Congrats
to CBC.
After more than four days of deliberation on 45 points, the jury ruled that ABC
failed to honor its contract with CBC and misappropriated trade secrets. The two-year-old
lawsuit centered on a November 1995 agreement between Children's Broadcasting and
ABC Radio in which ABC agreed to help CBC, which operated as AAHS World Radio, find
new affiliates and advertisers.
ABC and Disney announced the launch of Radio Disney, a CBC competitor, on July 30,
1996, the same day it announced termination of ABC Radio's agreement with CBC.
"This is a good day, a happy day for us," said Chris Dahl, president and
chief executive of Minneapolis-based CBC, on Wednesday.
"This is a slap in the face for ABC. Radio is competitive, but this kind of
thing doesn't happen all that often. What they did was inappropriate," he said.
"I guess I should have been a little suspect, given that I was dealing with
a company [Disney] that has a rodent for a mascot."
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