The thing to remember is that Clear Channel effectively has no competitors. They own 85% of American radio stations. When ideas (and music, ultimately, contains ideas and political expression) don't have an outlet the result it is censorship (and some tepid, crappy music..check out Houston radio). Because anti-trust legislation has been systematically raped in the last 25 years, the numbers of media sources are fewer and fewer. There used to be a law that one company could not own more than one radio, and television station per market. Foreign ownership of media also used to be banned. Consequently, there were a lot more local voices in the news and media and there were a lot more viewpoints that people could draw from. Even in an age 200+ tv channels and the internet, the actual number of different viewpoints has been reduced in this country. After Marvin Zindler, Houston news is virtually indistinguishable from that in San Jose, or Lewiston, Maine. Since these regulations have been removed, the quality of media has been severly damaged in my opinion. Because news and entertainment in all mediums are owned by the same international corporations, the line between uncomprimising news gathering and entertainment has been erased. Again, bringing up local news...how many times does Channel 2 here in Houston run a "very special report" on topic that just so happens to promote one of their entertainment programs? Does anybody remember the *week long* seried of news stories on Jerry Springer? That is why issues like Clear Channel having an effective monopoly and reducing playlists actually does threaten our intellectual freedom. There really is no free market in which to compete as the system is currently opertated. We also see that payola (paying independent promoters who in turn pay radio stations..Clear Channel...for airplay) is rampant again. Back in the 1950's the issue of paying DJ's to play music got people put in jail. Not any longer. Limp Bizket and their little b**** lead singer, Fred Durst, for example, paid a radio station to play their cover of "Faith" by George Michael and have recently tried to rig things like Mtv's TRL to promote a new band for their label, Interscope. The effect of all of this corruption is that music, films, televised entertainment and even news is so compromised and carefully marketed that ideas exist only so much as they can be sensationalized to promote some crappy product, or be rendered safe and lame enough not to offend a very underestimated American public. In a time of crisis like we are currently in, these issues may not mean much, but I think it is important to be vigilant about all of our freedoms at all times. Sorry for the long rant... -Elvis, who hopes Clear Channel is not removing "Imagine" by John Lennon from playlists..that's just not right.
I refuse to believe this report. Until I see a link I will just assume that this yet another rumour thrown together by someone and planted on some other BBS and has since spread like wildfire.
weird, I would think that the cure's "killing an arab" would be on that list. Hmmmm... fraud me thinks.
Whoa! Paige, careful, you might start to sound like you don't like a capitalistic idea! But seriously, I have to laugh at the number of songs that I know that are much more subversive than this.
Except I've never heard that on commercial radio anyway. It's prob already on the do-not-play list. Notice that just about all of the songs on the list get at least a decent amount of airplay. I still think it's prob a hoax but the exclusion of killing an arab doesn't add any evidence i think...
I've given up many capitalistic ideals (actually, I have always agreed that there was a role for government in the market and that monopolies or near-monopolies are usually bad. It's the degree of involvement of the government where disagreements occur). See my rant against gas price gouging for more examples of this.
This sounds exceedingly fake. As for radio, nevermind the fact that multinational conglomerates own radio, tv, newspapers, record companies, consumer audio manufacturers, production companies, film companies and on and on. Literally, one company can make a movie, get all the music for the soundtrack, promote it on radio, tv and in the news, produce the whole thing, distribute it and sell you the DVD player, CD player, TV, stereo or VCR you play the thing on.
Here is the link to the web-site that reported Clear Channel's decision. http://www.plastic.com/index.pl
point dylan... I have heard it on the radio... but I can't remember how long ago; nor can I remember which format (college? public?).
Gee, the Star Spangled Banner has the words "bombs bursting in air". Why don't we just get rid of it too.
As an employee of Clear Channel-- I need to say a few things. #1. I have not seen nor heard of the list that is shown at the beginning of this thread. #2. Clear Channel does not own 85% of all the country's radio stations. We own <b>a lot</b>. But its not 85% that's for damn sure. The actual number of stations is around 1,000+. #3. Clear Channel is about 'nationalizing' things. Take that for what its worth. #4. With Clear Channel being so big, we have great resources among our stations. #5. The one thing I do know for sure about Clear Channel making any FM decisions is that they want "discresion to be practiced". And that basically falls under common sense. Rob
I find this humorous to say the least because it reminds me of censorship, something that I really don't want to get into. However, my view is that since we live in America, we should be able to buy and listen to whatever we want. We, as the consumers, will decide if something is good. If it isn't really good, then guess what: then nobody will really buy it! Now, I do listen to some bands or groups that I wouldn't want kids to hear, especially my kids (if I had kids). However, it's up to the parents to make sure that their children are listening to appropriate things. If a parent thinks that NIN or Tool or Smashing Pumpkins is okay because their child is a responsible, level-headed child, then that is their choice, not Tipper Gore or anyone else. It all boils down to common sense. Yes, some parents may be absolutely clueless about groups like NIN, Tool, and Smashing Pumpkins (I'm only using them because I have stuff by them), but if they are really worried about what their kids are going to listen to then they need to do some research on the bands or groups that their kids are interested in. Well, enough about that. I just get so sick and tired of hearing stuff like a Judas Priest song caused some people to kill themselves. If they were ready to do something like that over a song then chances are they shouldn't have been allowed to listen. OK -sorry again, I won't mention it anymore. This decision doesn't really affect me because I never listen to the radio anyway. All Top 40 radio sounds the same and the only time that I really would have the radio on is when I'm driving to work and they never play music at those times anyway. Thank God for a CD player in my car and a never-ending supply of CDs to listen to.
I think this story is legit. I heard something about it on MuchMusic today (kind of like MTV, only they show videos). Louis Armstrong -- "What A Wonderful World"?!?!? These people are on crack.
Just spoke to my Music Director at WKTU which is owned by Clearchannel and to another Music Director in San Francisco KYLD(another Clearchannel station). They just confirmed that this is a HOAX! Somebody with a lot of time on their hands put together this list of songs! What a WASTE of time!
I still hate Clear Channel, but I was willing to take Robert Snyder's word for it that this wasn't true. It's an easy story to believe, though, because it sounds like something Clear Channel would do.
dylan, Black Sabbath and Arthur Brown get <i>very little air play.</i> Seeing <i>Mack the Knife</i> and <i>Johnny Angel</i> on the list raised the bogus flag for me. They missed this one: <i> Coming Into Los Angeles by Arlo Guthrie Coming in from London From over the pole Flying in a big airliner Chickens flying everywhere around the plane Could we ever feel much finer? Coming into Los Angeles Bringing in a couple of keys Don't touch my bags if you please Mister Customs Man There's a guy with a ticket to Mexico No, he couldn't look much stranger Walking in the hall with his things and all Smiling, said he was the Lone Ranger Coming into Los Angeles Bringing in a couple of keys Don't touch my bags if you please Mister Customs Man Hip woman walking on a moving floor Tripping on the escalator There's a man in the line And she's blowing his mind Thinking that he's already made her Coming into Los Angeles Bringing in a couple of keys Don't touch my bags if you please Mister Customs Man Coming in from London From over the pole Flying in a big airliner Chickens flying everywhere around the plane Could we ever feel much finer? Coming into Los Angeles Bringing in a couple of keys Don't touch my bags if you please Mister Customs Man <i> Mango
According to the Radio/TV reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, this is not a hoax. Here is the article: http://www.pioneerplanet.com/columnists/docs/LAMBERT/docs/137030.htm <i>Movies and TV aren't alone in reviewing the content of their entertainment in the wake of last week's terrorist attacks. Clear Channel Inc., which owns over 1,200 stations including seven in the Twin Cities, is circulating a list of 150 songs its local programmers might consider avoiding for the time being. Clear Channel managers here say the list is merely a "memo from the main office," not something they must adhere to. Many of the songs on the list are heavy-metal warhorses like "Sweating Bullets" by Megadeth, "Seek and Destroy" by Metallica and a half-dozen cuts from AC/DC including "Safe in New York City," "Highway to Hell," "TNT" and "Shot Down in Flames." Some of the 150 song titles "suggested" by Clear Channel are baffling. John Lennon's "Imagine" and The Youngbloods' "Get Together" would seem to be precisely the sort of message people might like to hear in difficult times. Likewise, who could possibly object to Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World"? Several Beatles songs -- "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "Obla Di Obla Da" and "Ticket to Ride" -- are also on the list. "You know what this is?" says KEEY-FM's operations manager Gregg Swedberg. "It's a bunch of people sitting in a room saying, "Think of anything, anything, anywhere that might possibly be a little too much, that people might be sensitive to.' "This is just another idea we get. Something for us to "consider.' Nothing more than that." Swedberg adds that K102, a country-music format, returned Garth Brooks' early '90s tune, "We Shall Be Free," to its rotation in reaction to the crisis. Rob Morris, program director for Clear Channel-owned KDWB-FM, said he expected few if any changes to his station's playlist. ABC-owned KXXR-FM, aka 93X, did not respond to several calls asking what changes they might be making to their playlist. </i>
Dean -- how does this make you any less free, if true?? This is a decision FREELY made by a private corporation in this country. This is not a government mandating that this material can't be heard. It's not resistance to a government mandating that these songs MUST be played. The confusion in this country about whom our liberties are to be safeguarded from is mildly disturbing to me. The Constitution limits the actions of the government against us. If you want to say that Clear Channel is in some way a State Actor, fine. That's a pretty tenuous argument, though. Clear Channel's liberties are secured by that very same Constitution. I find the lack of understanding by United States citizens in this to be really disturbing...what the hell did the schools teach us??
