"If anyone said we were in the radio business, it wouldn't be someone from our company. We're not in the business of providing news and information. We're not in the business of providing well-researched music. We're simply in the business of selling our customers products." Lowry May- CEO, Clear Channel Clear Channel owns over 1,220 radio stations and dozens of TV stations. They also own television stations all across the globe. They own over 200 concert venues under the name of SFX. These venues, like the Fillmore here in Denver, control complete monopolies in many cities nationwide. As the news site CCS reports, "They are in 248 of the top 250 radio markets, controlling 60 percent of all rock programming. They outright own the tours of musicians like Janet Jackson, Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, Madonna and 'NSYNC." According to The Denver Business Journal- Clear Channel also owns over 780,000 billboards and transit displays. Clear Channel owns the right-wing shows of Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura and as CCS reports, "With 103,000,000 listeners in the U.S. and 1,000,000,000 globally (1/6 of the world population), this powerful company has grown unchecked, using their monopoly to control the entire music industry." In Denver- Clear Channel owns the rock and pop music stations KBCO, KTCL, KBCO and FOX 103.5 along with the talk radio stations of KOA, KHOW and KTLK Across the country Clear Channel has organized dozens of pro-war rallies and recently Clear Channel has gotten into the business of holding anti-gay events such as the "Straight is Great" rally held in South Carolina. Eric Boehlert of Salon.com has done a series of ground breaking articles that are essential reading for anyone who wants to know- "Why does radio suck? Because most stations play only the songs the record companies pay them to. And things are going to get worse." writes Boehlert. Boehlert has uncovered all sorts of shady, backroom deal making that goes on between record companies and the Clear Channel stations, all to make a lot of money for Clear Channel which, by the way, could also be illegal. But don't expect the FCC to do anything about the Clear Channel monopoly and their illegal actions anytime soon. The CEO of Clear Channel, Lowry May, is one of George Bush's largest campaign contributors and has been all the way back to when Bush first ran for Governor of Texas. Vice President of Clear Channel Tom Hicks bought the Texas Rangers from George Bush making Bush a very wealthy man, all this according to the media watch group "Take Back the Media" The circle of protection granted to Clear Channel becomes complete with the appointment of Michael Powell to the head of the FCC. Michael is the son of George Bush's Sec. of State Colin Powell. During this recent election- eleven states in the U.S. passed legislation turning homophobia into law. The bloodbath in Iraq is just gearing up with the U.S. Bombing of Fallujah- complete with thousands of dead civilians. These right-wing actions can all be traced back to Clear Channel who has used their huge media empire to "manufacture" support for the ultra-conservative policies of George Bush. It is up to freedom loving Americans to do everything possible to fight back against the Clear Channel monstrosity. The easiest step we can take is to stop listening to stations like KBCO 97.3 and KTCL at 93.3. When Clear Channel CEO Lowry May says that he is only in the business of selling products to "us" the "consumer" then we must stop buying products from companies that advertise on Clear Channel stations.
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