Clear Channel and the Cultural and Socio-Political Ramifications of Med

Clear Channel and the heathen and Socio-Political Ramifications of Media ConsolidationI.INTRODUCTION In 1996, Congress passed the Telecommunications title thereby lifting restrictions on media proclaimership that had been in outer space for over 60 years (Moyers 2003 Bagdikian 2000 xviii). It was at one time possible for a private media comp each to own not just two tuner move in any given local market, but eight. On the home(a) level, there was no longer any limit on the lean of transports a company could own the Act abandoned the previous(prenominal) nation-wide ownership majuscule of forty place (20 FM and 20 AM). This anti-regulatory judgment in political science has continued and in 2004 the federal official Communications instruction (FCC) approved a new rule that would allow corporations to own 45 percentage of the media in a single market, up from the 35 percent established by the 1996 Act (Croteau & Hoynes 2001 30 AFL-CIO 2004). Companies can now in a ny case own twain a newspaper and a television station in the akin city (AFL-CIO 2004). This deregulation has led to a excited wave of mergers some notably the Viacom/CBS merger in 1999, the largest in invoice (Croteau & Hoynes 2001 21). Ownership of the media has quick consolidated into fewer and fewer hands as companies have move to gobble up newspapers, television stations, and wireless stations across the country. perhaps no other company has benefited more from this deregulation than the company which is the revolve around of this essay Clear Channel Communications, Inc (CC). The Telecommunications Act and the actions of the FCC surface the way for the grow of this radio industry behemoth. In 1995, the company possess 43 radio stations nationwide. By 2002, it owned 1,239, making it the largest radio company in th... ...inDubious Times. Urbana, IL University of Illinois Press.McChesney, Robert W. and John Nichols. 2002. Our Media, Not Theirs The republicanStruggl e Against unified Media. New York Seven Stories Press.Moyers, Bill. 2003. Transcript Bill Moyers Interviews Larry Klayman. presently With BillMoyers, July 11. Retrieved November 4, 2004 (http//www.pbs.org/now/printable/transcript_clearc_print.html).Open Secrets. 2004. TV/Radio send Top Contributors to Federal Candidates and Parties.Retrieved October 7, 2004 (http//www.opensecrets.org/industries/contrib.asp?Ind=C2100).Spivak, Laurie. 2004. Culture War May find WMD. Retrieved October 2, 2004(http//www.alternet.org/ narrative/18090).Turner, Ted. 2003. Monopoly of Democracy? The uppercase Post, May 30. RetrievedOctober 28, 2004(http//washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A56132-2003May29?language=printer). Clear Channel and the Cultural and Socio-Political Ramifications of MedClear Channel and the Cultural and Socio-Political Ramifications of Media ConsolidationI.INTRODUCTION In 1996, Congress passed the Telecommunications Act thereby lifting restrictions on media ownersh ip that had been in place for over sixty years (Moyers 2003 Bagdikian 2000 xviii). It was now possible for a single media company to own not just two radio stations in any given local market, but eight. On the national level, there was no longer any limit on the number of stations a company could own the Act abandoned the previous nation-wide ownership cap of forty stations (20 FM and 20 AM). This anti-regulatory sentiment in government has continued and in 2004 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved a new rule that would allow corporations to own 45 percent of the media in a single market, up from the 35 percent established by the 1996 Act (Croteau & Hoynes 2001 30 AFL-CIO 2004). Companies can now also own both a newspaper and a television station in the same city (AFL-CIO 2004). This deregulation has led to a frenzied wave of mergers most notably the Viacom/CBS merger in 1999, the largest in history (Croteau & Hoynes 2001 21). Ownership of the media has rapidly con solidated into fewer and fewer hands as companies have moved to gobble up newspapers, television stations, and radio stations across the country.Perhaps no other company has benefited more from this deregulation than the company which is the focus of this essay Clear Channel Communications, Inc (CC). The Telecommunications Act and the actions of the FCC paved the way for the rise of this radio industry behemoth. In 1995, the company owned 43 radio stations nationwide. By 2002, it owned 1,239, making it the largest radio company in th... ...inDubious Times. Urbana, IL University of Illinois Press.McChesney, Robert W. and John Nichols. 2002. Our Media, Not Theirs The DemocraticStruggle Against Corporate Media. New York Seven Stories Press.Moyers, Bill. 2003. Transcript Bill Moyers Interviews Larry Klayman. NOW With BillMoyers, July 11. Retrieved November 4, 2004 (http//www.pbs.org/now/printable/transcript_clearc_print.html).Open Secrets. 2004. TV/Radio Stations Top Contributors to F ederal Candidates and Parties.Retrieved October 7, 2004 (http//www.opensecrets.org/industries/contrib.asp?Ind=C2100).Spivak, Laurie. 2004. Culture War May find WMD. Retrieved October 2, 2004(http//www.alternet.org/story/18090).Turner, Ted. 2003. Monopoly of Democracy? The Washington Post, May 30. RetrievedOctober 28, 2004(http//washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A56132-2003May29?language=printer).