Clear Channel to launch progressive(!) FM station in Texas

[FunkyHiFi]

"Clear Channel gets liberal in Texas" (http://money.cnn.com/2005/03/17/news/fortune500/clearchannel.reut/)

Clear Channel Communications Inc. said it is launching a progressive talk station on the FM band in Texas as part of its ongoing effort to capitalize on demand for liberal-leaning talk shows.
:confused: :confused: :confused:

Are some corporations now so greedy they are selling THEMSELVES out??

Wtf?

[ASsman]

Duh.

[yeahwho]

Radio is so bad. I was stuck in a car w/o a CD or tape player today, it really has hit bottom. It's like they have their own color-coded warning system, today was code yellow; "elevated levels of monotony" go about your usual business but keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary...then report it to the proper authorities.

And the ads! Wholly Shit! Are people actually listening to 1 or 2 songs then 5-10 ads?

[Documad]

What I love is that when you drive across country, you hear what sounds like your local radio stations in every city you enter. With the same playlist, jingles, contests. Only the frequency changes. :mad:

[DroppinScience]

Are some corporations now so greedy they are selling THEMSELVES out??

Wtf?

Capitalists will sell you the rope to hang themselves with (to quote Michael Moore).

Simple as that.

[ASsman]

And the ads! Wholly Shit! Are people actually listening to 1 or 2 songs then 5-10 ads?
If not... it's stealing.

[Ali]

I drove through Texas once, with only the radio for entertainment... nuthing but cuntry music.

I was ready to kill the first person I saw by the time I reached New Mexico. Not that the music got any better.

[ASsman]

Silly foreigner.

[Ali]

Silly foreigner.At least I can go home. You have to stay there! Hahahahahahaha who's laughing now?!? :p

[yeahwho]

If not... it's stealing.

er, yeah, uh....I mean why do these FM stations break up the info on where to get all the cool stuff with Green Day, Blink 182, Killers et;al.

[FunkyHiFi]

Here in Houston a couple weeks ago I was listening to Clear Channel's alternative rock station 94.5 "The Buzz" :rolleyes: and while I tuned into it while it was running, they had a detailed STOCK report that lasted almost a full minute--it sounded just like those drab reports you see on CNN or MSNBC. A stock report on a station very probably aimed at male listeners aged 14 to 35?? These big companies really have no clue, do they? Or are they trying to teach a whole generation that owning stocks will make you The Ultimate Happy Person?

Capitalists will sell you the rope to hang themselves with
In our newspaper last week was an article about how many prom dresses you can buy nowadays are getting very sexually provocative, nearly as bad a J-Lo's infamous Grammy(?) Awards plunging neckline dress. The writer talked to one of the designers of these dresses to get his opinion. The designer said he wouldn't let his own daughter wear such a thing, but since people are demanding them, as a business person he is going to supply them.

Does anybody else find that just a tad hypocritical?

Oh wait, since there is money involved, it's alright. :(

why do these FM stations break up the info on where to get all the cool stuff
Another huge reason i almost never listen to the radio anymore (and beleive it or not, it truly used to be fun to do so).

An FYI for the audio geeks like me: the lousy state of radio is most probably the reason most receivers, even ones in the $X,XXX price range, have worse tuners than equivalently-priced receivers from the 60s/70s/80s. And why most mid-fi companies like Pioneer and Technics finally stopped selling separate tuners (at least here in the U.S.). I mean, who cares if you can pull in stations all the way from another city with clarity and full sound if the music sucks? >>> FM can sound nearly as good as a CD if they use the right equipment (& it doesn't have to be expnesive equipment either) but more importantly, if they don't overcompress the signal. 90.1 (http://kpft.org/) for example, a listener-supported station here in Houston, sounds excellent. I think they play every genre of music except for classical.

[yeahwho]

Another huge reason i almost never listen to the radio anymore (and beleive it or not, it truly used to be fun to do so).

An FYI for the audio geeks like me: the lousy state of radio is most probably the reason most receivers, even ones in the $X,XXX price range, have worse tuners than equivalently-priced receivers from the 60s/70s/80s. And why most mid-fi companies like Pioneer and Technics finally stopped selling separate tuners (at least here in the U.S.). I mean, who cares if you can pull in stations all the way from another city with clarity and full sound if the music sucks? >>> FM can sound nearly as good as a CD if they use the right equipment (& it doesn't have to be expnesive equipment either) but more importantly, if they don't overcompress the signal. 90.1 (http://kpft.org/) for example, a listener-supported station here in Houston, sounds excellent. I think they play every genre of music except for classical.

Radio was King in it's day, they had it all and they gave it away. Greed and Creed!

[FunkyHiFi]

they had it all and they gave it away. Greed and Creed!
Yep. :(

BTW: Here's a tuner site (http://www.fmtunerinfo.com/) that has tons of info on old-skool tuners. Make sure to checkout Sansui's tuners (in the list of companies on the left & down)--they are very highly regarded and look awesome (it sure isn't the same company nowadays!). And, neato tube-equipped (http://www.fmtunerinfo.com/tubetuners.html) models. Check out resale shops and garage sales because sometimes they have old tuners that still work: "Oh my, this thing is so big and old fashioned--I'll sell it for five dollars just to get rid of it" :eek:

[EN[i]GMA]

What I love is that when you drive across country, you hear what sounds like your local radio stations in every city you enter. With the same playlist, jingles, contests. Only the frequency changes. :mad:

I noticed that.

Same announcer, same slogans, same everything.

It's depressing.

[Documad]

My favorite story about the death of local radio. I'm not sure how much is urban legend:

Clear Channel owns all six of Minot, North Dakota's commercial radio stations. In 2002, a train derailment caused a cloud of ammonia that killed one man and sent hundreds to the hospital. The police said that they were unable to contact anyone at the Clear Channel station that was the designated emergency broadcast station. The station was utilizing voice-tracking technology. Voice-tracking allows a single host to record programming, which can then be distributed in multiple cities. The content is often punctuated with details specifically related to the listening area to give the illusion that the radio host is local. Clear Channel denied many of the press reports, but I remember hearing that one technician worked for the six stations.

[Johnny McPissed]

I think it's been amended to our Constitution that Clearchannel has at least one something.5 "The Buzz" in everystate....

I mean...who doesn't have a "Buzz" or "Edge" in your state?????

[Documad]

I think it's been amended to our Constitution that Clearchannel has at least one something.5 "The Buzz" in everystate....

I mean...who doesn't have a "Buzz" or "Edge" in your state?????
:D