A bunch of liberal, Hollywood types are now targeting Clear Channel and I imagine there may be some of you who don’t know anything about Clear Channel. It is the largest owner of radio stations in the country. Clear Channel owns billboard companies and a number of other media properties, including some TV stations – and they have been the syndication partner of the EIB Network since 1998. As such, people who don’t like this program claim there’s too much power consolidated within the halls of Clear Channel.
Recently, the FCC has been conducting hearings on removing some of the restrictions on cross-ownership that exist now. There are rules about owning stations and newspapers in the same town and such. Some of those regulations have been dropped, and there are discussions going on now to get rid of all those limitations and make it a truly free market. The root of these restrictions is the idea that the airwaves are a public trust, actually owned by the people and that broadcasters are simply public trustees. At one time, stations actually had to have so many hours devoted to community service, which, of course, nobody wants to hear. Remember those days?
