Because of the sale, two corporations were now in control of about 50 percent of the Twin Cities radio market, with Cap Cities having around 20 percent and Chancellor Broadcasting, owner of stations such as KDWB and BOB 100, having about 30 percent. To many filling cyberspace with calls for revival of Rev, it was an obvious case of greedy money mongers hogging the airwaves. Before long, the chat lines were filled with people who weren't just complaining about the format change, but questioning whether companies like Chancellor and the Mouse had the right, either legal or philosophical, to control so much airspace. With the 1996 Telecommunications Reform Act, which allowed individual corporations to increase the number of stations they controlled in a market, the legal aspect really wasn't up for debate. The answer, though, may be in the opposite direction.
Truth be known, capitalism, at times, can be a bitch.
But that doesn't mean that it's totally at fault for the assassination of one of the best radio stations in the country. It's probably safe to say that as much blame lays with the Federal Communications Commission and some of the overbearing regulations its charged with upholding. There could be a relatively simple solution, though. Homestead the airwaves. Right now the Twin Cities is the 16th largest radio market in the country.