These days hell has gone to love. By any measure, and you don't need to drive along I-40 to find this out, radio in this country is in ghastly shape. Twenty, thirty years ago broadcasters could own only a dozen stations nationwide and no more than two in any single market. The company Clear Channel alone owns more than 800 stations pumping out identical muck in all states. Since 1996 there's been a colossal shake-out.
Small broadcasters can no longer hack it.
Two or three companies with eight stations each control each market. Bob McChesney cites an industry publication as saying that the amount of advertising is up to 18 minutes per hour, with these commercials separated by the same endless, golden oldies. The new chairman of the FCC, Colin Powell's son Michael, has just made life even easier for Clear Channel and the other big groups. On March 12 he okayed 32 mergers and kindred transactions in 26 markets. Three days later, at the instigation of the FCC, cops burst into Free Radio Cascadia in Eugene, Oregon, seized broadcasting equipment and shut FRC down.