[Rumori] FW: Stop Clear Channel and the FCC

[The SNAFU Principle]

In case you didn't know (and believe protests against corporations and
non-elected officials are effective), NYC announcement below.

Also, in passing observation- overheard a couple of really odd
pro-copyright ads on a CC station during a long drive yesterday.
Vaguely paraphrased:

1.  "We asked a bunch of college students to download as much pirated
music as possible in 24 hours.  In the morning, they had 6000 songs.
Still think it's a big problem?"

2.  "Pirating music is quick and easy.  When you download music, you
don't buy it- and there are tons you.  Picture thousands of people,
not paying for music.  Imagine an entire generation that just stops
purchasing CDs.  Please buy CDs."

Maybe it's just my perspective, but it seemed like they managed to
promote it as something quick, easy, free and popular, and didn't even
bother mentioning the compensation of artists, etc.  Bizarre.

-BEN

-------------------

NEW YORK, NY

WHAT: NO MORE CLEAR CHANNELS! STOP THE FCC MEDIA GIVEAWAY

WHEN: Thursday, May 29th 2003 Noon - 1:30 PM - (the Thursday before the
FCC votes to dramatically deregulate the media)

WHERE: 1120 Sixth Avenue @ 43rd Street  New York City, New York


Protest Clear Channel Radio and the Media Monopoly on
Thursday, May 29

A National Day of Protest to Stop the Media Monopoly

Clear Channel Communications is the poster child of
everything that's wrong with media deregulation. After
the media deregulation of 1996, Clear Channel gobbled
up hundreds of radio stations throughout the country
and now owns more than 1200 stations nationwide,
dominating the audience share in 100 of 112 major
markets. Not only is the company the world's largest
radio broadcaster, it9s also the world largest concert
promoter and billboard advertising firm.

Clear Channel's monopolistic practices have
accelerated the homogenization of our airwaves. The
company promotes cookie-cutter style radio that has
urban stations throughout the country seemingly
playing the same seven songs. It shuts out independent
artists who can't afford to go through high-priced
middlemen and is responsible for taking the practice
of voice tracking to new heights. Voice tracking
creates brief, computer-assisted voice segments that
attempt to fool the listener into thinking that a
program is locally produced, when in fact the same
content is being broadcast to upwards of 75 stations
nationwide from a central site.

Clear Channel also uses its stations to promote its
right-wing political agenda. After September 11, the
company came to the public's attention when executives
circulated a list of blacklisted songs including John
Lennon's Imagine and Cat Stevens' Peace Train. This
year Clear Channel became one of the first media
companies in recent times to sponsor a political
rally--they sponsored pro-war rallies in cities around
the country before and during the war on Iraq. Another
"Rally for America" is being organized in Huntington,
West Virginia for Memorial Day weekend.

If the FCC passes Michael Powell's proposed new media
rules, companies like Clear Channel and Fox will be
given even more control over the public airwaves than
they already have. And we are likely to see in
television the same type of feeding frenzy we saw in
the radio industry after the 1996 media deregulation.

No more Clear Channels! Stop the FCC media
deregulation!

Location:
Clear Channel Radio, 1120 Sixth Avenue @ 43rd Street
New York City New York

Sponsored By:
Sponsored by Citizen Works, CodePink, Democracy
Rising, Free Press, Global Exchange, Media Alliance,
Prometheus Radio Project, United for Peace and Justice
NY, Youth Media Council, and many others.



For directions, please enter the address into Yahoo Maps:
http://maps.yahoo.com