Have I not told you on several occasions that the FCC is Clear Channel’s wet nurse? Check out the latest from Engadget: Clear Channel wants the FCC to force XM / Sirius to obey indecency laws
Apparently Clear Channel’s new motto is “if you can’t beat ’em, make life suck on the other side of the merger.” The broadcast giant has dropped a whole big list of requests on the FCC to impose as conditions upon XM / Sirius for a merger, not the least of which is asking for broadcast decency rules be applied to satellite radio. Clear Channel feels the competitive threat of satellite radio could be mitigated a bit if the “edgy” content (Howard Stern) ceased to make terrestrial radio’s edgy stuff look weak by comparison.
Clear Channel wants the FCC to …? My, what language. I’m sorry, Clear Channel, does satellite radio offer a variety of talk radio shows besides the usual drivel coming out of the Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Dr Laura and Sean Hannity shows? Will you be threatened if, say, the New Orleans and Austin consumers were to have better talk radio options on their morning and evening commutes? Have you considered how many more people would listen to your FM stations in the absence of banned playlists?
Wait a second, I almost forgot that your weak programming is free to anyone who owns a radio. When consumers pay for their Sirius/XM units and monthly service, keep your censorous paws off what we want to listen to or increase the quality of your programming. Finally, whatever you do, your arch-nemesis Howard Stern and his successors will always find daylight, be it via podcasts, internet radio or local stations. The future is coming, Clear Channel, and you will not be a part of its airwaves.
