UnknownPD
10-03-2002, 06:39 PM
Saw this article on another jock being fired for inappropriate comments. We may not be too far from the make believe ballroom after all.
Is it me or is there a chill in the room.
Clear Channel radio owners force shock jocks to eat their words
Dan Fost, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, October 3, 2002
c2002 San Francisco Chronicle.
URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/10/03/BU36345.DTL&type=business
Another shock jock went too far and is no longer on South Bay radio station KSJO-FM, thanks to the dogged efforts of his critics.
The ouster of Mikey Esparza -- who offered, on the air, kidnapping tips and satirical songs glorifying sex with children -- may presage tough times for other shock jocks in the stable of radio giant Clear Channel Communications.
Clear Channel of San Antonio is by far the largest owner of radio stations in the United States, owning more than 10 times as many as its nearest competitor. Because its tentacles reach into other businesses as well, it has drawn criticism from opponents of media concentration.
It also gets dinged for shock jocks like Esparza, although that may change. Even though Esparza gets to keep his show in Dallas, where it's based, and in San Diego, people who keep an eye on Clear Channel think the company may be moving in a more conservative direction.
That's because of a single executive move, announced in July: Randy Michaels, the controversial head of Clear Channel's radio division, stepped down to head a new technology division.
According to Eric Rhoads of Pleasant Hill, publisher of the radio management magazine Radio Ink, the Mays family, which runs Clear Channel -- including founder Lowry Mays and his sons, Mark and Randall Mays -- recognized Michaels' genius for the radio business, even if they did not have the same tastes in programming.
"They're a pretty conservative group of people," Rhoads said. "They were not thrilled with some of the antics that took place. . . . Randy Michaels was all about the craziness and the antics. . . . They tolerated it because he brought them a lot of success."
A HORRIBLE YEAR
But this has been a tough year for any advertising-based company, and Clear Channel is no exception.
In 2001, it lost $1.14 billion on sales of nearly $8 billion, and in the first half of this year, it lost $16.5 billion ($26.32 per diluted share) on sales of $3.9 billion. The loss was largely due to writing down the value of acquired assets. The stock closed Wednesday at $35.95 per share, well below its high of $95.50, reached in January 2000.
The business is showing signs of a rebound. But with Michaels shunted to the side, the outrageous shenanigans of the shock jocks may be toned down.
"You're going to see a whole new Clear Channel," Rhoads said. "It will be more conservative and less tolerant of things that are over the line."
CROSSING THE LINE
The time may be right to tone things down. A pair of New York City shock jocks lost their jobs in August after airing the sound of two people having sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral, drawing national attention.
Todd Clem, known to his listeners as Bubba the Love Sponge, has drawn fines for his broadcasts on a Clear Channel station in Tampa, Fla. (He was acquitted of animal cruelty charges in February after a wild boar was castrated and slaughtered on his show.)
In an interview published in Broadcasting and Cable magazine last month, company President Mark Mays said of Clem, "We have to give him the opportunity to censor himself. I think he's capable of doing that. He's been put on notice.
There have been jocks put off the reservation."
But Mays declined to comment on whether Michaels' new job would mean an overall crackdown on shock jocks.
MEDIA GIANT
Although it may be invisible to many people, Clear Channel touches virtually every American on a daily basis. The company owns 1,225 radio stations and 37 television stations in the United States, and 776,1000 outdoor advertising displays -- billboards,
Is it me or is there a chill in the room.
Clear Channel radio owners force shock jocks to eat their words
Dan Fost, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, October 3, 2002
c2002 San Francisco Chronicle.
URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/10/03/BU36345.DTL&type=business
Another shock jock went too far and is no longer on South Bay radio station KSJO-FM, thanks to the dogged efforts of his critics.
The ouster of Mikey Esparza -- who offered, on the air, kidnapping tips and satirical songs glorifying sex with children -- may presage tough times for other shock jocks in the stable of radio giant Clear Channel Communications.
Clear Channel of San Antonio is by far the largest owner of radio stations in the United States, owning more than 10 times as many as its nearest competitor. Because its tentacles reach into other businesses as well, it has drawn criticism from opponents of media concentration.
It also gets dinged for shock jocks like Esparza, although that may change. Even though Esparza gets to keep his show in Dallas, where it's based, and in San Diego, people who keep an eye on Clear Channel think the company may be moving in a more conservative direction.
That's because of a single executive move, announced in July: Randy Michaels, the controversial head of Clear Channel's radio division, stepped down to head a new technology division.
According to Eric Rhoads of Pleasant Hill, publisher of the radio management magazine Radio Ink, the Mays family, which runs Clear Channel -- including founder Lowry Mays and his sons, Mark and Randall Mays -- recognized Michaels' genius for the radio business, even if they did not have the same tastes in programming.
"They're a pretty conservative group of people," Rhoads said. "They were not thrilled with some of the antics that took place. . . . Randy Michaels was all about the craziness and the antics. . . . They tolerated it because he brought them a lot of success."
A HORRIBLE YEAR
But this has been a tough year for any advertising-based company, and Clear Channel is no exception.
In 2001, it lost $1.14 billion on sales of nearly $8 billion, and in the first half of this year, it lost $16.5 billion ($26.32 per diluted share) on sales of $3.9 billion. The loss was largely due to writing down the value of acquired assets. The stock closed Wednesday at $35.95 per share, well below its high of $95.50, reached in January 2000.
The business is showing signs of a rebound. But with Michaels shunted to the side, the outrageous shenanigans of the shock jocks may be toned down.
"You're going to see a whole new Clear Channel," Rhoads said. "It will be more conservative and less tolerant of things that are over the line."
CROSSING THE LINE
The time may be right to tone things down. A pair of New York City shock jocks lost their jobs in August after airing the sound of two people having sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral, drawing national attention.
Todd Clem, known to his listeners as Bubba the Love Sponge, has drawn fines for his broadcasts on a Clear Channel station in Tampa, Fla. (He was acquitted of animal cruelty charges in February after a wild boar was castrated and slaughtered on his show.)
In an interview published in Broadcasting and Cable magazine last month, company President Mark Mays said of Clem, "We have to give him the opportunity to censor himself. I think he's capable of doing that. He's been put on notice.
There have been jocks put off the reservation."
But Mays declined to comment on whether Michaels' new job would mean an overall crackdown on shock jocks.
MEDIA GIANT
Although it may be invisible to many people, Clear Channel touches virtually every American on a daily basis. The company owns 1,225 radio stations and 37 television stations in the United States, and 776,1000 outdoor advertising displays -- billboards,