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1 Of The Many Problems With The State Of Radio:or What Happens When Corps Get 2 Big (1 Viewer)

Kelley_B

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Because it was done by the Cure. :) This list proves yet again that the Cure will always be woefully ignored by the masses.
As being a DIEHARD Cure fan for about 12 years(I am only 20 now), I know what you mean when you say they will be ignored by the masses. Its hard to believe that a band like the Cure can only sale 350,000 copies of their latest album when shit like Linkin Park, Mudvayne, Eminem, Staind, Slipknot, etc can sale tons of albums.
Oh well I live with the fact that 20 years from now all those bands will be laughed at and The Cure will be respected. I just know that if I ever have children they will grow up on a healthy diet of The Cure.
Also "Killing An Arab" is a song about a french book, not about actually killing an Arab.
 

Mark Pfeiffer

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Not to sound like some conspiracy theorist kook, but Clear Channel's response seems to be a matter of semantics. I read articles on slate.com and hitsdailydouble.com about this, and neither used the word banned for the list. Clear Channel is then technically correct in saying that no banned list of songs exist.
Reading between the lines, the list does likely exist, and stations are strongly "encouraged" to avoid these songs. Clear Channel's comments on localism if you know anything about the company, but I'll leave it at that...
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MickeS

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Mark, where do you read between the lines that this list exists? Nowhere do they mention (that I can see) that they encourage stations to avoid playing these songs, so it seems a bit odd that you put the word encourage in quotes.
I would say this statement can't be misinterpreted, unless you really, really try: there is no list of banned songs. If there was a list, it was a list of songs they considered might be offensive to some people, but that doesn't mean the same thing as banning them.
/Mike
[Edited last by MickeS on September 18, 2001 at 05:26 PM]
 

Keith Mickunas

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I'd say that sense many people are reporting that some Clear Channel DJs are making fun of the list, Mark has the right idea. These may be songs that they suggested not be played, and are now realizing they weren't thinking when they made the list.
As for why this might be considered censorship, look at it this way, they own a bunch of radio stations. Their percentage of stations owned, along with their ownership of TicketMaster and other things puts them in a monopoly position. Clear Channel has a lot of power in controlling who gets played on the air, and who gets to play at a lot of major venues across the country. There used to be laws in place to prevent any one company from owning more than a certain number of stations in an area, I believe it was one per genre, thus preventing one company from controlling too much of the market. Now thanks to the Telecommunications Act that allowed for some deregulation, Clear Channel decides for a large part of the country what people get to hear. When someone like that starts to band music for what they find immoral or insensitive or whatever, they are performing censorship. If Ron and Parker prevent me from badmouthing a company like Clear Channel, that's their right, and I have plenty of opportunities to go elsewhere and bash the company. However if Clear Channel decides not to play certain music or groups that would normally be played on their stations, I may have to move to another city to get access to that music.
 

Wayne Bundrick

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2. ClearChannel owns the stations; they have the right to say what they will of will not play. Much like our hosts, Ron and Parker own this forum and have the right to identify threads that are too divisive to good order, not germane to home theater, or that they just plain do not like. This is not censorship. There is a right to speak; they (HTF and ClearChannel) are under no obligation to provide a soapbox.
Hugh, I'm not saying that ClearChannel does not have the right to refuse to play certain songs, however it is not entirely accurate to say that ClearChannel (and any other company that owns radio or TV stations) has the right to do anything they want as HTF does. Radio and TV stations use the public spectrum, and therefore they are obligated to serve the public interest in whatever ways the ever-shifting political winds see fit. It is not a stretch that the government could one day insist that stations provide a soapbox.
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--Wayne Bundrick
 

MatS

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a) the list is not a hoax and was indeed sent out to Clear Channel owned and operated stations
b) Mark and Keith both pretty much hit it right on the head. The list was a recommendation and not a directive on Clear Channel's part, yet smacks of ignorance and censorship nonetheless.
c) 'Killing An Arab' (often misinterpreted) by the Cure is not an anti-racial song.
 

MickeS

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So, if the songs are not banned, the stations can play whatever they want and Clear Channel says it's not a list of banned songs... what's the big deal?
I agree it smacks of ignorance to say that all these songs might be considered offensive in the light of recent events, but it's far from censorship.
/Mike
 

Mark Pfeiffer

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I shouldn't have put encourage in quotes, I guess. That was not quoted from anything. I meant that the list strongly implies stations should not play the songs but is not banning them.
I guess what I find amusing about Clear Channel's response is that they have been one of the leading ownership groups to buy hundreds of stations and then strip them of localism. So giving the stations local control over these songs is pretty funny since the program director likely oversees several other stations and may not even live in the same market.
I have been at a radio station where they had a list of classic rock songs that were "burned out" (my quotes). These very familiar songs were not to be played. They were not banned, per se, but everyone knew they were not to be heard on the airwaves. That's what I'm getting at with Clear Channel's response. They haven't officially banned these songs, but I wouldn't be surprised if PDs or GMs would get some heat if they did.
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cafink

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Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World" is my favorite song. I'm not as upset that it's been "banned" as I am confused. What on earth does it have to do with the tragedy? It has to be just about the LEAST controversial song I can imagine.
 

Eric Scott

Second Unit
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Oct 4, 2000
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quote: Therefore, I shouldn't have problems with ClearChannel. So why do I feel squirmy?[/quote]Because Ron and Parker do not own 1170 sites. But more importantly, in small local areas a strong radio channel controls much of what you can tune in. (I know, you know that!)
The real problem is in the owners controlling both art and news. In particular, opposing views.
The old laws were based upon protecting equal access to diverse information, the new ones are based on letting companies who already had too much money make more money.
(While "trusting them" not to impede diverse views and tastes...)
Rachael
"DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY!"
[Edited last by Eric Scott on September 18, 2001 at 11:16 PM]
 

Rob Willey

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Rob
According to the Clear Channel station I listen to, the list did not come from Clear Channel itself.
Somebody at one of their stations took it upon him- or herself to draw up the list and then sent it to all of their stations as a "suggestion" of possible songs that would be controversial and perhaps should be avoided.
Rob
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"That suits me down to the ground."
 

LarryDavenport

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A my college rommmate used to say, "Killing an Arab" is the Cure's book report on "The Stranger" by Albert Camus.
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