Mike Sullivan's Comments in RBR

Mike Sullivan makes the excellent point (see below) that we have been talking about since our first AMS Radio Index revealed that one of the main reasons Americans like radio is local programming for news, traffic, weather and community events. And one of the things they like least is the commercial load. Mike's is an excellent example of making a strong impact in his market, and there are many other examples across the country. All the best, Ed Seeger
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RBR Online
May 17, 2006

It's sad to see people like Scott Evans get so brainwashed by the "informed media observers" who bash Clear Channel on a regular basis.

First of all, yes, Clear Channel's primary objective is to satisfy Wall Street and its stock holders. Last time I checked, that was called being a responsible business. I do appreciate Mr. Evans acknowledging ClearChannel/s ideas as innovative and progressive. But to call them quick fixes is ridiculous. The fact is, for many of CCR's properties, "Less Is More" took a leap of faith. They needed to realize that the short-term bottom line may take a hit, but in the long run, they are offering a preferable climate for listeners and advertisers. Similarly, the attempt to train advertisers to provide their messages in :30s and :15s (and :05s) instead of :60s is an attempt to reduce clutter and increase average rate-per-second. I fail to see how anyone can fail to "do the math" on that issue.

Finally, to address the paramount "sin" that Clear Channel is accused of .... killing localism .... let me just state that I have now worked in radio (on-air, sales, and management) for over 35 years. I have worked under ten different ownership groups... and I have never worked for a company that has COME CLOSE to allowing the local autonomy that Clear Channel has. We have more local news, sports, and contests on our seven radio stations than we have ever had. Our Morning Show DJ's are revered in our communities. We have won awards for community-based benefit promotions. And, I might add that we're looking forward to the challenge of HD because it will provide us with an opportunity to do even more local "niche" broadcasting. To say that Clear Channel is a Wall Street-driven company and that's why they're making innovative, progressive moves is akin to saying that your local supermarket is trying to be profitable by coming up with ways to better serve their customers. It's called smart business.

Mike Sullivan
Eau Claire, WI