Clear Channel suspends Howard Stern Show... Let the fireworks begin!

I really don't listen to him, like 90% of radio I really find it droll and uninteresting... However, I think it would be pure brilliance on the side of Stern if he were to have all his fans start crank-calling every Clear Channel station in America.

That would be awesome.

Oh, and I do hate Clear Channel -they are a really creepy corporation. What people think about FOX, Clear Channel actually is.

The story:
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Clear Channel Suspends Stern's Radio Show
By JONATHAN D. SALANT, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The nation's largest radio station chain announced Wednesday it was suspending shock jock Howard Stern's show after issuing new rules to limit indecency and address criticism of what airs on television and radio.

Clear Channel Radio said it suspended broadcast of Stern's show after assessing the content of his show Tuesday.


"Clear Channel drew a line in the sand today with regard to protecting our listeners from indecent content and Howard Stern's show blew right through it," John Hogan, president and CEO of Clear Channel Radio, said in a news release. "It was vulgar, offensive, and insulting, not just to women and African Americans but to anyone with a sense of common decency."


Hogan said the show would not air on Clear Channel stations until officials are assured it will conform to acceptable broadcasting standards.


Attempts to reach Stern's spokesman for comment late Wednesday were unsuccessful.


Under pressure from regulators and lawmakers, some TV networks are delaying live broadcasts to delete offensive material and doing more to let parents know how they can block specific programs. The National Association of Broadcasters says it will hold a conference on indecency next month.


The rules issued by Clear Channel Communications came on the eve of the second congressional hearing this month on broadcast indecency. Hogan is scheduled to testify along with top officials from TV networks.


Congress is considering increasing the maximum fine for indecency from $27,500 to $275,000, a move that the Federal Communications Commission (news - web sites) endorsed even before the tumult over singer Janet Jackson's exposed breast during the nationally televised Super Bowl halftime show.


"In the history of broadcast indecency, there have been these moments where it makes headlines," said Jeremy Lipschultz, a professor of communication at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. "In the short term, broadcasters become much more careful. You're going to see people playing it safe. The long-term problem is the same one we've had, which is it's very difficult in the end to precisely define what is indecent or not. "


Under FCC (news - web sites) rules and federal law, radio stations and over-the-air television channels cannot air material containing references to sexual and excretory functions between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., when children may be tuning in. The rules do not apply to cable and satellite channels and satellite radio.


Responding to an FCC query, CBS, NBC and Fox said they would run advertisements promoting the V-chip — technology built into a TV set to prevent children from watching certain shows — air live programs on time delays and remind affiliate stations that they can reject network programs unsuitable for their communities. ABC had yet to respond.


Clear Channel's new policy includes companywide training about indecency, possible fines against DJs, and automatic suspensions for anyone accused by the FCC of violating indecency rules on the air, company officials said.


The initiative came one day after the company fired the DJ known as "Bubba the Love Sponge," whose show drew an FCC-record fine of $755,000. The program aired in four Florida cities and included graphic discussions about sex and drugs "designed to pander to, titillate and shock listeners," the FCC said.


"Clear Channel is serious about helping address the rising tide of indecency on the airwaves," said Mark Mays, president and chief operating officer. "As broadcast licensees, we are fully responsible for what our stations air, and we intend to make sure all our DJs and programmers understand what is and what is not appropriate."


Mel Karmazin, president of Viacom Inc., discussed indecency issues during a conference call last week with officials and station managers of the company's Infinity Broadcasting radio subsidiary. Infinity, which owns 120 stations, asked them to increase efforts to avoid indecent programming, such as using a seven-second delay on shows with live talk, spokesman Dana McClintock said.


Infinity, owned by Viacom, in 1995 paid the largest cumulative fine to date, $1.7 million, for various violations by Stern.


___


Associated Press writer Seth Sutel in New York contributed to this report.

I'm happy as long as KLSX is not involved in this censorship crap.
Stern 4 Life!!

Clear Channel is cracking down. There's a popular "shock jock" in the Tampa Bay area who's syndicated all over Florida (Bubba the Love Sponge). He's probably more raunchy than Stern, and is known for using colorful language on the air. Anyway, Clear Channel fired his ass on Monday due to the FCC threatening the largest fine levied against any single DJ ever.

Wow I was wondering what happened...so he really is still on the air..how is he doing in the ratings?

I used to listen to Stern all the time - but he's sort of out of the public eye these days. I don't even think we get him out here with all these bible-thumpers. There was one good thing about living close to New Orleans I guess .

Anyway, yeah Stern is pretty raunchy, but I always sorta admired the guy. He wasn't some douchebag that got on the air to promote his ideals or push some agenda - he was just there to call people on their bullshit and to have some fun (with teh lesboz). You gotta respect the dude's honesty.

Personally I have been hopeing they would get rid of Bubba for a while now. He was some what entertaining when he use to actually play music during his show. But when he started just rambling off at the mouth instead of playing music I lost all interest in his show.
98 Rock is a rock music station not a bs talk radio station. Play music and shut the f up.
If I wanted to spend the time in my car listening to people talking I would listen to AM radio.

Shred said:

Personally I have been hopeing they would get rid of Bubba for a while now. He was some what entertaining when he use to actually play music during his show. But when he started just rambling off at the mouth instead of playing music I lost all interest in his show.
98 Rock is a rock music station not a bs talk radio station. Play music and shut the f up.
If I wanted to spend the time in my car listening to people talking I would listen to AM radio.

Click to expand...

Yeah, the perrenial talking business gets old real quick unless the dj has a terrific sense of humor (and most of them don't, despite the fact that they think they do).

Oh, and I do hate Clear Channel -they are a really creepy corporation.

Click to expand...

I just so happen to work for Clear Channel.

KTHXBI.

Later

shir0

P.S. Their benefits package is great.

I can hear it now...


"Hooo Hooo Robin, I invented getting suspended and all these DJ's are ripping me off. Everyone else who has been suspended is just a clone of me."

"Hahahaha, you're so right Howie."

"What's this breathing thing everyone is doing? I was the first person that I knew of breathing.. THEY'RE RIPPING ME OFF TOO! I quit.. 2 more years, I quit."

(he goes on for 2 more hours)

From the way I understand it, there's a "Witch Hunt" going down across the nation to shut down anyone who's a Shock Jock. *Communism Here we come.

MERCENARY X99

Well, on June 1st, buy yourself a Satellite Radio, turn it on and listen to O&A clean house on the rest of radio. It looks like that's where they're headed and at least they won't get dumped every 30 seconds.

R.I.P Howie, you shoulda called it a career 10 years ago.

P.S. This Censorship horseshit is f'n ridiculous...

Stern > O&A

But yea this censorship is getting out of hand.

Oh well, I haven't really listened to Stern in a while anyways, I prefer listening to some music on my way to work.

FM Radio is a cesspool these days anyway. They have the same boring playlists as always, and there's no risk-taking at all when it comes to music. As usual it's ONLY about the money. I know it's a business, but why not try something different once in awhile? Maybe the average radio listener out there doesn't mind listening to the same 30 songs ad nauseum, but I'm fed up with it. It seems like they've increased the commercial segment times as well over the last few years.

I think I'll be going sattelite radio in the next few months.

Ghost-Dog said:

FM Radio is a cesspool these days anyway. They have the same boring playlists as always, and there's no risk-taking at all when it comes to music. As usual it's ONLY about the money. I know it's a business, but why not try something different once in awhile? Maybe the average radio listener out there doesn't mind listening to the same 30 songs ad nauseum, but I'm fed up with it. It seems like they've increased the commercial segment times as well over the last few years.

I think I'll be going sattelite radio in the next few months.

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Oh yea, I definately agree.

When I say I prefer listening to music on my way to work, I mean a tape. Yes a tape.

8 Track Disco Fever?

Later

shir0

Ghost-Dog said:

FM Radio is a cesspool these days anyway. They have the same boring playlists as always, and there's no risk-taking at all when it comes to music. As usual it's ONLY about the money. I know it's a business, but why not try something different once in awhile? Maybe the average radio listener out there doesn't mind listening to the same 30 songs ad nauseum, but I'm fed up with it. It seems like they've increased the commercial segment times as well over the last few years.

I think I'll be going sattelite radio in the next few months.

Click to expand...

Not just Bubba is getting fired. Just about every station is getting rid of ALOT of people.

Sorry shir0, but clear channel owns TOO much and is enforcing crap rules.

Cant have naked women on a RADIO show because its indecent........ YOU CANT FUCKING SEE IT YOU MORONS.

I just work for them lol.

Commence trash talk.

Later

shir0

Ghost-Dog said:

FM Radio is a cesspool these days anyway. They have the same boring playlists as always, and there's no risk-taking at all when it comes to music. As usual it's ONLY about the money. I know it's a business, but why not try something different once in awhile? Maybe the average radio listener out there doesn't mind listening to the same 30 songs ad nauseum, but I'm fed up with it. It seems like they've increased the commercial segment times as well over the last few years.

I think I'll be going sattelite radio in the next few months.

Click to expand...

I had the pleasure of being stuck in traffic due to a terrible cross over the median accident,
and stopped listening to the FM radio since the college station I
listen to usually was playing a basketball game going on at the moment.
anyways, as per usual when there isn't much else on I switched it
to talk radio, who coincidently were replaying the recordings of the
town meetings that the FCC were holding concerning whether or
not local television and radio stations were upholding their duties
of supporting the communities that they also mainly cater to for entertainment
purposes, and the discussion of some side issues too.
the town meeting did deviate to clear channel though.
One thing speaker that spoke up was a prolific concert promoter
who told of many woes of clear channel's manipulation of
the live concert venues, only promoting their more state wide acts
such as big name acts only.
while doing this dropping lots of local acts for benefits and local events.
this pretty much ending up in the stagnation of alot of local talent.
Also he told of times when he has been told that clear channel would
basically blackmail people that wouldn't play in their (cc) venues
by not playing their music on the air.
In my mind this is pretty disgusting.
on one hand they use their monopoly, that they've acquired since
the FCC's deregulation of radio and television properties,
to strong arm anyone against them.
And on the other hand suffocate local talent.
CC's response is that their programing is ethnically flavored for whichever
community it is assigned to, but really. what kind of bunk is that.
I don't hear music that is original to San Antonio, much less that of Texas.
Here in SA we are not only the home of CC's corporate headquaters
but also to Tejano music, and also plenty of texas flavored music that
may be more centrally located in Austin 60 miles down the road that
consists of literally hundreds of artists. And in california there's
hundreds of artists that can be played, but chances are you'll hear
a playlist of the same exactly god damned thing that you will hear
here in texas. It's no wonder why people can't stand what's being played
on the radio nowadays. we have access to so much music, but what we
really get is a bottleneck small variety of what the corporates want you
to hear (ie: what the record companies pay to have heard)
right now there's a station, that when they started they were fucking hot.
they played old school funk and dance music. After about 7-8 months they switched
their format to pretty much strictly dance/electronica music which still wasn't bad.
more recently they have been bought out by a company (not CC) and
the format is todays hottest hits variety. ie what you hear on every other station
+ imo pretty shitty rap music that reflected from the charts,
but here's the fun part. they have no DJs! wtf?
and from the looks of it they don't plan on getting any either
I'm probably odd for being one of the only people that finds something wrong with that.
but to get back to the issue of the town meeting of what is your television and radio
stations doing for your community, CC answered up with some noble causes, such
as local food banks, some shelters. I found it heart warming, but crass as well
coming from a corporate conglomerate that's basically doing it as a tax write off.
if they want to help their community they need to help everyone, including
those in their business that don't have major record label backing.
I think that's all I wanted to say about it.
That and I agree with bobak. they are scary. it's not natural to have companies that
buy out everyone else and makes money on top of money like that.
Here in america that's one of the freedoms we have but when you make it close to impossible
for others to put out their music on public mediums then perhaps you are restricting the
freedom of others as well.

I don't know about any of you, but I WANT MY FUCKING COUNTRY BACK. Goddamn this is getting a little fucking crazy. We need to get it back from the lazy, NON-working "soccer moms" that have nothing better to do than to sit around and fuck with us. Get out in numbers and start taking it back.

Go smash a Clear channel dish if you must, I don't care.

/end rant.


EDIT: I want everyone here that's upset about the stupid fcc to go here and start sending nasty mail to this idiot

http://www.fcc.gov/commissioners/powell/mkp_email.html

Also don't forget to remind this fucking fool re-election year is only a few months away and he had an appointed job by the current president. I want to bring down the fcc mail system with hate mail.

*Wishes the SLU radio station would come in on his radio*

The atmosphere surrounding television and radio these days is shitty anyway. I hope he succedes in getting away from them.

Hey, If you work for them and they pay you well -power to you.

I'd be their attorney if they paid me well. I'd vote on any law that would fuck them, and listen to the competition to spite them, but I'd take their money and give'em my professional all.

Meh, honestly I don't care about mainstream radio anymore. I flip through the big name channels every now and then, but rarely if ever leave the dial on one of 'em. They're usually just a speed bump on the way to a smaller, independent station that actually plays something novel that I haven't heard 7 million times.

I'm not for censorship or anything, but guys like tom lykis and howard stern are jerks, and I wouldn't lose any sleep if no one carried their shows at all anymore.

Matt