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04/08/2004 Archived Entry: "Clear Channel drops Stern for good"
Clear Channel drops Stern for good.
Knew this one was coming - CC wasn't going to bring Stern back. Funny how they hit him with fines for a year-old broadcast.
Federal regulators Thursday proposed $495,000 in indecency fines against Clear Channel Communications for broadcasts by Howard Stern, prompting the nation's largest radio chain to drop the country's best-known shock jock.Clear Channel suspended Stern in February from its six stations that carry his program, which regularly features graphic sexual discussion and humor. It decided to make the move permanent after the Federal Communications Commission cited the chain for 18 alleged violations from Stern's April 9, 2003, show.
"Mr. Stern's show has created a great liability for us and other broadcasters who air it," said John Hogan, president of Clear Channel Radio. "The Congress and the FCC are even beginning to look at revoking station licenses. That's a risk we're just not willing to take."
In a statement posted on his Web site, Stern said he was not surprised by the fine. He characterized it as furtherance of a "witch hunt" against him by the Bush administration.
"It is pretty shocking that governmental interference into our rights and free speech takes place in the U.S.," he said. "It's hard to reconcile this with the 'land of the free' and the 'home of the brave.'"
The FCC investigation was prompted by a listener in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who complained about a Stern program that included discussion of sex accompanied by flatulence sounds.
Howard's Response:
This is not a surprise. This is a follow up to the McCarthy type "witch hunt" of the administration and the activities of this group of presidential appointees in the FCC, led by "Colin Powell Jr." and his band of players. They and others (a senator from Kansas City to a congresswoman from New Mexico) are expressing and imposing their opinions and rights to tell us all who and what we may listen to and watch and how we should think about our lives. So this is not a surprise. It is pretty shocking that governmental interference into our rights and free speech takes place in the U.S. It's hard to reconcile this with the "land of the free" and the "home of the brave". I'm sure what's next is the removal of "dirty pictures" like the 20th century German exhibit in a New York City Museum and the erotic literature in our libraries; they too will fall into their category of "evil" as well.Howard Stern, April 8th 2004
Replies: 5 people speak up
Can't blame ClearChanel#5 for this one. If I cost my employer that much cash, I'd expect to get shot too.
I'm glad I don't have to draw the lines between decent and obscene. No matter where you put them, someone gets pissed. There's definitely a line that needs to be drawn with the use of the public airways. I just don't know where to put it.
Posted by Murphy @ 04/08/2004 06:06 PM NY
im so sick of people who think they know what is best for everyone else. most of what i enjoy in life is either elicit or obscene, or both. throughout history, the high pitched whine of "WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN" has been used to destroy everything worthwhile for everyone. my question is "what about the adults?". this country has already been infantilized to the point that no one is either willing or able to take personal responsibility for anything. most americans cant read anything more complicated than a newspaper (most of which are written at a 9th grade reading level) and grown men and women snicker at words like penis and vagina. its time we fucking grew up. we owe it to "THE CHILDREN" to be adults. if we dont let our children experience "obscenity" they will be teenage parents, aids patients, and rape victims. you have to learn the ways of the real world eventually, and if you dont learn it young, you will suffer from it later.
besides which, we are the adults, god dammit! if you dont want your children watching/listening to something, dont let them. you are in charge. this is another example of no one taking any personal responsibility. "THE CHILDREN" have all heard words like "fuck" and "shit" and "cunt", and if they are old enough to talk, they should already know where babies come from, if not, you are a bad parent. not only that, but our children all have either a penis, or a vagina, so seeing one wont hurt them. do i think that hard core pornography should be aired on prime time broadcast pornography? maybe, it would certainly be better than "Friends", and it would be much less obscene than that reality show on fox where they give a bunch of women plastic surgery and then compete them in a beauty pageant.... but im getting off topic. no, pornography should probobly only be available to those who explicitly request it (like me), but when it comes to actual free speech issues, please keep your phony morality (which for most people is just fear of what they ashamed to enjoy) off of my civil rights, which are already under attack from all sides. grow up. its about time we all grew up. we are a nation of delinquent children, and that is why our government treats us like a "focus group" rather than like intelligent human adults.
Posted by justin @ 04/08/2004 08:10 PM NY
and you thought it was only Howard
Three weeks after suspending the hosts of its popular Regular Guys morning show for accidentally airing a sexually graphic interview with an adult film star, WKLS-FM (96 Rock) has canceled the show.
"In line with our zero tolerance policy and after conducting a thorough investigation of a March 19th broadcast on WKLS-FM, we have decided we will no longer broadcast the 'The Regular Guys,'" said Pat McDonnell, Clear Channel Radio-Atlanta. " We will announce replacement programming in the near future, but remain confident in our ability to continue to provide compelling, entertaining and informative programming that meets the tastes and desires of our listeners."
One of Stern's, and a lot of people who hate Bush's, prevailing theories is that Bush is behind this somehow, that he's pressuring the FCC. The only public statement to date on that topic has been Michael Powell saying they have had no contact whatsoever from the White House on any issue of fines, offensive content or anything else connected to this situation.
And to top it off, Bush has a direct connection to a Clear Channel excecutive...Bush, along with the rest of the group that owned them, sold the Texas Rangers baseball team to Tom Hicks, Vice Chairman of Clear Channel.
But...
The Regular Guys are open conservatives. One of them calls himself a "Neil Boortz-like Libertarian." The other one uses the term "conservative."
Kinda blows Stern's theory out of the water...they're Bush supporters. Eric is a little lighter in his support, somewhat the way I feel myself...
http://www.right-thoughts.us/
seems no one is safe
Posted by Robin Hacker @ 04/09/2004 08:15 PM NY
A liability is a liability. ClearChanel#5 got slapped once, and I'm sure the shareholders don't want to see profits being turned over to Uncle FCC.
ClearChanel#5 is covering its assets. I don't think they care about the party line. They care about the profit line.
Posted by Murphy @ 04/09/2004 08:54 PM NY
unfortunately this is one issue where democrats are just as guilty as republicans. no one in the world has a bigger hard on for decency than tipper gore (i hate her so much that i couldnt bring myself to vote for her husband)
the sad truth is that everyone in power, on either side of the aisle is most likely christian, and conservative (at least when it comes to their superstition) and the biggest enemy of religion is the truth. therefore, they are all going to try to censor everything they can. censorship is a bipartisan issue where we all get fucked equally by those in power.
Posted by justin @ 04/10/2004 10:26 AM NY
