Clear Channel Discovers That Less Is... Less

from the not-quite-what-they-were-hoping-for dept

One of the common complaints about the radio marketplace is that it's completely dominated by Clear Channel. Of course, as with anything, it really depends on how you define "the market." With the rise of digital music files, satellite radio, internet radio and things like podcasts, it suddenly makes traditional FM and AM radio seem like a much smaller part of the overall market -- and suddenly, Clear Channel doesn't have quite the same level of domination. In fact, given the limitations of traditional radio, and Clear Channel's insistence on dumbing down radio stations to the lowest common denominator of pop hits, it may put Clear Channel at something of a disadvantage in the market. The company obviously realized this last year, when it decided to cut out many commercials from its programming in a solution dubbed "Less is More." Well, for the time being, it turns out that less is less, as Clear Channel's revenue has been dropping due to the program. The company is sticking by it, however, claiming that they've been able to raise the fees for the remaining advertising slots, while also noting that people are listening to radio more since the ads were cut. Besides, what other choice do they really have? In the meantime, they're still trying to figure out how to break out of their radio confines by (weakly) experimenting with what they think podcasting means.