musicFIRST Claims CC Failed To Report Airing Ads

musicFIRST Points To 2 Clear Channel Problems

The musicFIRST COALITION has released new claims, this time saying "two WASHINGTON, DC area radio stations failed to comply with public disclosure rules for ads opposing the Performance Rights Act." This came in testimony to the FCC. "The stations, owned by CLEAR CHANNEL, played spots furnished by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BROADCASTERS (NAB) opposing the Performance Rights Act," continued musicFIRST. "musicFIRST inspected the stations’ public files and found no record of these broadcasts and nothing about the stations’ anti-Performance Rights Act activity."

"We only checked these two stations," said musicFIRST Exec. Dir. JENNIFER BENDALL, "and found that they failed to meet their obligations under their broadcast licenses. We are two for two. How many other stations failed to file?"

CLEAR CHANNEL EVP/Chief Legal Officer ANDREW LEVIN told ALL ACCESS, "These were not advertisements. CLEAR CHANNEL stations were not paid for airing them. As a result, there was no violation of the BCRA. As for the issue of the public files of two stations in WASHINGTON, D.C., all of our stations were advised on the appropriate filing requirements regarding these unpaid announcements and, to the extent that the appropriate forms were not filed, this was an inadvertent administrative oversight on the part of those stations and is being corrected."

"CLEAR CHANNEL’s actions are further evidence of how corporate radio groups and stations are violating their public interest obligations," BENDALL added.

musicFIRST Names Stations Boycotting Artists

Additionally, musicFIRST reports "the owner-operator of KXIT/DALHART, TX told the FCC, "I have removed all songs of artists that are part of musicFIRST and will not play their songs for now."

Previously, musicFIRST points out, "WICB/ITHACA dropped AIMEE MANN from its playlist. The station posted a message on MANN’s message board that reads in part, 'since you support musicFIRST, WICB hereby drops AIMEE MANN and TIL TUESDAY from our playlist like a bad habit.'"

WICB is the college radio station serving ITHACA COLLEGE (NET NEWS 9/9).

« see more Net News