The official response from Clear Channel Communications to yesterday's rule changes by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is that the commission chose politics over the public interest and that radio listeners will be the "ultimate victims."Clear Channel, which owns 16 radio and two television stations in Central New York, had hoped the FCC would further ease radio ownership caps that were put into place in 1996.
Clear Channel's president and chief operating officer, Mark Mays, released the following response to the FCC's ruling:
Clear Channel is deeply disappointed with today's FCC vote to re-regulate the radio industry. While the FCC is supposed to act in the public interest, today they missed the mark by a mile.This FCC action will extinguish the substantial consumer benefitsbrought on by radio deregulation in 1996.
Just ten years ago, nearly 60 percent of the nation