Devoted to show business and the entertainment industry

The FCC commissioners are holding a series of six public meetings nationwide to hear both sides of the consolidation of the radio industry. In the second of the meetings, both sides gave their opinions on whether it should be allowed to continue in this direction or not.

Rick Carnes, president of the Songwriters Guild of America, told FCC commissioners, "Big radio is bad radio, you can drive I-40 from Knoxville to Barstow, California, and hear the same 20 songs on every country radio station."

The majority of those at the meeting wanted the FCC to either put further restrictions on media ownership, or to at  minimum, not allow it to grow any further.

Former chairman of the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters, Bayard Walters said that there wouldn't be a number of small-town radio stations around if it wasn't for consolidation of the industry.

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Another point that the broadcasters, along with all the large media companies make is that tougher FCC rules no longer reflect the current marketplace with the disruption that the digital age has brought upon them. They say that the choices and opportunies as a result are greater than ever.

I have to agree with them here. The digital age has made this a mute point. Why don't these artists that are concerned about radio play time put there stuff online and bypass all of this anyway?  Some of them are having a hard time understanding the changes that have taken place and the opportunities available to them.

If there wasn't the digital, cable and satellite opportunities available out there, I would agree with the artists, but they have too many options to be concerned about who owns the local radio station. It's the radio stations that are under heavy pressure, far more than the artists.