THE PROBLEM WITH CLEAR CHANNEL
Being a former radio personality who keeps up with what's happening in his old biz, I've always had problems with Clear Channel Communications and the way they conduct business. The San Antonio-based company, which owns and/or operates over 1,100 radio stations throughout America and is the nation's largest broadcaster, is the king of cookie-cutter formats which has meant a lessening of locally produced content/information and loss of jobs for hundreds of talented individuals. So it's always nice when I hear or read that CCC is caught in a bit of a stink.
Anyone who lives in or around the Tampa Bay area has probably heard or read of the continuing noise issues surrounding the Ford Ampitheatre, which Clear Channel's entertainment division built and operates. Since it's opening last year, the venue has cited several times by Hillsborough County's Enviromental Protection Commission for noise ordinance violations and is the source of numerous complaints by residents living near it due to noise during concerts and other events. There are three pending lawsuits between the EPC, Clear Channel, the Florida State Fair Authority (because the venue is located on it's property), and neighbours.
As it turns out, according to a St. Petersburg Times story published Thursday, the EPC has concluded that CCE designed the venue slightly different than was local officials were informed, which may be a significant reason for much of the current controveresy. Apparantly, the ampitheatre's roof was built 40 percent higher than originally promised, and the audio configuration was also changed. Not only that, the EPC --- which is actually the Hillsborough County Commission acting as a different body to oversee enviromental regulations --- acknowledged Friday knowing of the design changes for two months, but due to the pending litigation were advised by counsel to say nothing.
A spokesperson for CCE says they have been trying to resolve the issue for some time. Well, friends...if that were truly the case, Clear Channel would not have changed the design after submitting it for and receiving approval from the EPC, as a CCE representative noted in a deposition.
Just more evidence of how Clear Channel does business...Radio, Entertainment, they apparantly use the same deceptive format in whatever they do.
2 Comments:
Funny that the Hillsborough County Commission was advised to do or say nothing to the changes, and they are not included in the lawsuits. They are just as culpable, in this case, as Clear Channel.
After they submitted the first design to the EPC, the EPC responded with a letter saying they had no authority to approve or disapprove the design.
So when the design was later changed, Clear Channel saw no need to resubmit its plans.
Of course, the Times article never mentioned this - they were too busy parroting the press relase given them by the government's lawyers.
The government is going to lose thsi case in a big way, partly because their cheap tricks throughought the litigation have severly damaged their credibility with the court. The government knows this too, which is one reason they're trying to slime Clear Channel in the press.
(I can't say who I am, but you can assume I have an interest in who wins. However, if you do your own research into this beyond what the Times reports - say, by checking the court file - you'll see what I'm saying is true.)
Post a Comment
<< Home