Wired News ran a three part series on Clear Channel communications this week. The first article focused on Clear Channel’s growing control over regional radio markets, as they have snapped up station after station, sometimes circumventing the eight station limit in a market by taking over control but not purchasing. In San Diego they rule the airwaves with 14 stations and have even taken over five stations in Tijuana, Mexico, where they don’t have to conform to any U.S. rules but have English speakers in range. The second article discusses new technologies that allow DJs, often not from the local market, to program shows ahead of time. A five hour show can be recorded in 45 minutes. Clear Channel owns the technology it uses, the Prophet digital automation system. That the name sounds like “profit” has to be intentional. With fewer DJ openings through consolidation and time shifting, will there be more quality or just more blandness? At least there is always the need for local traffic and news.

The final article covers Clear Channel’s future as their dominance is not going unnoticed by politicians. Despite reporting a large profit, their stock is down because of the bad publicity. Republicans deregulated to Clear Channel’s benefit and won’t likely reverse that growth, but Wisconsin Democrat, Senator Russell Feingold has proposed a bill to stop payola and put limits in place. Clear Channel’s response was to point out that the film and record industry are much worse when it comes to having a few companies dominate an industry’s profits. There’s no question to me that they stand on shaky moral ground, but they are abiding by the letter of the law. If advertisers continue to buy into it, local radio will be as regionally varied as your neighborhood shopping mall of national brands. At least you won’t have to leave your familiar local station behind when you travel. (Also noted, via MediaNews: Clear Channel ended legal wranglings with an industry magazine critical of its activities by buying it out.)