Save Internet Radio
Is the musical Wild West of Internet radio about to become as predictable as commercial broadcast radio?
A new Copyright Royalty Board measure that goes into effect July 15th would massively increase the rate webcasters must pay each time they stream a song, and put thousands of small, independent outlets out of business.
In May the CRB caved to recording industry lobbyists and dramatically increased royalties between 40 and 70 percent of revenues for large webcasters, and for up to 1,200 percent for small webcasters.
An unlikely coalition of independent musicians and record labels, webcasters, Internet radio listeners, and media reformers have joined members of the Senate and House to push for the passing of “The Internet Radio Equality Act Of 2007” (one of its sponsors is Illinois Rep. Don Manzullo). It calls for the CRB to put Internet royalties on a par with satellite radio.
Visit www.freepress.net to learn more and sign the petition.
DIRTY WHITE BOYS: First, Don Imus was fired by CBS Radio for referring to members of the Rutgers University women’s basketball team as “nappy-headed hos.”
Next, CBS suspended indefinitely without pay the New York City morning drive duo JV and Elvis after activists protested a segment in which a caller to a Chinese restaurant tried to order “shrimp fried rice” and told a female employee he wanted to see her naked and referred to a part of her body as “hot, Asian, spicy.”
Then, XM Satellite Radio suspended “The Opie & Anthony Show” for 30 days after their Homeless Charlie character fantasized about raping Laura Bush, Condoleezza Rice, and Queen Elizabeth – even though Federal Communications Commission rules don’t apply to satellite radio.
Curiously, the pair were able to continue broadcasting their syndicated CBS Radio show, which airs in 20 markets (including weekday mornings on WCKG-FM).
Could it be XM is trying to curry favor with the government in order to obtain its permission to merge with Sirius Satellite Radio?
Local radio veteran Rick Kaempfer thinks so, though he says the other two incidents are unrelated (we couldn’t help but notice all three broadcasts targeted women, though).
“Imus would still be on the radio if those sponsors didn’t cancel,” says Kaempfer, who was a producer for “Steve And Garry” and “The John Landecker Show” and co-authored 2004’s “Radio Producer’s Handbook.”
“The other firings of more minor shows around the country are still the result of the Janet Jackson moment. The fines the FCC inflicts on the stations now are enough to make everyone overly cautious.”
Kaempfer, who experienced firsthand the results of consolidation, says every decision comes down to money. “The only reason the big media companies are cracking down on their talent is because they don’t want to pay the fines.”
The only way things will really change is by disbanding the dirty white boys’ club that rules the airwaves. This would mean adding more females and people of color to broadcast spectrum – and not just to the “womens'” or “urban” radio ghetto, but on mainstream stations.
Sadly, it’s harder than ever for new talent to emerge in today’s post-consolidation climate, where a handful of companies control the majority of what is heard on the commercial airwaves, broadcasts are syndicated and automated, and established hosts are facing shrinking salaries or kicked off the air altogether.
That word provides the backdrop for Kaempfer’s new satirical novel, $everance (ENC Press), in which a Chicago morning DJ tries to get fired in order to collect his severance – while his bosses do everything they can to make him quit so they don’t have to pay it.
Kaempfer says he was inspired by the disgust he felt as he “watched the industry self-destruct around me.”
He cites a litany of examples from his own career. “When the FCC was considering de-regulating the business, Mel Karmazin, who was the CEO of Infinity Broadcasting, ordered every employee of every radio station to write a letter to the FCC vowing our support of de-regulation.”
Karmazin was also famous for demanding 20 percent growth every year in order to keep the stock price high. “That meant firing people – and the cuts were extreme,” says Kaempfer. “The office manager position, for instance, was cut nationwide at Infinity. For six months, we had no stationery, because nobody knew where to order it. When a copy machine broke, it stayed broken – any purchase of more than $500 had to be personally approved by the CEO himself. We didn’t have a delay system for seven years at the Landecker show because it cost $3,000.”
Kaempfer had to cancel appearances by celebrities who didn’t buy ads on the station, and was forced to book celebrities with shows on CBS.
But it could have been worse.
“I met a friend for lunch that worked at Clear Channel,” he says. “I told him about the things going on at Infinity and he looked at me dreamily, and said, ‘Man, that sounds great compared to what we’re going through.”‘
Look for Kaempfer’s book at independent bookstores and at www.encpress.com. His blog (www.rickkaempfer.blogspot.com) includes weekly interviews with local radio luminaries.
OY VEY: In the wake of all the controversy, shock jock Mancow Muller, himself a casualty of consolidation, recently released “The Ten Commandments For Radio Personalities,” which include “Racism is always a dumb idea,” “Have a delay button (preferably 20 seconds or more) and when in doubt use it,” and “Don’t dis someone’s religion.”
– Cara Jepsen
