Clear Channel's Congressional Caucus

by Matthew Lasar Sep 9 2006 - 11:00pm Media Ownership

Nine days after the Federal Communications Commission announced a new proceeding on its media ownership rules, 23 members of Congress quietly sent the Commission's Chair Kevin Martin a letter. They delivered it, with no fanfare or publicity, on behalf of a proposal to allow companies to buy more radio stations.

The June 30th letter urged the FCC to grant a rule change that would allow entities to buy up to 10 radio stations in markets with 60 or more frequencies (the current limit is 8), and up to 12 stations in regions with 75 or more, such as New York City.

"These narrow regulatory changes would give free, local radio companies the financial and competitive flexibility necessary to survive and serve their local communities in a rapidly changing marketplace with new sources of competition," the letter concluded. "We should embrace pro-consumer policies that preserve free, local radio as one of many choices for consumers who can afford other subscription alternatives and as a lifeline for those who cannot."

The statement followed an earlier missive sent to the FCC's Chair by Congressmember Fred Upton, Republican of Michigan and Chair of the crucial Telecommunications and Internet Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Upton's February 9th letter also urged the the same proposal: 10 for 60 or more; 12 for 75 or more.

"If free terrestrial radio is to remain a healthy industry capable of fulfilling its public interest responsibilities while competing against an increasing number of competitors, it must be able to grow," Upton wrote to Martin.

Neither of these letters mentioned that this was, to the number, the proposal that Clear Channel Communications advocates as well. Clear Channel already owns over 1,200 radio stations in the United States, but it would like to own more. On August 30th, two Clear Channel executives met with FCC commissioners Robert M. McDowell and Deborah Taylor Tate to push the same plan that the congressional letter writers had advocated earlier.

A table posted with this article details the sums of money that the campaign committees of these 19 Republican and five Democratic members of Congress have received from Clear Channel's political action committee since 2002. These figures are culled from Federal Elections Commission data. All told, said campaign committees have received $129,500 from the media firm, which averages out to about $5,395 a politician.

Charles Gonzalez, Democrat of Texas, clearly wins the sweepstakes on this list. His political support group has collected $22,500 from Clear Channel since 2002. Congressmember Upton comes in second; Clear Channel has graced his campaign committee, "Upton for All of Us," with $12,500. Kentucky Republican Ed Whitfield comes in third with $12,000.

Even those individuals listed here whose committees received no direct contribution from Clear Channel: Republicans Ferguson of New Jersey, Hall of Texas, and Otter of Idaho received funds indirectly, given Clear Channel's generous support of the Republican National Congressional Committee, ERICPAC (Every Republican Is Crucial PAC), and Americans for a Republican Majority. One or all of these committees have donated funds to Ferguson, Hall, and Otter's campaigns.

It would be crude to suggest that this money represents the only or main reason why these politicians have acted on behalf of Clear Channel. They may be in ideological sympathy with relaxing the FCC's media ownership limits. The overwhelmingly Republican majority on this list may be grateful for the strong support Clear Channel executives showed President Bush in the 2004 election, donating over $40,000 to the President and only $1,750 to his Democratic challenger John Kerry, according to USA Today.

In fairness, it should also be noted that these twenty-four Congressmembers are not the only benefactors of Clear Channel's largesse. "Friends of Hillary" took $2,000 from Clear Channel this year. "Nancy Pelosi for Congress" received $5,000. "Daniel K. Inouye for U.S. Senate" accepted $4,500 in 2004.

But while money rarely explains everything, it equally rarely explains nothing, especially in Washington, D.C.