On 28 Nov 2003 18:40:26 GMT, Steven J Sobol
wrote:

I'm not saying that there aren't stations they don't completely screw up,
but there are some good ones out there.

Clear Channel and Infinity are both run basically "by the numbers."
That is to say, local managers can do pretty much what they want as
long as they meet their cash flow budgets. Conversely, they must cut
anything and everything if they don't, regardless of the impact on
operations. This style of management means the quality of the local
GM is really crucial. And as anyone who's been around the business a
while knows, the quality of general managers is wildly variable.

What amazes me is that Infinity owns a station out here... I don't recall
which one.

Infinity and Clear Channel both scooped up lots of marginal stations
by buying entire groups to get the better ones. Where they differ is
that Infinity really does not want to be in smaller markets, whereas
CCU seems to want to own everything it possibly can, everywhere.
However, even CCU has been sloughing off a few lately. The 1220 AM in
Canyon Country, CA was sold back to its former owner for less than a
third of what CCU paid for it. He was making money operating it --
they never did.

Mark Howell