Structure- Clear Channel In St. Louis

Our textbooks uses one of the greatest examples of conglomerates in radio, Clear Channel Communications. Clear Channel is by far one of the largest corporations in radio owning and operating more than 1200 radio stations in the US. The St. Louis radio market is a clear representation of Clear Channel's undeniable presence with them owning 6 of St. Louis' radio stations. This is a pretty big deal taking in consideration the small handful of popular stations we have that actually play music compared to other major cities. Clear Channel's list of stationsin St. Louis includes; Z 107.7, 93.7 The Bull, Majic 100.3, Hallelujah AM 1600, Oldies 103.3, and Wild 104.9

Long before I knew anything about media, conglomerates, sister stations, or corporations, I aspired to be a radio DJ. I would listen to the radio from the time I walked in the door from school, until the time I walked out of the door for school the next morning. I even slept with my radio on. Back then, my favorite stations to listen to were 100.3 The Beat, Z 107.7, and Majic 108 (brings back memories huh?). Even as a kid, I noticed many similarities between these 3 stations. Their structure was a lot alike. Contest prizes would often be the same, commercials for the very same companies would air on all 3 stations, and the voice of one particular announcer was the same on all 3 stations. I wrote it off as a coincidence and continued to drown myself in radio.

In undergrad, my original major radio was radio broadcasting (I was serious about this DJing thing) and that’s where it all began to make sense. I learned that local radio barely exists and corporations ruled the airwaves and that my favorite 3 from childhood were all owned by Clear Channel. That was some 7 years ago. Our current textbook gives a breakdown of how these stations are structured, the purpose of running the same promotions, and who selects the news we hear on these corporate stations.

 

 

 

Visit St. Louis' Clear Channel Website