Response from Clear Channel
Rebecca:
I wanted to thank you for alerting me to the concerns of bike riders in your organization and around the area we serve regarding comments made by a few employees of Clear Channel around the country. Some quick background on Clear Channel in Wisconsin. Clear Channel owns 6 stations which serve the Milwaukee Market, 6 stations which serve the Eau Claire Region and the six stations I oversee in Madison, Wisconsin. The Madison stations are WZEE FM (Z104), 101.5 WIBA FM, Mix 92.1 (WMAD FM), SMOOTH JAZZ 96.3 WCJZ FM, NEWSTALK 1310 WIBA AM, and ESPN 1070 (WTSO AM). While our stations in the Madison area are owned by Clear Channel Worldwide, our company relies on the local markets to serve their communities best interest on a local level. I have been with these stations since 1981. Many of the Program Directors and on air personalities have been in this market long before Clear Channel. I can tell you without question, we operate our stations locally.
The incidents which occurred on Clear Channel stations in Houston, Raleigh and Cleveland, where an air personality in the market led on air discussions about various ways to bring harm to cyclists, have been viewed as out of line by our company. Emails were sent to all stations outlining what these few announcers had done and that it should not be viewed as something that is acceptable. In these markets, our company responded with direct on air apologies, a $10,000 cash donation to a non-profit organization supporting cycling, and public service announcements about the issues of safety for cyclists and motorists.
I can assure you that our local programming team made sure that our on air staffs did not consider any kind of copy-cat talk. Our staff of these stations lives here, works here, raises their families and enjoys the past times we all enjoy.
These are times where one (a few) person working for a company can be perceived as speaking for a company. They do not, especially in this business. No more than Dan Rather speaks for CBS, one NFL player speaks for entire league or one employee at Oscar Mayer speaks for all of Kraft Foods.
I personally regret that the company I work for has had their reputation damaged by a few stupid individuals. The people who enjoy cycling in our area can always count on the support of our stations and me personally. Let me know if there are any public service ideas you have on a bike safety. I would be happy to explore a campaign concept to demonstrate our commitment to our communities and the people who live here.
Thank you again for your call.
Jeff Tyler
VP/Market Manager
Clear Channel Radio-Madison
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