Hi John,
I disagree that the Feds will ignore these latest incidents... whenever there is national media attention (ie news items covered by Associated Press, CNN, and hundreds of newspapers covered this in the past several days) there is bound to be a investigation from the FCC. I live in Ohio and get one of the radio station signals that are part of the FCC complaint when I travel to Columbus, Oh. I have personally complained to the FCC about this station three years ago doing the exact same thing by encouraging motorist to injure cyclists for sport and enjoyment. It was my understanding that the FCC had started a file on WMJI station antics and would be monitoring them.
The issues at hand are that DJs from several Clear Channel-owned radio stations threatened bicycle riders on the air as a "on the air" joke over several days this past Summer. The first Clear Channel radio station to try to pull off this latest stunt is WMJI in Cleveland Ohio in early July where 2 different sets of DJs on separate shifts joked about slamming on car brakes, striking, and opening car doors to injure cyclists legally on the road According to Ohio State traffic laws. Some pundits would claim this is a violation and abuse of the WMJI's FCC license by encouraging "fighting words" against cyclists even though the DJ's comments may have been made in jest. Clear Channel has declined to release any transcripts of on the air comments made by any of their DJs. Perhaps the FCC will have to subpoena the on the air tapes to arrive at the truth about the DJs comments.
I participated in the July online discussion about WMJI's anti-cycling comments by saying that Clear Channel insurance carriers should be notified about WMJI's dangerous rhetoric. This notification may lead to changes in WMJI insurance and legal coverage that will impact their profits and cause them to change station policy. Perhaps the only way to get radio stations to change their tune is to hit them financially.
This latest WMJI incident resulted in a email call for help was sent out by a Cleveland-area bike shop, and WMJI was deluged with so many emails in a short period of time the station station's email server lockup up several times. This is when WMJI committed 10,000 dollars to sponsor "be kind to cyclists" program that will be advertised next Spring. Separate negotiations will occur this weekend between Clear Channel and two Cleveland-area cycling groups, so please email your comments ASAP to have a positive impact on the negotiations.
Regards, Steve Neago
Cincinnati, OH
> Waste of time. Bicyclists are a non-entity in the eyes of the general US
> public, and way to small to show on the Clear Channel radar. If similar
> threats or encouragements had been made against minorities, or the
> handicapped, or the elderly, or children, those stations would probably be
> off the air, and maybe fines, and maybe a license suspension for Clear
> Channel. Major punishment by the Feds and some pocketbook emptying would
be
> the only thing Clear Channel would respond to, and that won't happen. We
are
> spit in the ocean. The "on-air" apologies and PSA's are a joke. It would
> take 10 years of that to undo the damage those morons did in 5 minutes.
> Accept that you in a micro-recreation in this country and get on with
> enjoying it however you can.
>
> You may feel better by acting, but it's a futile effort in the big
picture.
>
> Jon Schaer
> Columbus, OH