Clear Channel to ruin Arkansas station

KIYS in Jonesboro, Arkansas - renamed from KJBR in the '90s - is the legendary radio station whose sticker I found stuck on a toilet in a motel room in Kennett, Missouri, in 1996.

Even that recently, KIYS still had more variety in its music than you'd hear on almost any American commercial station today. One heard Metallica's "Until It Sleeps", Air Supply's "All Out Of Love", and George Michael's "I Want Your Sex" all on the same station.

I'm under no delusions that KIYS might have that much variety now. But at least it's still a Jonesboro station.

That, however, is about to change.

Although the station's ownership was taken over by Clear Channel, it has been operated by a local group under an LMA. Now, however, Clear Channel is ending the agreement and moving KIYS to Memphis - where the company already owns 6 stations!

Remember when this used to be a big no-no? As late as 1996, the limit was 4 per market. For decades until about 1990, it was 2 per market. Any broadcasting student has heard a zillion times that the FCC has a duty of making sure stations operate in the "public interest, convenience, and necessity." If you study broadcasting, that phrase will be drilled into your head for life.

Because the radio spectrum is limited, that means the FCC is supposed to award broadcasting licenses to different owners - guaranteeing a diversity of voices. But the FCC neglects this obligation. Every station sale to Crap Channel or some other corporation is rubber-stamped.

So is every effort by these corporations to abandon smaller markets like Jonesboro to build an impenetrable monolith in larger cities like Memphis. Having your small city mentioned once between ads at the top of the hour means nothing anymore.

Then again, radio means nothing anymore. The industry could have adapted, but instead it self-destructed.

So is there much interest in keeping KIYS in Jonesboro? There ought to be. They've had nearly the same basic format for years, so at least they're consistent there. When they move to Memphis, they'll be a new signal there, and will probably be one of these stations that just ends up switching its format once every 6 months.

Despite the poor quality of today's music, radio can still perform a valuable service by announcing local events and emergencies. It's also important to note that when Clear Channel owned most of the stations in Minot, North Dakota, it left its stations on autopilot, so listeners weren't informed when a train derailed and released poisonous chemicals.

I think maybe Arkansas legislators need to tell the FCC where they stand. Jonesboro needs its stations.

(Source: http://radioinsight.com/clear-channel-preparing-memphis-move-in)