Clear Channel surrenders

[Karen M.]

Posted to the CrankMail list.
--Karen M.

Clear Channel moves to woo bicyclists
> Associated Press
>
> SAN ANTONIO - Clear Channel Communications has joined forces with
> the League of American Bicyclists to promote cycling.
>
> That's after some on-air personalities at Clear Channel radio
> stations had suggested mayhem against bicyclists.
>
> In recent months, broadcasts in Houston, Cleveland and Raleigh,
> N.C., included suggestions to throw bottles at riders,
> hit them with open car doors and blast horns.
> Listeners called in to agree, vent and share stories.
>
> In announcing the alliance on Thursday, officials for the nation's
> largest radio group said they will tolerate no more anti-bicyclist
> rhetoric by its disc jockeys.
>
> "We look forward to a very productive partnership with this
> important organization, focused on promoting safe conditions for
> bicyclists," John Hogan, president of the company's 1,200-station
> radio division, said in an e-mail.
>
> Representatives with American Bicyclists (sic), which represents more
> than 300,000 riders, met with officials at Clear Channel's San
> Antonio headquarters Wednesday to air concerns about "shock jocks"
> encouraging motorists to harass cyclists.
>
> Clear Channel said the comments were not meant to be serious.
> The company has issued an apology and has disciplined some
> employees, including firing a Houston producer.
>
> Also, all three stations have since started running public service
> announcements to educate drivers about bicycle safety.
>
> Clear Channel stations have promoted or helped sponsor bicycling
> events for years - more than 100 since 2002.
>
> The company even had a team of riders in this year's Bike to the
> Beach ride from San Antonio to Corpus Christi to raise money for
> the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
>
> The cycling group and company officials intend to meet again early
> next year to discuss further steps.

[Jym Dyer]

=v= I know of earlier similar anti-bicyclist incidents at
Clear Channel stations in Portland, Oregon, and the San
Francisco Bay Area.

=v= In the latter case, which I know best, the DJs said
that motorcyclists should be doored, and bicyclists should wear
signs that say "fag" and be run over. Clear Channel was very
quick to apologize, and very lucky that the area's politically
involved gay community didn't get after them for this. (In
fact I would say they contained the controversy pretty well.
Notice that the _San_Francisco_Chronicle_ story didn't even
mention it!)

=v= They played some lackluster PSAs about bike safety and then
"fired" the DJs, which meant they were transferred to another
Clear Channel station, where they pulled another stupid stunt
and were "fired" again, which again meant a transfer to another
station.

=v= So, two lessons from this: (1) it's a bigger problem than
just these three stations, and more longstanding, and (2) their
concessions don't seem to be all they're made out to be. Let's
keep an eye on them.
<_Jym_>

(But what do you expect from an outfit that stages "populist"
pro-oil-war rallies and overreports their attendance?)

P.S.: Have you restocked your supply of FearChannel bumper
stickers yet?

http://www.talkfastrideslow.org/stuff/stuff.html

[Richard Adams]

I'll believe they've turned over a new leaf when they put up a three
year sponsorship of a professional cycling team. I read something that
they did thes PSA's and did something else with $30K, which is very,
very lame and sheds some light on how big an impact they feel cyclists
really are.

Consider if they'd said blacks should all return to the cotton fields,
how much more costly the damage control would be. The cycling community
could use a Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton (albeit less self-promoting)
and aside from being a great athlete and promoting a cancer foundation,
Lance could be such a voice, if only Nike would throw their prodigious
weight around and have him do a few.

Jym Dyer wrote:

> =v= I know of earlier similar anti-bicyclist incidents at
> Clear Channel stations in Portland, Oregon, and the San
> Francisco Bay Area.
>
> =v= In the latter case, which I know best, the DJs said
> that motorcyclists should be doored, and bicyclists should wear
> signs that say "fag" and be run over. Clear Channel was very
> quick to apologize, and very lucky that the area's politically
> involved gay community didn't get after them for this. (In
> fact I would say they contained the controversy pretty well.
> Notice that the _San_Francisco_Chronicle_ story didn't even
> mention it!)
>
> =v= They played some lackluster PSAs about bike safety and then
> "fired" the DJs, which meant they were transferred to another
> Clear Channel station, where they pulled another stupid stunt
> and were "fired" again, which again meant a transfer to another
> station.
>
> =v= So, two lessons from this: (1) it's a bigger problem than
> just these three stations, and more longstanding, and (2) their
> concessions don't seem to be all they're made out to be. Let's
> keep an eye on them.
> <_Jym_>
>
> (But what do you expect from an outfit that stages "populist"
> pro-oil-war rallies and overreports their attendance?)
>
> P.S.: Have you restocked your supply of FearChannel bumper
> stickers yet?
>
> http://www.talkfastrideslow.org/stuff/stuff.html

[Doug Huffman]

Utter specious Barbara Streisand!!!!!!!!!!

My VW dealer sponsors the local flaming-clown suited racer-boy wannabes with
the money they steal from me with their exorbitant prices. An absolutely
analogous situation. Fsuck VW & CCC


"Richard Adams" > wrote in message
...
> I'll believe they've turned over a new leaf when they put up a three
> year sponsorship of a professional cycling team. I read something that
> they did thes PSA's and did something else with $30K, which is very,
> very lame and sheds some light on how big an impact they feel cyclists
> really are.
>
> Consider if they'd said blacks should all return to the cotton fields,
> how much more costly the damage control would be. The cycling community
> could use a Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton (albeit less self-promoting)
> and aside from being a great athlete and promoting a cancer foundation,
> Lance could be such a voice, if only Nike would throw their prodigious
> weight around and have him do a few.
>
> Jym Dyer wrote:
>
> > =v= I know of earlier similar anti-bicyclist incidents at
> > Clear Channel stations in Portland, Oregon, and the San
> > Francisco Bay Area.
> >
> > =v= In the latter case, which I know best, the DJs said
> > that motorcyclists should be doored, and bicyclists should wear
> > signs that say "fag" and be run over. Clear Channel was very
> > quick to apologize, and very lucky that the area's politically
> > involved gay community didn't get after them for this. (In
> > fact I would say they contained the controversy pretty well.
> > Notice that the _San_Francisco_Chronicle_ story didn't even
> > mention it!)
> >
> > =v= They played some lackluster PSAs about bike safety and then
> > "fired" the DJs, which meant they were transferred to another
> > Clear Channel station, where they pulled another stupid stunt
> > and were "fired" again, which again meant a transfer to another
> > station.
> >
> > =v= So, two lessons from this: (1) it's a bigger problem than
> > just these three stations, and more longstanding, and (2) their
> > concessions don't seem to be all they're made out to be. Let's
> > keep an eye on them.
> > <_Jym_>
> >
> > (But what do you expect from an outfit that stages "populist"
> > pro-oil-war rallies and overreports their attendance?)
> >
> > P.S.: Have you restocked your supply of FearChannel bumper
> > stickers yet?
> >
> > http://www.talkfastrideslow.org/stuff/stuff.html
>

[Keith F. Lynch]

Richard Adams > wrote:
> I'll believe they've turned over a new leaf when they put up a three
> year sponsorship of a professional cycling team.

What does that have to do with tolerance of transportational cycling,
on regular roads, including during rush hour?

Nobody that I know of opposes the sport of bike racing. But it has
little to do with the routine use of bikes in traffic, which many
motorists do oppose.

Indeed, the more that bikes are looked at as sporting equipment rather
than as transportation, the worse off we are.

I looked for Forester's _Effective Cycling_ in bookstores for *years*
before someone mentioned that I could find it in the "sports" section.
Sigh. Why do bookstores even have a transportation section? After
all, car racing, airplane racing, etc. are also sports. So why not
put books on how to tune your carburator or how to book a cheap flight
there? It would make just as much sense.
--
Keith F. Lynch - - http://keithlynch.net/
I always welcome replies to my e-mail, postings, and web pages, but
unsolicited bulk e-mail (spam) is not acceptable. Please do not send me
HTML, "rich text," or attachments, as all such email is discarded unread.

[Richard Adams]

Keith F. Lynch wrote:

> Richard Adams > wrote:
>
>>I'll believe they've turned over a new leaf when they put up a three
>>year sponsorship of a professional cycling team.
>
> What does that have to do with tolerance of transportational cycling,
> on regular roads, including during rush hour?
>
> Nobody that I know of opposes the sport of bike racing. But it has
> little to do with the routine use of bikes in traffic, which many
> motorists do oppose.

To actually sponsor a team would be to state in the most sincere
put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is method that Clear Channel does not
find those who ride bicycles only worthy of ridicule. It would
certainly raise their own visibility in conjunction with cycling, and
consider how counterproductive it would be for CC "DJ's" to promote
cyclist abuse while the parent company is actually promoting cycling.

I don't expect it to happen, as $30K is probably what the CEO spends on
gas for his limo each year and would be written off anyway.

> Indeed, the more that bikes are looked at as sporting equipment rather
> than as transportation, the worse off we are.
>
> I looked for Forester's _Effective Cycling_ in bookstores for *years*
> before someone mentioned that I could find it in the "sports" section.
> Sigh. Why do bookstores even have a transportation section? After
> all, car racing, airplane racing, etc. are also sports. So why not
> put books on how to tune your carburator or how to book a cheap flight
> there? It would make just as much sense.

All you really need to know about bicycling or motorcycling is, when you
go out on the road, assume everyone in a car or truck is trying to kill
you. They may not be doing it intentionally, but there's plenty
distracted or otherwise skill-impaired, who would mow you down and
probably bolt.

[Keith F. Lynch]

Richard Adams > wrote:
> To actually sponsor a team would be to state in the most sincere
> put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is method that Clear Channel does
> not find those who ride bicycles only worthy of ridicule.

The issue is *transportational* cycling. That someone supports
professional bike racing on closed tracks says nothing about whether
they support what they may regard as "sporting equipment" being used
on regular roads during commuting hours.

> It would certainly raise their own visibility in conjunction with
> cycling, and consider how counterproductive it would be for CC
> "DJ's" to promote cyclist abuse while the parent company is actually
> promoting cycling.

It would be perfectly consistent for them to take a stand of "get
bikes off the roads and onto trails and tracks where they belong".

> All you really need to know about bicycling or motorcycling is, when
> you go out on the road, assume everyone in a car or truck is trying
> to kill you.

If I really assumed that, I'd give up bicycling. If any substantial
percentage of motorists really were sociopathic killers who wished to
kill all road cyclists, nobody would be able to bike a single mile on
the roads without being crippled or killed.
--
Keith F. Lynch - - http://keithlynch.net/
I always welcome replies to my e-mail, postings, and web pages, but
unsolicited bulk e-mail (spam) is not acceptable. Please do not send me
HTML, "rich text," or attachments, as all such email is discarded unread.

[Richard Adams]

Keith F. Lynch wrote:

> Richard Adams > wrote:
>
>>To actually sponsor a team would be to state in the most sincere
>>put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is method that Clear Channel does
>>not find those who ride bicycles only worthy of ridicule.
>
>
> The issue is *transportational* cycling. That someone supports
> professional bike racing on closed tracks

Tracks? You mean Velodromes. Darn few of these left and fewer all the
time.

> says nothing about whether
> they support what they may regard as "sporting equipment" being used
> on regular roads during commuting hours.

Races are typically held on public roads, but not during commuter hours.
Every year a couple racers die because drivers, even while a race or
just large social/fund raising ride is publicized marked with cones,
etc, still manage to whack a couple.

A little background: Back when bicycles were the main source of
transportation, pre WWII, bicycle racing was in it's heyday. Anyone who
resisted being passed by another cyclist felt it in their gut, the
competitive spirit. Now that the car is dominant, people empathize with
auto racers, though many don't bother to visit the track, but race out
our city streets and public roads. The bicycle has been marginalized.
However, when Greg LeMond won the Tour de France, it proved a boon to
cycling. Now that Lance Armstrong is doing even better, cycling is
doing very well. Where it will go after Mr. Armstrong retires is easy
to see, another lull, until the people are again inspired by heroes.
Getting involved in all positive aspects of cycling is good for all
cycling. Sit on your ass and complain about radio DJ's and you're
accomplishing nothing.

>>It would certainly raise their own visibility in conjunction with
>>cycling, and consider how counterproductive it would be for CC
>>"DJ's" to promote cyclist abuse while the parent company is actually
>>promoting cycling.
>
>
> It would be perfectly consistent for them to take a stand of "get
> bikes off the roads and onto trails and tracks where they belong".

Cyclists in the two states I have lived have every right to the road as
any motor vehicle, limited access highways aside. A truly worthy cause
would be cleaning up the wasteland that commercial radio has become.

>>All you really need to know about bicycling or motorcycling is, when
>>you go out on the road, assume everyone in a car or truck is trying
>>to kill you.
>
> If I really assumed that, I'd give up bicycling. If any substantial
> percentage of motorists really were sociopathic killers who wished to
> kill all road cyclists, nobody would be able to bike a single mile on
> the roads without being crippled or killed.

Yeah? Well they exist and I log ~200 miles a week anyway. On our group
ride, Sunday we were harrassed by a couple drivers who belive we all
should go to hell or somewhere more appropriate for cyclists. I'll be
out there again, regardless.

[Richard Adams]

Doug Huffman wrote:

> Utter specious Barbara Streisand!!!!!!!!!!
>
> My VW dealer sponsors the local flaming-clown suited racer-boy wannabes with
> the money they steal from me with their exorbitant prices. An absolutely
> analogous situation. Fsuck VW & CCC

Honestly, did someone hit you over the head as a small child? If you
don't like the dealership or the brand sponsoring something, why do you
go there?

If you actually did look at the amount of money VW puts into cycling
sponsorship, you'd likely find it's less than the cost of 1 prime time
commercial. Saturn was more generous, but they've ended their
sponsorship. I think Subaru is still invovled, but most of their
cycling related money is going to Lance Armstrong for endorsements,
enough, in fact to sponsor one heck of a team.

[Steven Goodridge]

"Keith F. Lynch" > wrote

> The issue is *transportational* cycling. That someone supports
> professional bike racing on closed tracks says nothing about whether
> they support what they may regard as "sporting equipment" being used
> on regular roads during commuting hours.

On a related note, in the spring of 2003, Clear Channel Radio
participated in the Cary, NC Cycling Celebration that included
ordinary road cycling and safety classes. This was the same group that
had a DJ make anti-cyclist comments this fall. When the station
manager reminded me of this, it supported his argument that Clear
Channel has no agenda against cycling.

BTW, the Raleigh station has agreed to air 1,200 PSA segments on safe
cycling and cyclists' right to the road. The management has been
working with me to agree on content and have been very constructive.
The message content is as follows:

The PSA language is as follows:

_G105___, The North Carolina Dept. of Transportation and the North
Carolina Bicycle Club remind you that bicycles are vehicles with the
same rights, rules and responsibilities of other road users. Whether
you ride or drive, please share the road.

G105____, The North Carolina Dept. of Transportation and the North
Carolina Bicycle Club remind motorists to only pass a bicycle when
it's safe to do so. Slow down and give cyclists three feet of passing
room. Whether you ride or drive, please share the road.

_G105___, The North Carolina Dept. of Transportation and the North
Carolina Bicycle Club remind you that bicycle riders have the same
rights as motorists, so motorists should yield to bicycles like any
other vehicle. Never cut off bicyclists. Whether you ride or drive,
please share the road!

_G105___, The North Carolina Dept. of Transportation and the North
Carolina Bicycle Club remind both cyclists and motorists to obey all
traffic laws, stop signs, and traffic lights. Whether you ride your
bike or drive your car, please share the road!

__G105__, The North Carolina Dept. of Transportation and the North
Carolina Bicycle Club remind bicyclists that North Carolina law
requires bicycles to have lights at night, and for safety's sake, all
cyclists should wear a helmet. Whether you ride or drive, please share
the road!

[CCC, and the North
Carolina Bicycle Club] remind you that state law requires bicyclists
to travel on the right half of the road in the same direction as
other vehicles. Riding on the right is much safer than the wrong side
because other drivers don't expect wrong-way traffic. Whether you ride
or drive, please share the road!

[CCC and the North
Carolina Bicycle Club] remind bicyclists to ride on the roadway
instead of sidewalks. Bicyclists who use sidewalks are actually more
likely to have collisions with cars than those who use the road and
follow the road rules. Whether you ride or drive, please share the
road!

[CCC and the North
Carolina Bicycle Club] remind bicyclists to stay out of the door zone.
Bicyclists should ride at least four feet away from parked cars so
they won't be trapped by the sudden opening of a door. Whether you
ride or drive, please share the road!

[CCC and the North
Carolina Bicycle Club] remind motorists that it isn't always safe to
pass a bicyclist within the same lane. If the lane's too narrow or
other conditions require a bicyclist to use the full lane, motorists
should change lanes to pass. Whether you ride or drive, please share
the road!


-Steve Goodridge
VP, North Carolina Bicycle Club 2001-2003

[Jym Dyer]

=v= Sadly, not one of these really explains the right and
necessity to take the lane.
<_Jym_>

[Steven Goodridge]

Jym Dyer > wrote in message >...
> =v= Sadly, not one of these really explains the right and
> necessity to take the lane.
> <_Jym_>

You'll note that the first five PSAs include endorsement by the NCDOT.
The last four do not. The reason is that they were written separately,
and NCDOT thought the last four were too assertive of cyclists' right
to claim a travel lane for their political comfort. They feared a
backlash from either the public or others within DOT and preferred to
use much more passive language that in my view watered down the
message too much.

I've been trying to get the DOT to go on record supporting the right
to use an entire lane when required, but they aren't comfortable doing
so even though the bike/ped division acknowledges this is often
important for safety.

Steve

[Dr Engelbert Buxbaum]

Keith F. Lynch wrote:

> > All you really need to know about bicycling or motorcycling is, when
> > you go out on the road, assume everyone in a car or truck is trying
> > to kill you.
>
> If I really assumed that, I'd give up bicycling. If any substantial
> percentage of motorists really were sociopathic killers who wished to
> kill all road cyclists, nobody would be able to bike a single mile on
> the roads without being crippled or killed.

Not necessarily sociopathic killers, but stupid, inattentive, ill
trained, on auto-pilot, dealing with the kids fighting in the back,
answering their cell-phone...