MEDIA CONSOLIDATION Radio listeners aren't always clear in their choice of channel

Some experts sense a backlash against corporate ownership of radio.
LOS ANGELES TIMES
With a sinister laugh, an on-air promotion for Viacom Inc.'s WZNE-FM rock station has been tipping listeners in Rochester, N.Y., to the parent corporation's dark purpose.
"Our company has a master plan for world media domination," says an announcer.
He quickly adds: "We're not part of it."
In the age of media consolidation, corporate radio is beginning to wrestle with a brand-new worry -- an audience that might actually care who owns the station.
A smattering of broadcasters around the country is toying with promotions meant to tap into rock listeners' anti-corporate bent by downplaying station ownership or by touting independence in the face of big-chain competitors.
Such matters are being closely watched as the Federal Communications Commission reviews a proposal to loosen ownership restrictions on television broadcasters and others. Regulators are also considering a new method for defining the boundaries of local radio markets, a move that could complicate future acquisitions. The FCC is scheduled to vote Monday.
Clear domination
Radio underwent massive consolidation after passage of a landmark 1996 deregulatory law. Clear Channel Communications Inc., the industry's San Antonio, Texas-based leader, expanded its holdings to about 1,200 stations from just 36, while other companies followed suit. Now, questions about chain dominance are leaking into promotional decisions, particularly among rock broadcasters, many of whom rely on an outsider image to hold young listeners.
Larry Rosin, president of Edison Media Research, said he's beginning to see signs that listener habits are affected by a station's affiliation. While ownership issues haven't reached a "tipping point," said Rosin, "there are pockets where people do care."
So, Viacom's Rochester outlet, part of its 180-station Infinity Broadcasting unit, pokes fun at an expansion-minded parent. Meanwhile, San Diego's KBZT-FM, one of just 17 Jefferson-Pilot Corp.-owned stations, bills itself as "anti-corporate, local and musically diverse" -- while looking for extra points by taking shots at the radio industry's 800-pound gorilla.
"Not one of those cookie-cutter Clear Channel stations," runs a KBZT tagline.
Clear Channel reaction
Executives at Clear Channel, often criticized for homogenizing radio with pre-recorded shows and corporate-influenced playlists, are skeptical of the notion that fans care any more who owns the local station than they do what label puts out a favorite album. "I doubt any consumer ever decided against purchasing Eminem's CD because it was owned by Interscope rather than Island Def Jam," said Tom Owens, Clear Channel's senior vice-president of programming.
Still, Clear Channel doesn't push its name the way it used to. In the past, the company encouraged its stations to identify their corporate affiliation as part of a campaign to establish a "national footprint" for advertisers and listeners. These days, said Owens, decisions on imaging are left to local market managers, who may highlight their parent or not, depending on judgments about the value of its name.
Conscious consumption
Others have delighted in targeting the big players with a David-and-Goliath theme, exploiting what they say is a surprisingly sophisticated base of audience knowledge about ownership.
"Listeners are starting to become aware of corporate consolidation," said Dave Beasing, a radio consultant who advised KBZT and several other stations in designing campaigns built around anti-corporate themes.
Whether playing the "corporate" card actually builds numbers for self-styled "alternative" competitors -- many of whom have corporate parents of their own -- remains to be seen, however.
KBZT has seen ratings rise to 5.1 from 2.6 among its target 18-to-34 demographic after six months of independence-themed promotions, putting it just behind Clear Channel's two local rock stations. But it's difficult to know how much of the boost came from a switch from an '80s music format.
Program director Garett Michaels chooses to believe the promotional gambit is working, because it was based on authentic listener sentiment.
"We didn't say, 'Hey, let's pick on Clear Channel.' It was already there," said Michaels. "We just decided to pick up the ball and run with it."