Media Monopoly

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Media behemoth ClearChannel Communications - one of the largest and most criticized media companies in the U.S. - isn't content with dominating the nation's radio airwaves, billboards, and concert venues. On Monday, in a precedent-setting case with national implications, SF's Supervisors are about to hand over gatekeeper status for the city's newspaper distribution to ClearChannel subsidiary Adshel - without so much as a public comment period.

At issue is a law pushed through by current Mayor Willie Brown, when he had majority control of the Supervisors, mandating that freestanding newsracks in the city's high traffic areas be replaced with special "pedmount" kiosks that would hold up to eight publications. Publishers from the New York Times to Gannett, from the L.A. Times to the SF Bay Guardian immediately saw the frightening implications of such control by a for-profit third party and sued to stop the law.

But now a settlement's been proposed - the big publications lawyers are tired and their clients have almost certainly been assured spots in the "pedmounts - and the law is being fast-tracked through City Hall with little review of its ugly implications.

As just one example, consider the chilling effect on reporting of ClearChannel's exploits by any publication that wants to be distributed in the "pedmounts".

It's troubling enough that elected representatives would allow a for- profit corporation to determine which publications can be distributed in public spaces, and to allow them to profit from the process by posting advertising up to 18 feet long on the backside of the kiosks. But the contract is just plain awful in
other ways too - it locks the city into a 20 year contract with no money at all from ClearChannel to pay for the administrative costs of the program.

This deal is not in the public's interest. It is bad for our media landscape, bad for our so-called democracy, and a bad deal for San Francisco residents.

WE DEMAND a slow-down of this process to include a full public hearing on the implications of this law locally and nationally, and testimony on ClearChannel's monopolistic and anti-competitive policies (as thoroughly documented by Salon.com's Eric Boehlert, see link below).

For excellent coverage of this case and CC's well-documented abuses, including links to the Salon.com investigations, please visit:

http://www.sfbg.com/36/30/news_clearchannel.html