Philly_Radio

Philly Radio
(Or lack thereof)

How could they do this? Why would they do this? Those are the questions all Y100 fans have been asking the past few days. Radio One, one of the major media companies that has stretched the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to the limits, has taken Y100, the only alternative station in Philadelphia, off the air and replaced it with "The Beat", a generic "Urban" (whatever that means) station (of which Philadelphia has like 20). what's even more enraging to longtime fans of alternative music/modern rock in this area is The Beat ist he same station that Radio One used to kill off the late, great WDRE, Philly's first modern rock station (1996).

What was the rationale behind this? Surely it couldn't have been dictated by the bottom line. In the latest Arbitron books (the ratings service that radio stations use to determine their ad fees), Y100 finished 7th, ahead of the Beat (8th) in the most desirable of all demographic groups: 18-35 year-olds. Could it be that Radio One, which is mainly geared towards hip-hop stations, see successful alternative stations like DRE and Y100 as threats since they both have the same key target demographic?

How could they be allowed to do this? Thanks to a big gimmie to media corporations in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which greatly loosened the rules on owning multiple stations in the same market and cross-ownership of several different types of media (radio, TV, newspapers) in the same market. Right now I'm on Radio One's website, and I'm looking at a map of stations it owns in the United States. In 10 cities, they own at least 4 stations! And we're not talking major markets like New York (0 stations) or LA (1 Station). We're talking Louisville, Augusta, Ga., and Dayton, Ohio. In cities that small, do you know how much of the airwaves they control? The reason that the government used to restrict ownership was that they didn't want control of the airwaves in a city to be dominated by one company.

The longstanding view of the U.S. Government (namesly the bureaucrats at the Broadcasting Branch of the Cultural Police - oops, I mean the FCC) has been that while any common Tom, Dick, or Hard Harry cannot be trusted to broadcast anything they want on the airwaves (the Internet must drive 'em NUTS), that only licensed broadcasters can use the airwaves for broadcasting pruposes. They pay NO fee to use the airwaves, whcih belong to us, the only thing they have to do is act in the "public interest", which usually means those talk shows you hear at 6:00 a.m. Sunday morning.

So what can we do? how can we fight back? I think the campaign that the Y100 staffers and fans have going is great, and both Lone Gunmen Records and I support it completely. I urge you to sign the petition and send hate e-mail to Radio one (but keep it clean and don't mention Y100 anywhere or it'll get blocked), contact other media outlets and let them know how you feel, and any chance you get, show your support for Y100. Boycott Radio One sponsors - I'm not sure who they are, but I know several people are working on compiling a list (visit www.Y100rocks.com for updates on what's going on). I also urge anyone who has the knowledge and equipment to start broadcasting on or near the signals of all Radio One stations in your market to disrupt their signals and take back what rightfully belongs to us.

Everyone mix it up, it's not game over yet, it's just the beginning, but it's up to you. I'm calling for every kid to seize the air. Steal it, it belongs to you. Speak out, they can't stop you. Find y our voice and use it. kep this going. Pick a name, go on air... Spill your guts out and say shit and fuck a million times if you want to, but you decide. Fill the air, steal it. Keep the air ALIVE!!!

- Hard Harry
Pump Up the Volume

GRK, February 2005