The best way to hurt CC isn't by standing in front of their building looking like idiots, the best way is to stop listening to their stations! Then the advertisers will go away and revenues along with them. Of course, this assumes there are enough idiots like the one in the photos to cause this kind of damage.

GET SMART FOLKS!

I'm always amazed at the childish approaches of the people in the Bay Area. They never grew up from their hippie days.

Lisa, you rock!

^_^

I would not call these people idiots, but i do think (especially in light of the total ineffectiveness of the recent anti-war protests) that traditional protest and civil disobedience are no longer viable means of effecting change. I think that in our culture (U.S. anyway) we've experienced such tremendous shifts in power and influence over the past 50 years that our modes of public / civic power have been completely outrun and we have as of yet to catch up. Now if only I had an alternative to offer...

Mel,

I got bad news for ya. The reason CC has been so successful is that the average American has no idea what is happening. They don't wonder why their radio station encourages people to attend pro-war rallies or wonder why they're hearing anti-mp3/piracy ads paid for by CC. They surely don't realize that they aren't hearing some songs because CC doesn't support them. A boycott CC-radio protest would hardly dig into their current listener base and be of no consequence. You may want to reconsider telling people to "GET SMART" when your suggestions are completely ineffectual. They might think you are an idiot.

While I do agree activism isn't always the best face when a protest's goal is to reach the heart of the American psychie, yesterday's statement was a tiny fraction of the over-all full-court press going on at all levels in the country. If William Safire, the NRA, MoveOn, federal legislators and others are working their angles, why not spend a couple hours getting up in CC's mug? My sign said "Clear Channel You're Shameless" and my dress and demeanor were urbane and dignified. Many others made much better statement and signs. If somehow one photo got in USA Today, that *IS* the kind of thing that may make the average American wonder who CC is any why people are so mad at them. On the other hand, doing nothing more than blathering about what to do on a blog's comment board won't.

I recently moved from the Bay Area. ClearChannel is clearly out of control there. Most of the billboards downtown are owned by CC. Too many radiostations are CC. They control way, way, way too much of the media. Its ridiculous.

I, for one, am glad these protests are happening, and I hope they help the situation. The US government has spent too much time bending over for large corporations recently. They need to start listening to the people they we chosen to represent.

There's another problem with Mr. Mel's comments.

I haven't listened to any Clear Channel stations or any other radio stations, for months if not years. After I outgrew KFOG and they fired Alex Bennet at Live 105, there was really no point in listening to the radio any more.

If I could receive KALX or KCSM (The Only remaining Jazz Radio station in the entire Nation!) I'd listen to those, but my radio won't do it, so it sits in a box in the closet, next to my slide rules and digital watches.

You folks rock. There's nothing "childish" about standing in front of the clear channel office. Some other ideas would be to put together printed information about what has happened to the formerly locally owned and opeated media and the effects of these changes on democracy, the local community, and the emlimination of jobs for the people that no longer populate many of the conglomerate stations.

Take this information and get it into the hands of the local and regional advertisers. It's easy to find out who they are just listen(even though you might not want to) to their stations and find out who the advertisers are. Organize your boycott of these stations and let those same advertisers know the boycott could extend to them if they continue to waste their advertising budgets with the conglomerates. There are some independent stations out here in the USA. Most of them are barely getting by. Find those local independent stations and let the advertisers know who they are. It takes more time than protesting at the "Evil Empire of Advertisings" local office, but it has the possibility of hitting them where it hurts. They won't stay in your town if it don't pay.
Sorry I rambled...thanks for your work and let me know the next time you organize an event across the country.
Jamison