Clear Channel owns among its radio stations KTRH 740 in Houston. They have recently begun advertising their station on MSNBC. In case not everyone is familiar with their venue it is right wing and further right wing. Their schedule includes Limbaugh, Hannity and Mark Levin. In any case, they have just developed some advertising spots featuring remarks about Obama. All Obama and nothing but Obama. As you might suspect, none of the comments are positive.
Here's my point. When I first began hearing the ads, I assumed they were paid political ads from McCain or the RNC. Not so. The ads are paid for by Clear Channel to boost their ratings. And while I applaud MSNBC receiving GOP dollars, it seems clear that FCC rules are being egregiously broken. Radio stations can, of course, have PACs that are able to support causes and these are subject to strict guidelines.
However, KTRH clearly is using their ad budget which is legally deductible as an expense to circumvent the law. I presume that other Clear Channel radio stations in other areas are doing the same thing. If not, I expect they will begin soon.
I've seen three different spots recently and all feature obvious demeaning comments by Rush and Sean about Barrack. I plan on forwarding a letter to the FCC regarding the circumstances. If there are any other cities noticing the same thing, I'd suggest doing the same.