Clear Channel Bans Ads For Harry Shearer's CD Over Anti-Bush Image

Clear Channel, the radio station and billboard powerhouse, has banned an ad for Harry Shearer's new CD "Songs of Bushmen" because it depicts George Bush with a bone through his nose, the New York Post's Page Six reports:

The outdoor advertising arm of notoriously conservative Clear Channel has banned signs for "Songs of the Bushmen" because the cover depicts the president with a bone through his nose. "Their tone turned from genial salesperson to angry schoolmarm - 'This is unacceptable,' " Shearer, the voice of Mr. Burns and Flanders on "The Simpsons," told Page Six. "And it's not like this is a dangerous time to criticize George Bush."

Last October, Clear Channel's Palm Beach arm refused to air an ad for VoteVets during Rush Limbaugh's show because the ad "would conflict with the listeners who have chosen to listen to Rush Limbaugh."

Disclosure: The ad is running on the Huffington Post, and Harry Shearer is a regular contributor to the site.

Comments

[NOLIESPLEASE]

The Republicans are telling us if we vote for Obama we'll be going back to the 70's . I don't know about the rest of you...but I liked having a ma and pa store to shop in where people knew your name for starters. Secondly I love having a local radio station (not just the news at 6) that is there for the community. And didn't Mr. Carter have a plan in place to take america away from oil ....yes he did but the Republicans tore it up and went back to oil. Yes I want the 70's where people cared about each other except Nixon of course (Republican once again).

So when Obama revereses the laws put in place RAGEN , CLINTON AND BUSH we may get back our news and community. God I hope so.

[hopeless277]

I'm just so glad that Obama is a big proponent of media consolidation just like Bush. Isn't it nice to have a company like Clear Channel watching out for our delicate sensibilities? Just think how nice it will be once they own ALL the radio stations in America!!!

[suburban]

The FCC song, by Eric Idle, with special attention to Clearchann­el... A bit dated, but still relevant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4ajZ-5kTXk

[TheEmptinessOfTruthiness]

Good one!

[new logic]

isn't clear channel owned by Murdock?

[Marlyn]

Yes.

[JulieSA]

No. And it's Murdoch.

[JulieSA]

Spelled Murdoch, but not owned by Murdoch.

[Peddler]

The picture is becoming of his legacy.

[chicago25624]

Imagine if that was Obama? You lefty's would be screaming your heads off.

[robrtl]

thats disgusting­.. riot if obama pictured that way

[mccabe49]

Obamah did not lie us into a war; sell us down the river to corporations; give no bid contracts to compainies like Blackwater and Haliburton­.Did not get over 4,000 of our men and women killed and thousands of Iraqis killed. I cannot believe anyone would be stupid enough to still defend GW Bush. tha man with no compassion and totally devoid of morals.

[unclesmedley]

A booga-booga boogah,,,!

[phoffman]

What if the cover was all black?

[GemNY]

Of course they did. The head of Clear Channel is a friend of Bush's. Bought his sports team.

The FCC really screwed the pooch when they allowed Colin Powel's son to widen the amount of ownership one company can have with the media. Of course.... Bush fought for that one!

[AlexHidell]

Simply ignore Clear Channel and guerrilla market the album. Youtube it as much as possible, place ads elsewhere and make Clear Channel ask themselves, 'how could we be THAT stupid' and not market that little album.

BTW, you might want to team up with others that were so blacklisted. Dixie Chicks etc. I loved Mary Chapin Carpenter's "On With The Song" regarding that little dustup. She nailed it !

[JulieSA]

"Bought his sports team."

No. Tom Hicks did.

[99hockeyman]

Tom Hicks was a board member of Clear Channel and his company helped fund many of Clear Channel's business ventures. Red McCombs who owns the Vikings is one of the wheels of Clear Channel. Bush traded Sammy Sosa and Hicks signed A-Rod for too much money. The only good thing Tom Hicks ever did was purchase the Dallas Stars.

[filo]

Check out Harry's 935 lies


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffBEdy9pvUE

[ccarmona]

Boycotting Clear Channel isn't that easy. In some markets, they own the station that carries Progressive radio hosts, such as Randi Rhodes, Stephanie Miller, and Air America.
No what needs to be undone are the rules for media ownership. Allowing conglomerates, such as Clear Channel, to own over 1200 stations is the problem especially since they own multiple stations in the same market.

[midknightryder13]

Hear, hear!
In the market I live in Clear Channel owns one of the 50,000 watt 'clear channel' stations. (That's not a pun, that's how the FCC refers to them.) That station is conservative talk. The progressive station they own has a much weaker signal that has a difficult time being heard all around the city even during DAYLIGHT hours.

Now I don't have a problem with CC being conservative and promoting conservative stations. But, it's fairly obvious that they don't wish to do the same to the progressive stations. (Most of them, anyway.) Does anyone REALLY think that a station manager who is conservative, but who oversees BOTH a conservative and progressive station is going to allocate resources to the two of them equally?

[Fotios]

We had the same problem with Air America in Atlanta. The city of Atlanta is overwhelmingly progressive, but Air America was hardly given a chance there. It was on a frequency that I even had trouble picking up 10 miles from the station, there was no promotion of it, so it was gone in less than a year.

The main problem is that there are NO OTHER PROGRESSIVE STATIONS in the entire southeast US, so unless we want to listen to boring NPR (which plays classical music more than half the time here too), liberals and progressives don't even turn their radio to AM unless they want to yell at Rush and Hannity or to listen to a Braves game.

But I do love yelling at Hannity.

[spiderbucket]

Simple. Boycott Clear Channel. Don't watch Fox - including American Idol. Quit supporting their products, quit going on their shows, avoid ALL conglomerates whenever possible.

[LibRS]

excellent idea!! better yet, you should really hurt them and move to another country.

[procopios]

Wouldn't work. Most foreign countries are in agreement with the conservatives that the government should have an official propaganda outlet channel.

[spiderbucket]

Why would I want to move now ? In November, I'll be getting my country back. :)

[solid]

No, spider had it right. I avoid radio and TV like the plague. The asshats on the airwaves spewing their hatred have no pull on me. I get all my news the proper way, through the internet tubes.....