The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has ramped up their lobbying efforts on LRFA, but in their latest earnings call, iHeartMedia showed just how little these billion-dollar behemoths really care about local radio.
When pressed on a recent story in the Washington Post about iHeartMedia’s plans to cut hundreds of jobs at local radio stations, CEO Bob Pittman made the insane claim that national radio hosts can integrate themselves into local communities.
Here’s the key quote:
“We have taken some of our best talent — Elvis Duran, The Breakfast Club, Bobby Bones, Ryan Seacrest — and put them on multiple stations, because we find that they can integrate themselves into the community.”
The idea that Ryan Seacrest can replace local radio hosts who have lived in their communities for their entire lives would be laughable if it weren’t so sad. While big broadcasters say they want to help local stations, their actions show all they pay attention to is their bottom line.
Perhaps with their millions of dollars in profit, iHeart can buy a dictionary and learn what localism actually means.
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