NEWS
THE BATTALION
ators
eU.S.
ers said they suppon
roops, their message Iasi
was clearly anti-U,S,
fancy Goya, with Alami
epublican Women,
can’t understand peoplt
pporting our president!
like this,” she said,
aandful of antiwar pro.
showed up at the event,
g signs that read “Drop
Not Bombs” aid
blicans Against War,"
:y were quickly silt
ed by pro-Bush rally-
who blocked their signs
unerican flags, the San
10 Express-News report-
ts Sunday editions.
)ther target was France,
has stood in the wayofa
resolution authorizing
against Iraq. “Use yom
ency duct tape to gag
h President) Jacques
,” said one sign at Ik
o rally.
ired Air Force Col,
: “Bud” Day received
ipplause when he told
:ola rallygoers:
rists thought they could
var on us, intimidate ns
>w us. When we sto
\merican power they'll
T like a bunch of seated
on charges of assault and
Anthony Roberson, a 28
i, Texas was arrested on a
duct; Nigel Juan Jackson,
i City, Texas was arrested
g with public duties; and
es, a 20 year old from
harges of resisting arrest
lie duties. None of those
;1 said the target audience
A&M students, and on a
d students in Texas and
: attendees did not appear
pha Psi, the nationiita-
went, is not releasing a
mce.
he later disturbance, llte
t of its kind in Texas,and
sity A&M has to offer”
goals were accomplished
ent was meant to com-
i part of the history of
ely fell during Blaci
f hospitals and hospital
itia Hupp, R-Lampasaii
icld the names of peoplt
concealed weapons. Sht
as a greater deterrent to
Isby, R-Dallas, would
ms for seeking proped)
s usually contain privalt
erly Texans particularly
Isby said.
th, R-San Antonio, pfl>’
' officials to comply
for public document!
•day maximum respond
;e the discharge record!
rd with county clerks
' concerns about identi-
>gues”
J to provide
gina Mono-
the night of
* free ticket.
m
L THE VIOLENCE SUPS
Opinion
The Battalion
Page 11 • Monday, February 24, 2003
Toppling the radio giant
New station KNDE 95.1 to offer competition to monopolistic Clear Channel
F or many members of the Bryan-
College Station community,
Mandy Moore could never
replace Metallica nor could ‘N Sync
substitute for Nirvana. But that is
exactly what will happen in a few
weeks as Bryan Broadcasting, owner
oflocal rock-format station, KTSR
92,1, will transform the rock station
into “new hits” station KNDE 95.1
which will officially launch March 3,
The Battalion reported Feb. 17.
Rock fans in the B-CS area will be understandably
upset by the transition. But there is a bright side to the
news. KNDE 95.1 is positioned to compete directly
with the popular Mix 104.7, Ben Downs, general man
ager of Bryan Broadcasting, told The Eagle. Mix 104.7
is owned by Clear Channel Communications, a villain
ous behemoth of a media advertising company that
engages in monopolistic practices. The introduction of
KNDE 95.1 will inject some much-needed competition
with a local Clear Channel-owned station.
But Clear Channel’s hold on the radio industry is
staggering. According to its Web site, www.clearchan-
nel.com, Clear Channel owns 1,225 radio stations in
the United States alone. The online magazine
Salon.com reports that Clear Channel “controls 60 per
cent of rock-radio listening.” Clear Channel also owns
Premiere Radio Networks, which syndicates shows by
popular radio personalities such as Rush Limbaugh, Dr.
Laura Schlessinger and Jim Rome.
Clear Channel is not one of the most reviled media
companies simply due its dominance. Instead, its clear
engagement in anti-competitive activities has earned it
the righteous scorn of music lovers and radio listeners
across the country. For example, in early 2001, Clear
Channel sent letters to non-Clear Channel radio sta
tions informing them that popular talks shows, such as
Limbaugh’s and Schlessinger’s, would be moved to
competing stations owned by Clear Channel, according
toSalon. As Salon senior writer Eric Boehlert, who has
witten a series about the disingenuous aspects of Clear
Tknel, correctly pointed out, othqr large media cop^
Sjpmerates own syndicated shows but don’t wield them
in such a domineering way.
Clear Channel CEO L. Lowry Mays recently testi
fied before Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), who promotes
legislation that would help independent radio station
owners, that his company is not a monopoly and does
engage in anti-competitive practices, according to
The Battalion. Boehlert has reported allegations of
Clear Channel threatening record labels that it would
I promotions for a band from its airwaves or drop
band’s singles from its playlists if they performed
at exclusive concerts or were exclusively promoted by
competing radio stations. Mays’ testimony also didn’t
take into account lawsuits charging Clear Channel with
monopolistic and anti-competitive practices such as
the one filed by small promotions firm Nobody
in Particular Presents (NPP), according to
Salon. Many critics have also charged Clear
Channel with homogenizing its radio
playlists and making the medium of radio
bland. A study by the Future of Music
Coalition has found that American radio
listeners support policies that counter
act this and other effects of radio con
solidation, such as that done by Clear
Channel.
Locally, in addition to Mix 104.7,
Clear Channel owns country station
Aggie 96 (KAGG-LM) and classic rock
station Lox 99.5 (KNLX), according to
the Clear Channel Web site. Mix 104.7
broadcasts with one of the strongest signals
in the B-CS area, according to the radio sta
tion search engine radio-locator.com.
In challenging Clear Channel-owned Mix,
KNDE is facing a formidable challenge. But it plans
to fight fire with fire.
KNDE will broadcast from Bryan with.a power
of 50,000 watts, according to The Eagle. This is the
same amount of power that Mix possesses. In addi
tion, early broadcasts on KNDE have explained that
the station will be the only one in the B-CS area to
use a 100 percent digital audio chain in processing its
music. This will heighten the musical clarity for its lis
teners.
Radio listeners should support KNDE, if only to
dilute the Clear Channel monopoly somewhat. It would
send a powerful message to Mays if a radio station
owned by his own company is beat in a ratings battle in
the same area where he received his undergraduate edu
cation.
KTSR 92.1 was an outstanding station that will be
missed by many Aggies and local residents. But its pre
mature death will not be in vain.
Switching formats to directly compete with a Clear
Channel-owned station is a worthy goal. Even if it
comes at the cost of an excellent station, the Clear
Channel juggernaut must be stopped.
Collins Ezeanyim is a senior
computer engineering major.
Graphic by Leigh Richardson.
MAIL CALL
Reveille's lead not to be
confused with a muzzle
In response to Esther Robards-
forbes' Feb. 21 News article:
About your article "Reveille returns to
duty," where you state "Also a first for
A&M's mascot is a muzzle, deemed a
gentle lead,’ which prevents her from
biting and keeps her head straight
while she marches ..." I have a few
comments to make.
First and foremost, a "gentle lead" is
not a muzzle in any way, shape or form.
It is simply a device, similar to a halter
that a horse may wear, that aids in
training a dog while on lead. It is used
to maintain control of the head and
usually requires less force (as opposed
to tugging on a lead that is affixed to a
traditional collar).
Unfortunately, to the uninformed it
may appear as a muzzle simply
because of its location. These are not
muzzles! Many people have been wor
ried to approach a dog wearing a gen
tle leader because it appears as such
and you aren't helping the situation!
Second, a gentle leader does
absolutely nothing to prevent a dog
from biting. Look at the position that it
is worn on the nose! A dog wearing a
gentle leader is fully capable of open
ing its mouth and biting whatever it
wishes.
Gentle leaders may help an owner
gain control of a dog's head quickly,
and pull it away from the situation, but
I guarantee you that if I stuck my hand
in the face of an aggressive dog wear
ing a gentle lead, I would be just as
likely to lose a finger as I would if it
Was wearing a traditional collar and
lead.
Please try to remember that a gentle
leader is merely a training device that
does just that and nothing more.
Laura B. Lemke
Class of 2004
Tipping a necessary part
of restaurant dining
In response to Melissa Fried's Feb.
20 column:
Miss Fried's idea that an automatic tip
takes away a server’s motivation to give
high quality service comes from igno
rance of the serving profession.
Just like any other job, a server's moti
vation to create an enjoyable dining
experience is fueled by their desire to
keep their job. If a manager sees a serv
er giving poor service (for any reason)
they would be stupid to keep that serv
er as an employee.
After 9 p.m., few people come in, and
they generally eat little and stay until
closing, if someone comes in at 9 p.m.
and stays till 11 p.m., and leaves a $2
tip, that server has just made $3.13 an
hour. That's well under minimum wage,
and not worth the time or effort put
into it.
The solution presented is just as bad
as the "problem" presented. Raising
hourly wages is no different than
requiring people to tip. By the logic of
Miss Fried, this raise would take away a
server's motivation to give decent serv
ice. Perhaps the only solution is for
people to be fair when tipping, and tak
ing into account all the variables of
service.
Mark Stein
Class of 2006
The Battalion encourages letters to the editor.
Letters must be 200 words or less and include the
author's name, class and phone number. The opin
ion editor reserves the right to edit letters for length,
style and accuracy. Letters may be submitted in person
at 014 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters
also may be mailed to: 014 Reed McDonald, MS 1111,
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-1 111.
Fax: (979) 845-2647 Email: mailcall@thebatt.com.
Attachments are not accepted.
Democratic party in trouble
S ince A1 Gore conceded
the presidency to George
W. Bush in December of
2000, following the closest
election in history, the
Democratic Party has perpetu
ated a slow and continuous
process of protest. It began
with challenging the legitima
cy of Bush's presidency, fol
lowed with criticizing his
dealings with business, tax cuts, and
the environment. Sept. 11 proved to be
a respite while Democrats quieted to
present a united front free of partisan
ship. Before long, however, the
Democrats were back at it, openly
questioning the president's motives in
the war on terrorism and contesting
his policies regarding Iraq and North
Korea. A ubiquitous overture to these
criticisms has been endless jabs at the
President's intelligence. Amid such
criticism, common knowledge sug
gests that the Democrats would have
someone in mind, a candidate worthy
of their support who could take charge
and lead our nation during these try
ing times.
In reality, however, there is no
knight in shining armor. The
Democratic Party is currently home to
18 potential candidates for the 2004
general election. Of course, not all of
these citizens will make it on the ballot
for all the primaries, and many of them
may not even formally file their inten
tions to run. It is imperative, though,
that to even stand a chance at unseating
an incumbent president, a strong candi
date must rise to the top. The current
list of aspirants runs the gamut from
moderate to radical, readily identifiable
to obscure, and potentially formidable
to downright ludicrous.
Among the hopefuls are some rec
ognizable people. For example, Sen.
Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, Gore's
running-mate in 2000, made a public
announcement to pursue the
Democratic nomination shortly after
Gore withdrew his name from candida
cy in December. Lieberman has
received criticism from some
Democrats because of his
strong support of Bush's poli
cy regarding the war on terror
ism and Iraq. However, some
feel that he would appeal to
more conservative centrists in
a general election. Because of
his name recognition and
established donor base,
Lieberman is in the first tier of
candidates.
The Rev. A1 Sharpton, a familiar
face and name to most Americans,
tossed his hat in the ring for the presi
dency for the first time. An avowed
liberal and self-proclaimed enemy of
the Democratic leisure class, Sharpton
intends to “take out” this segment of
the Democratic Party, which he
believes undermines the well-being of
minorities and the poor. According to
Time magazine, Sharpton sees the
2004 campaign as a chance to displace
Jesse Jackson and “take on the mantle
of black leadership in America.” But
Sharpton stands virtually no chance of
receiving the nomination.
Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts
toyed with the idea of running against
Gore in 2000, but Gore's early endorse
ment by prominent Massachusetts
Democrats put an end to these notions.
Kerry is a veteran who worked exten
sively with John McCain in the 1990s
to normalize relations with Vietnam,
and is a frequent supporter of the
President's military policies. However,
on social and fiscal issues, many in his
own party feel that he lacks a connec
tion to the public.
Not all of the electioneers are
prominent names. One relatively
unknown Democrat is Lyndon H.
Farouche Jr. of Virginia. The 80-year
old activist will be conducting his
eighth campaign in 2004. Farouche
has been associated with the Socialist
Workers' Party and founded the U.S.
Labor Party. In 1979 he moved his
affiliation to the Democratic Party, and
has remained on the fringes of it since.
He won up to 4 percent of the vote in
several primaries last year, but was
denied the right to have delegates at the
Democratic National Convention by
the Democratic National Committee.
Howard Dean, M.D., the former
governor of Vermont, has worked to
distance himself from Bush's stance on
issues of the economy, tax cuts and the
war on terrorism. In 2002, Dean did
not seek re-election to a seventh con
secutive two-year term as governor,
and instead started a political action
committee, paving the way for him to
explore a 2004 presidential run.
Another name that many Americans
are unfamiliar with is Gary Hart, a for
mer senator from Colorado. Once a ris
ing star on the political scene, Hart ran
an underdog campaign against Walter
Mondale in 1984, winning New
Hampshire and several other important
primaries before ultimately losing the
nomination.When Mondale was
destroyed in a landslide during the gen
eral election, Hart was seen as the
front-runner for the 1988 — until he
was accused and subsequently pho
tographed participating in extramarital
affairs. Since his departure from poli
tics, Hart has been primarily practicing
law and working as a consultant.
Second-guessing, belittling, and
outright criticism of the current admin
istration has become commonplace in
Washington and across the nation.
Entertainment personalities and promi
nent public figures speak out freely
against the president and his
policies.While this is most definitely
their right, and they undoubtedly feel
that they are doing their part to better
their country, they are falling short in
this regard. Without being able to pro
duce a worthy and able replacement or
challenger to face President Bush, the
Democrats are sealing their fate for the
2004 presidential election.
Nathan Rogers is a senior
international studies major.
NATHAN
ROGERS