Negativland Pranks Clear Channel, Forces Radio Format Change

Jake

8/26/03

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(links to websites and audio are below)

NEGATIVLAND PRANKS CLEAR CHANNEL,
FORCES RADIO FORMAT CHANGE

An online media prank has changed the programming of a major market Clear
Channel FM radio station.

Seattle's KJR-FM, a Clear Channel radio affiliate, quickly and quietly
altered its playlist, following an amusing online tirade accusing the
station and its Program Director of "false advertising."

Negativland, known for their media-critiquing music collage and culture
jamming hoaxes and pranks, outed KJR-FM on charges that it played at least
114 different songs from the early to mid-1980's, despite marketing
themselves as being a "Just the Greatest Hits of the '60's and '70's" radio
station. Negativland members noticed that it was virtually impossible to
listen for even a short period of time without hearing hits from such
quintessential 80's artists as Huey Lewis and the News, Air Supply, Men at
Work, Cyndi Lauper, and many others. KJR recently pushed the envelope
further by adding "Kokomo," a 1988 hit by The Beach Boys.

In a moment of maniacal inspiration, Negativland decided to point out this
ridiculous deception by sabotaging the public's perception of the station.
The group created an online rebuffing of Clear Channel, KJR-FM, and KJR
Program Director Bob Case, in a tabloid-style internet magazine parody,
complete with damning evidence and scathing audio commentary. Disguised as
the abrasive, misguided and over-the-top outlaw media journalist "Jack
Diekobiscz", Negativland cited Clear Channel's contempt for its listeners
and willingness to lie and re-write music history for profit. Negativland
claims their stunt was an obtuse and funny way to draw attention to Clear
Channel's much-criticized involvement in the general dumbing-down and
homogenization of radio as the company, with the blessings of the FCC,
continues to gobble up station after station across the USA.

Timing of the event added injury to insult. Negativland's expose was
unveiled August 1oth on the eve of a massive promotion by Clear Channel to
improve KJR's continued poor ratings. Popular local celebrity Pat Cashman
was poised to make a much-heralded debut as KJR's new morning announcer,
with festivities that included a high-profile live broadcast at the base of
Seattle's famous Space Needle. Pat Cashman is well known across the country
as the co-star of Disney's "Bill Nye the Science Guy," and had a series on
Comedy Central a few years ago. In Seattle, Pat is a phenomenon with a
huge fan-base known as "The Pat Pack."

To generate support for their mission, the URL to Negativland's new "Jack
Diekobiscz" website was leaked to a popular Pat Cashman message board where
hundreds of fans and lurkers had gathered to discuss Pat's triumphant return
to radio after a year-long absence. Within minutes, visitors to the site
began contacting Clear Channel as instructed by "Jack."

Fearing negative publicity, and not wanting to take unnecessary chances with
their newest audience, KJR-FM pulled all 1980's songs from their playlist
less than 12 hours later. Said Negativland members, "We were amazed that
they caved in so quickly. When we do creative projects that might be
considered 'culture jamming' we always try to pursue it in a funny and
oblique way, and this prank is a good example of that. Truth is, we really
don't care so much that KJR-FM plays so many songs from the 80's, but their
lying and disrespect for the listening audience gave us a good idea for a
prank, and it was inspiring to us to see how quickly Clear Channel folded
under the pressure."

Negativland's dubious association with KJR and Clear Channel is nothing new.
One year ago, Negativland was invited to contribute audio material to a
massive microradio invasion of the Seattle airwaves as part of "Reclaim The
Media," an event sponsored by the Seattle Indy Media Center that was
scheduled to take place at the 2002 National Association of Broadcasters
Convention being held at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in
Downtown Seattle. Rather than composing a predictable narrative criticism
of Clear Channel, Negativland decided to strike out with a more engaging
approach that would hit local radio listeners where they lived. The strange
absurdity of a Clear Channel station that refused to stay true to its own
heavily marketed identity seemed an obvious way to showcase the company's
attitude toward its listeners.

Utilizing KJR's own canned liners and jingles, Negativland produced a
convincing 24-minute recording that simulated a telescoped version of KJR's
format. Host "Jack Diekobiscz" ranted against Clear Channel and named KJR's
program director, Bob Case as responsible for the misrepresentation, as he
played one 1980's hit from KJR's playlist after another. For the duration
of the NAB convention, six pirate microradio stations across the FM dial
streamed anti-Clear Channel programming, including repeated performances of
the Negativland/Diekobiscz show, sometimes playing in a 24-minute loop for
seven hours at a time. Despite some bad publicity and a flurry of e-mails,
Clear Channel and Bob Case refused to remove the songs from their playlist
until hit with the events of last week.

Visit the Jack Diekobiscz LISTEN HERE website and hear Jack's microradio
attack on KJR:
http://www.negativland.com/listenhere

Contact Clear Channel with your questions or comments:
Lisa Dollinger, VP of Corporate Communication
Tel. 210-822-2828
E-mail - lisacdollinger@clearchannel.com

Contact KJR-FM Program Director Bob Case at:
Tel. 206-421-9595
E-mail - Programming@957KJRfm.com

KJR-FM online playlist:
http://www.957kjrfm.com/playlist.html
or http://www.negativland.com/listenhere/kjrpl.html

The "Pat Pack" Pat Cashman message board:
http://www.patpack.org

More excellent coverage on "Radio's Big Bully":
http://archive.salon.com/ent/clear_channel/

Negativland's website:
http://www.negativland.com

Jake · Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2003 8:04 am

Another useful link: http://www.corpwatch.org/issues/PID.jsp?articleid=4808

ryanking · Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2003 12:27 pm

This is muy, muy funny... so slick and subversive! It doesn't get any better than this.

jaimoe0 · Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2003 2:44 pm

I wish I were that smart and funny. Unfortunately I'm only as smart and funny as Ted Nugent.

Stacey K · Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2003 11:38 pm

God, that's awesome.

knownjammer · Guest

I found a culture jamming project recently which is related to the movie "the Matrix" and the red pills contained therein. The project's website is http://www.geocities.com/matrixreligion . This project really speaks to me and I am curious to find out how other people feel.

petrichor21 · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2003 12:32 pm

well...it doesn't involve stoner logic, but there is a really cool similar culture jamming project that took place recently (currently?) in vienna: http://www.lowculture.com/archives/000176.html

Guest · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2003 3:05 pm

i had no clue that band was still around. i was hazed at my miswestern fraternity as a pledge with negativeland playing in the background. shrills....ugh.

zitcy · Guest

shame on you for cow towing to the fcc's demands about radio decency-where does the govt get the right to tell people what or who they can listen to.howard stern has made millions of dollars for your company and is being crucified by the fcc.i will never patronize your stations or their advertisers again and will encourage everyone i come in contact with to d the same.

jaimoe0 · Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2004 11:07 am

That'll teach us!