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artists who oppose the conservative agenda or certain presidential
administrations. Clear Channel stations, for example, banned the Dixie Chicks, a
country music group, because of the group’s opposition to the Iraq war.
Hilliard and Keith also describe the effects of new technologies such as
satellite radio and the Internet, offering readers two views concerning radio
content: either these new technologies will help to homogenize all radio content
and eliminate local services, or they will increase diversity through
narrowcasting, the targeting of certain audiences with specialized formats.
One can surmise that, as in the case of the history of radio, media
conglomeration will probably continue, with results reflecting the number one
concern of broadcasting (which, at its essence is still a business): profits at the
expense of locally produced programming.
Erika Engstrom, University of Nevada, Las Vegas