Clear Channel has assured radio listeners it has not officially pulled any songs off the air at any of its 1,200 radio stations as a result of last week's terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
"Clear Channel believes that radio is a local medium," the company said in a press release. "It is up to every radio station program director and general manager to understand their market, listen to their listeners and guide their station's music selections according to local sensitivities."
The release was in response to erroneous reports that the company's corporate offices had generated a list of 150-plus songs it didn't want its stations to play. Many local radio stations, including those owned by Clear Channel, have chosen to take some songs off their playlist, particularly ones dealing with fire, explosions (Dave Matthews Band's "Crash Into Me") or just thematically inappropriate (REM's "It's the End of the World as We Know It").
In turn, stations have been playing patriotic songs, such as Whitney Houston's 1991 rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner," or Ray Charles' version of "America the Beautiful." They also are playing montages of inspirational songs-such as Sarah McGlaughlin's "I Will Remember You" - remixed with quotes from political leaders, rescue workers, family and friends of victims, and observers of the attacks. - Paige Albiniak
