Clear Channel Pays “Bubba” Fine

Clear Channel Radio paid a $755,000 fine to the U.S. Treasury for indecent broadcasts by Todd Clem, know on-air as “Bubba the Love Sponge.” The company has since terminated its relationship with the jock, and his show is no longer airing on any Clear Channel radio stations.
The amount is the highest-ever levied against a broadcaster for indecency, according to the FCC.
“We fully accept our responsibility for airing inappropriate content, and our company will accept the consequences,” said John Hogan, president and chief executive officer of Clear Channel Radio.
The company recently announced a “Responsible Broadcasting Initiative” to ensure that future broadcasts would comply fully with FCC regulations and the standards of the local communities it serves.
“Our company simply does not want to be associated with indecency,” said Hogan. “We know we can deliver great radio without compromising our integrity as broadcasters.”
The decision is in contrast with one made by Infinity, which is contesting a proposed fine of $357,000 levied for the St. Patrick’s Cathedral sex stunt. In its reply to the commission, the company stated that the alleged sex descriptions aired on Opie & Anthony made “oblique” references to sex that did not violate the agency’s broadcast indecency guidelines. At a recent hearing on broadcast indecency, Viacom/Infinity President/COO Mel Karmazin told lawmakers that in response to the incident, his company fired the hosts, the show producers, the station manager and changed the format of the station.