Loud and Clear

It is interesting what you find when you're looking for other things. I was digging on the Bigs as far as the writer's strike, and came up with something about Clear Channel.

Clear Channel is a big, though not in Hollywood. They are a radio and billboard conglomerate, owning 1,100 radio stations, 30 TV stations, and a good chunk of that roadside signage you see on the highway. They have been powerful with their conservative slant and support for the current administration.

So it is with surprise that I came across the fact that they are now owned by a private equity firm, Bain Capital. They bought them last year.

Now here's the interesting bit, Bain Capital was founded by three partners, one of whom was presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Odd how this doesn't get mentioned anywhere. Now, mind you, Romney has officially left Bain, but there is this Cheney/Haliburton vibe going that no one has seemed to pick up (compare it to the horrors expressed over the fact the Murdoch/FOX has a marked preference for Guiliani).

None of this is "news" - just came across it when digging through the wikipedia about ownership (Oh, other cool thing - Romney was president/CEO for the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City - good job, that (No, seriously)). It is hiding in plain sight. But no one seems to connect that one of the companies that has benefited from media consolidation has a strong connection with a major contender.

More later,