Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is a diversified media company with three reportable
business segments: radio broadcasting, outdoor advertising and live entertainment.
We were incorporated in Texas in 1974. In addition, we had equity interests in
various international radio broadcasting companies. We also owned or operated
145,895 domestic outdoor advertising display faces and 641,680 international outdoor
advertising display faces. We also own or program 39 television stations, own
a media representation firm and represent professional athletes, all of which
are within the category 'other'.
Our strategy is to focus our efforts at the local level, where we work within
each of our markets to contribute to the needs of our communities. We believe
this strategy will help us grow shareholder value by distributing our products
to our audiences within each of our segments.
In radio and television we are trusted with the public airwaves. This trust
requires constant focus and determination to deliver the best product in order
to attract listeners and viewers. We attract listeners and viewers by providing
musical, news and information content on our stations. We conduct research to
determine what listeners and viewers want and deliver it to them on a continuous
basis. We strive to maintain compelling programming to create listener and viewer
loyalty. In addition, we bring content to our outdoor business to make our products
interesting and informative for consumers. In our live entertainment segment,
we bring diverse entertainment to the communities in which we operate by delivering
musical tours, Broadway shows, family entertainment, motor sports, museum exhibits
and sporting events. Our ability to package and deliver entertainment events
across our markets contributes to the arts, culture and the quality of lifestyle
in many of our communities.
We focus on helping our clients distribute their marketing messages in the
most efficient ways possible. We believe one measure of our success is how well
we assist our clients in selling their products and services. To this end, we
offer advertisers a geographically diverse platform of media assets designed
to provide the most efficient and cost-effective ways for our clients to reach
consumers. Our entrepreneurial managers work creatively and expertly to help
their customers, at all levels, market their goods and services. If we are successful
helping advertisers and sponsors reach their consumers, we will gain their continued
business and long-term commitments. Those commitments build our revenue and
ultimately build value for our shareholders.
A portion of our growth has been achieved by mobilizing the radio and television
broadcasting, outdoor advertising and live entertainment segments for the advertisers'
benefit. Additionally, we seek to create situations in which we own more than
one type of media in the same market. We have found that access to multiple
media assets gives our clients more flexibility in the distribution of their
messages. Aside from the added flexibility to our clients, this allows us ancillary
benefits, such as the use of otherwise vacant advertising space to cross promote
our other media assets, or the sharing of on-air talent and news and information
across our radio and televisions stations.
Clear Channel consists of three reportable operating segments: radio broadcasting,
outdoor advertising and live entertainment. The radio broadcasting segment includes
radio stations for which we are the licensee and for which we program and/or
sell air time under local marketing agreements or joint sales agreements. The
radio broadcasting segment also operates radio networks. The outdoor advertising
segment includes advertising display faces for which we own or operate under
lease management agreements. The live entertainment segment includes venues
that we own or operate, the production of Broadway shows and theater operations.
Radio Broadcasting
Our radio strategy centers on providing programming that is relevant to our
communities. We operate in a competitive marketplace and compete with all advertising
media including television, newspaper, outdoor advertising, direct mail, cable,
yellow pages, Internet, satellite radio and other forms of advertisement. Therefore,
our radio strategy entails improving the ongoing operations of our stations
through effective programming, reduction of costs, and aggressive promotion,
marketing, and sales. The effort spent on programming and content across our
geographically diverse portfolio of radio stations allows us to deliver targeted
messages for specific audiences to advertisers on a local, regional, and national
basis. We believe owning multiple radio stations in a market allows us to provide
our listeners with a more diverse programming selection and a more efficient
means for our advertisers to reach those listeners. By owning multiple stations
in a market, we are also able to operate our stations with more highly skilled
local management teams and eliminate duplicative operating and overhead expenses.
Outdoor Advertising
Our outdoor advertising strategy involves expanding our market presence and
improving the operating results of our existing operations to help us compete
across all advertising media in the marketplace including radio, television,
newspaper, direct mail, cable, yellow pages, Internet, satellite radio and other
forms of advertisement. We do this by acquiring additional displays in our existing
markets, expanding into new markets and helping our outdoor advertisers creatively
use our outdoor advertising inventory. We focus on attracting new categories
of advertisers to the outdoor medium through significant investments in sales,
marketing, creative, and research services. We take advantage of technological
advances and the growing and dynamic possibilities advertisers have to display
unique, engaging, creative advertisements. Our talented management team is committed
to sales force productivity, improved production department efficiency, and
further developing the quality of our product. Finally, the fragmented outdoor
advertising industry in our international markets presents us with opportunities
to increase our profitability both from our existing operations and from future
acquisitions.
Live Entertainment
Our strategy is to deliver quality entertainment products, from music concerts,
Broadway and touring shows, specialized motor sports events, museum exhibitions,
family shows, and venue operations. We then monetize this investment by increasing
the utilization of our entertainment venues, the number of tickets sold per
event and by effectively marketing the variety of sponsorship opportunities
we offer. We strive to form strategic alliances with top brands for marketing
opportunities. This connection builds brand loyalty and consumer affinities,
thus helping our advertisers succeed with their marketing efforts and helping
us compete with all advertising media including radio, television, newspaper,
outdoor advertising, direct mail, cable, yellow pages, Internet, satellite radio
and other forms of advertisement.
Other
Television
Our television stations are affiliated with various television networks, including
ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, UPN, PAX and WB. Television revenue is generated primarily
from the sale of local and national advertising. Advertising rates depend primarily
on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the audience we can deliver
to the advertiser. Our sales personnel sell local advertising, while national
sales representatives sell national advertising.
The primary sources of programming for our ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX affiliated
television stations are their respective networks, which produce and distribute
programming in exchange for each station's commitment to air the programming
at specified times and for commercial announcement time during the programming.
We supply the majority of programming to our UPN, PAX and WB affiliates by selecting
and purchasing syndicated television programs. We compete with other television
stations within each market for these broadcast rights.