The Triangle Becomes a Sqaure

This week on "The Internet Engine/Media Company Love Triangle":

Today Google, who I called "the other woman" in my last post about the Yahoo/Viacom agreement, announced a long-term deal with Clear Channel Communications Inc. in which Google can place advertising for its online customers on Clear Channel's plethora of radio stations. This comes on the heels of Yahoo and Viacom's advertising agreement, which is another slap in Google's face by Viacom and is Yahoo's attempt to reclaim the title of Internet search engine giant.

But now Google has found just what she needed; an equal partner in an untouched media outlet. Google has not gone wrong yet and this is just another high-profile notch in her proverbial bedpost.

However, the real question is not whether Google will prosper after this agreement. It is whether Google could help the ever-struggling consolidated radio business. Clear Channel, the largest radio station owner, represents all that is wrong with radio: consolidation, lack of on-air talent, nationally-spun play lists, and just total lack of consideration for the listeners. Endorsement from a popular and trusted company like Google might bring Clear Channel back into the public's good graces. Drew Hilles, Google Audio's national sales director, even said in this Associate Press article, "This radio partnership with Clear Channel is a pretty big statement that Google is in the radio industry to stay and have a big impact." Yet, one of the major problems identified in radio is advertising, which is the focus of the deal. Google will bring new advertisers to Clear Channel while Clear Channel gives Google a new media outlet. The content will not change, advertising might become even more cumbersome and the public will not be aware of any change unless they read my sources and or my blog. Who cares if Google and Clear Channel are advertising bedfellows if radio still plays obnoxious commercials and radio content still sucks?

The Viacom/Yahoo and the Google/Clear Channel deals are just the beginning of the consolidation of media. We thought the club could not get much smaller and now it has. I think that these companies are going to make a great amount of revenue from each other and I supposed that is the point of multi-year, undisclosed but mostly likely multi-million dollar agreement. I would just like to know when these companies are going to start including their consumers in their love-fests. All we want is a little consideration, a little power of suggestions and a little love. Then maybe the companies can roll in their dough and the consumers can roll in their good-quality entertainment (with a few commercials here and there brought to you by Google and Yahoo).

As always, tune in next week. Or maybe even tomorrow. You never know how quickly things heat up, or cool down.