Clear Channel Radio today announced an impressive new level of commitment to local community affairs that will define a new, higher ‘minimum level of service’ for all markets. The commitment spans five areas: charitable partnerships, public service announcements (PSAs), local public-affairs programming, local advisory boards, and 24/7 access to station management for local officials.

“We are materially increasing our commitment to community programming, increasing our accountability, and broadening our public service contributions in every local market we serve,” said John Hogan, president and CEO of Clear Channel Radio. “We believe when radio focuses on serving local communities, it is radio at its finest.”

Included are improvements to and expansions of existing programs, as well as the launch of entirely new programs. In several cases, the company is expanding the reach of individual market’s “best practices” as well as adding new local service programs.

These new additions build on the broad array of audience-engagement programs already in place at many of Clear Channel Radio’s local stations. Clear Channel Radio has long led the industry in both the quantity and breadth of community service programs at the local, regional and national levels. It has been the largest single contributor of media time to The Advertising Council for the past five years.

“Clear Channel has been an exemplary media partner for several years,” said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of The Advertising Council. “The company's ongoing commitment to our organization is an indication of how Clear Channel values its relationship with its audiences and embraces public service. We are thrilled to have Clear Channel represented on our board of directors as well as our local leadership committees and our Outdoor Steering Committee.”

* Programming improvements to be generated locally and nationally

Expanded charitable partnerships will be determined at both the local and national level, and will in some cases extend to national public service sponsorships.

Clear Channel has already forged long-standing and extensive relationships with a number of vital organizations operating locally, including the Ad Council, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Other major programs have previously benefited the American Red Cross, Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity (for disaster relief) and UNICEF and CARE (for global awareness campaigns), as well as USO, March of Dimes, and many others.

The company also today announced significant increases in on-air PSAs and its intention to invite local community leaders and citizens to submit information for future PSAs. Moving forward, PSAs will be required multiple times a day, throughout all day parts. That will total a minimum of 12 minutes a day and 84 minutes per week.

In addition to the many initiatives that occur at the local level across all markets, the company will choose one national cause to be highlighted companywide each quarter for coordinated campaigns. The first national campaign will support Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity.

“Clear Channel Radio's community engagement programs are designed to ensure that our programming and stations are relevant, resonant, and meaningful to our communities, which is the cornerstone of great radio,” said Lisa Dollinger, chief communications officer at Clear Channel Communications. “With one in eight Americans struggling with hunger – including millions of children, senior citizens and the working poor – using our local voices, radio stations and Web sites to drive donations and volunteerism at local food banks in every community is a perfect match to radio’s power to drive action.”

On the programming side, Clear Channel Radio plans expansions and improvements for local public affairs programming. Improvements in the company’s signature weekly public affairs shows include moving to higher-audience time slots and using high-profile local talent during broadcasts to generate more community interest.

And in a totally new approach, Clear Channel Radio stations will also be creating short local segments that will run during the week. Ranging from 60 seconds to five minutes, the content, length and placement of the segments will be determined by local program directors.

* Expanded support for local music artists

Adding to the direct support of local audiences is an expanded programming commitment to music from local artists. Select AM and FM stations will add to existing new-music shows (e.g., urban, some country and some rock), and some stations will also develop customized programs showcasing local artists.

In addition, the company will expand its highly acclaimed NEW! program for new, local and unsigned artists currently available on hundreds of local-station Web sites to its highly successful mobile broadcasting application, iheartradio. More than 15,000 new, local and unsigned artists have already been promoted to millions of online and on-demand listeners through the program.

* Direct community support touches citizens directly

The company’s expanded support extends beyond the broadcast as well.

Clear Channel Radio announced it will also establish Local Advisory Boards in every market in which it broadcasts. This is a significant expansion of a highly successful program begun five years ago in select markets.

“From the moment we created the first boards in 2004, we improved our ability to effectively collaborate with community partners to meet important local needs,” added Dollinger. “In developing deeper and broader relationships with business and civic leaders, we have been able to bring in people and organizations we had not historically worked with on a regular basis. This meeting of ideas, reference points, and broad-based expertise has strengthened our platform and helped us fully utilize our powerful resources to make our local communities better for everyone.”

Led by local station management, Local Advisory Boards bring together community leaders, business owners, listeners and advocacy groups to advise market managers and program directors on community issues, programming concepts and civic opportunities.

Also in this vein, a new program enabling 24/7 access to station management - three levels deep - for local officials is set to be implemented market-by-market over the next several months.

About Clear Channel Radio

Clear Channel Radio is a leading radio company focused on serving local communities across the U.S. with more than 110 million listeners choosing Clear Channel Radio programming each week. The company's content can be heard on AM/FM stations, HD digital radio channels, on the Internet, via iPod, cell phone, and in navigation systems from BMW, Volvo, TomTom, Garmin and others. The company's operations include radio broadcasting, syndication and independent media representation. Clear Channel Radio is a division of Clear Channel Communications, Inc. (OTCBB:CCMO), a leading global media and entertainment company. More information on the company can be found at www.clearchannel.com.