Clear Channel is the USA’s largest owner of radio stations. As such, it’s a bit frightened by the growing popularity of online streaming music services such as Pandora and Google Music. (BTW, I still have a few invitations to the Google Music beta available. If you want one, let me know in a comment.) Anyway, Clear Channel created its own service, iHeartRadio. It’s pretty good, too.

But what broadcasters promote about themselves, and what they really need, is localism. There’s no reason why a company that owns a gazillion radio stations can’t let each one have its local voice, but that’s not what’s happening. Clear Channel is cutting about 500 jobs, mostly local disc jockeys.

I could go on and on about how broadcasters have a responsibility to the local communities they serve, but Kyle Anderson already did it first. Go read it.