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ERIC DEGGANS and TOM ZUCCOWhile radio antics snare listeners, it's the controversy that jittery executives hear loud and clear.
In the end, Bubba the Love Sponge was felled by a war on broadcast indecency that was started by aggressive regulators, joined by an eager Congress and fueled by Janet Jackson's antics.
That's the analysis of many media observers after radio giant Clear Channel Communications fired the top-rated shock jock, ending his relationship with stations in Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville.
The dismissal comes as Clear Channel CEO John Hogan prepares to testify Thursday before a congressional subcommittee. Industry experts speculated the move was a reaction to the Federal Communications Commission's proposal last month to fine the company $755,000 for segments of Bubba's show aired on its stations.
As criticism continues over Jackson's exposure of a breast during the Super Bowl halftime performance, the firing of Bubba the Love Sponge Clem signaled to some experts an aggressive effort to defuse the growing controversy.
"For more than three years, we've had an (FCC) that has looked the other way ... (leading) to an environment where you have more and more of the shock jock shows," said Jeremy Lipschultz, a professor of communication at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and author of a book about the FCC and the First Amendment.
"The smart thing to do as a licensee now is to start cutting your losses," he said. "Publicly show the commission and members of Congress that (you) hear what they're saying. Certainly, firing shock jocks and changing policies is something the commission expects."
Jack Messmer, executive editor of the trade publication Radio Business Report, agreed.
"Clearly, Clear Channel is reacting to the recent pressure from Capitol Hill and the proposed fine," Messmer said from his home in Bradenton. "What's unclear is whether this reflects a (specific) conflict between Bubba and Clear Channel, or a companywide policy change."
Neither Clem, who lives in Bayway Isles in St. Petersburg, nor Clear Channel officials spoke directly to the media Tuesday, announcing their positions instead through dueling press releases.
A statement posted on Bubba's Army Web site warned of further free speech consequences: "You have to realize the impact that the FCC's grandstanding, politically motivated actions have had on the entire radio industry, not just Bubba," reads the message, attributed to staffer Lou Pickney. He urged fans to contact satellite radio outlet XM Radio and "politely tell them" to continue Clem's broadcasts.
"If you think this is bad, just wait until six months from now," the statement said. "With the crosshairs off of Bubba, now other "controversial' talent may be next."
Clear Channel released statements from CEO Hogan and Tampa area vice president Dan DiLoreto, linking Clem's dismissal to the content of his show. By Tuesday morning, Clem's image had been removed from the Web site for WXTB-97.9 FM (98Rock) in Tampa, and music filled his show's 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. timeslot.
"After conducting an internal investigation, we concluded Bubba's show will no longer be carried on any Clear Channel station," read Hogan's statement. "This type of content is inappropriate and not reflective of the way we run our local stations or Clear Channel Radio."
FCC officials refused to comment on the firing, saying the case was ongoing. The company had 30 days from the fine's Jan. 26 adoption date to respond - by disputing the fine or paying it.
Communications lawyer Arthur Belendiuk, who in 2001 helped Jacksonville scientist Douglas Vanderlaan file complaints that led to the FCC fine, said he expects Clear Channel to pay the $755,000 penalty.
"Someone is going to be made the poster boy for bad behavior ... and Clear Channel doesn't want it to be them," said Belendiuk, a former radio station owner who predicted the controversy could keep Clem's Bubba persona off the air for two years or more. "Bubba was on the public airwaves, at a time when kids were (listening). This is a battle for public behavior. ... How do we present ourselves as a society in public?"
About $715,000 of Clear Channel's fine - the largest single penalty in FCC history - came from 26 different violations tabbed at $27,500 each, aired on stations licensed in Callahan, Clearwater, Port Charlotte and West Palm Beach. One segment featured carton characters such as George Jetson and Scooby Doo discussing sexual activities.
U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, D-Tampa, serves on the House subcommittee writing a bill to increase the FCC's top fine from $27,500 per incident to $275,000 or more.
According to the New York Post, Viacom president Mel Karmazin's contentious appearance before the subcommittee two weeks ago prompted a memo warning executives at the corporation's 180-station Infinity Radio chain to curtail explicit content.
A spokeswoman for Infinity, which owns five stations locally, including hip hop station WLLD-98.7 FM (Wild 98.7) and country outlet WQYK-99.5 FM, did not return calls.
But Davis downplayed the notion of an industry frightened by fines and government regulators.
"I think the people who own these TV and radio stations know what they need to do, which is make sure things don't cross the line," he said. "When this is over, we as a country will find our balance between people having the prerogative to broadcast what they like and also keeping it sufficiently clean."
Notables such as then-gubernatorial candidate Jeb Bush, then-U.S. Senate candidate Charlie Crist and wrestler Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea have appeared on Clem's show. None commented on the firing Tuesday. Nationally syndicated radio personality Lionel (Mike LeBron), got to know Clem while working at WFLA-970 AM in the late '80s and early '90s. He suspected the FCC's threat of revoking broadcast licenses left Clear Channel little choice but to fire Clem.
"You may get the numbers, but if you risk losing advertisers and having your license pulled, the numbers mean nothing," said Lionel. "There's something sad about somebody who was hired and told this is great, you're No. 1 in the book (getting fired). ... But they have no choice. They want to stay in business. "
Clem's show was a ratings winner in the morning drive slot, focused on men ages 18 to 34. But not all of his fans were young men.
"I was surprised he was fired," said Stephanie Gurr, 32, a mother of two from Palm Harbor who was a regular listener for several years.
"It seemed to me he had gotten away with all kinds of things," said Gurr, a stay-at-home mom whose husband is a research statistician and a helicopter pilot for the Florida National Guard. "But that's why people were drawn to it. ... It was different and funny. Unless you want political, religious or sports talk, that's all there is here."
- Information from Times researcher Caryn Baird and Times wires was used in this report.