"After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, listeners denounced
many radio stations for playing songs insensitive to a
nation in mourning. Now, program directors are planning to
adjust their playlists if the United States goes to war
with Iraq. Expect to hear more patriotic tunes, and songs that appear right for the moment. ... Music stations will also increase their news reports if war
breaks out. Because radio has become so segmented in the
last 15 years, news had vanished from many music stations.
But since Sept. 11, stations have added feeds at the top of
every hour. 'We're certainly stepping up our news coverage,' said Gabe
Hobbs, vice president of news for Clear Channel Radio, part
of Clear Channel Communications, which owns 1,200 stations.
'We have all sorts of plans and they vary from
market-to-market. But overall, we're prepared to offer news
twice an hour on our music stations.' "