Clear Channel in Record Payment Over Indecency

NEW YORK Clear Channel Communica-
tions agreed to pay a record $1.75 million to settle investigations into whether it violated indecency laws with various broadcasts, including some by radio host Howard Stern, according to the company and the Federal Communications Commission.

The agreement appeared to set the stage for significant penalties against Infinity Broadcasting, the Viacom unit that plays host to Stern. In April, as the FCC found Clear Channel liable for $495,000 in fines for a Stern broadcast on six stations in 2003, the agency said it also would investigate whether the same material was broadcast by Infinity, which airs Stern’s show on 18 stations.