Why would any media outlet abandon a great name like Clear Channel, even if those 50kw AM blasters don't matter as much as they used to?
because it has no meaning any longer - hell people today aren’t even listening to FM radio much less AM. They were smart enough to grab the iHeart Radio brand and build a good following around it, and it only makes sense to capitalize. After all, GTE was the largest independent phone company not that long ago, yet the name change to Verizon has only helped them grow faster and gain share.