The parent of Clear Channel Communications Inc. said it has cut 1,850 jobs as the nation's largest owner of radio stations grapples with the economic meltdown.

Clear Channel operates more than 800 radio stations in 50 states, including six stations in Salt Lake City. A representative of the San Antonio-based company on Wednesday refused to say how many Utah employees were affected.

"The company is … not breaking numbers down by geography or business function. Nor is it releasing names," spokesman Ray Yeung said. Attempts to reach Clear Channel stations in Salt Lake City were unsuccessful.

The cuts Tuesday, which were effective immediately, represent about 9 percent of the company's total work force and affected staff throughout the company, in radio, outdoor advertising and corporate offices.

In a companywide e-mail, Chief Executive Mark Mays told employees the company was facing an "unprecedented time of distress." He also said, though, that "everyone in our investor group [and] on the board remains bullish about the long-term growth prospects for Clear Channel. [We have] more resources than any of our peers. The tools are here. The support is here."

The advertising market has been soft, especially for radio stations.

In the third quarter, the company lost $86.1 million before discontinued operations, compared with a profit of $253.4 million. The just-concluded quarter included $148.8 million in merger-related expenses and other one-time items. Revenue fell by 4 percent, to $1.7 billion.

The steepest drop was in radio advertising, down 7 percent, to $844 million. Both the number of prime advertising minutes sold and the rates paid for those minutes fell. The same pattern is occurring throughout the industry. Radio advertising revenue fell 11 percent in the third quarter, compared with a year earlier, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau.

Outdoor advertising had a milder decline -- because of the popularity of digital billboards, it fell just 1 percent.

Private-equity firms Bain Capital Partners LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP formed CC Media Holdings to acquire Clear Channel in July for $17.9 billion.

In October, Clear Channel introduced an iPhone application, iheartradio, which allows iPhone users to listen to live radio. And it is helping to promote HD Radio, but that has not caught on as industry executives had hoped.