Investigate part of compere's ear-channels (8)
I believe the answer is:
research
'investigate' is the definition.
(I know that investigate is a is a more specific form of the action of research)
'part of compere's ear-channels' is the wordplay.
'part of' indicates a hidden word.
'RESEARCH' can be found hidden inside 'comperes ear channels'.
(Other definitions for research that I've seen before include "enquiry" , "Systematic investigation to establish facts" , "Experimentation" , "Fact-finding" , "Look into" .)