Non panini-related Ofcom ruling of the month
Inkblot
Posts: 26,889 Forum Member
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Phonic Fm have been put on notice by Ofcom after playing this song
Given the title of the song, there's surely no way the station could have played it by accident.
And whilst I'm opposed to pointless bowdlerisation of otherwise good lyrics, the lyrics of that song aren't really good enough to be worth defending, are they?
Given the title of the song, there's surely no way the station could have played it by accident.
And whilst I'm opposed to pointless bowdlerisation of otherwise good lyrics, the lyrics of that song aren't really good enough to be worth defending, are they?
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From their website and the Wikipedia page, it sounds a really great station, with a brilliant selection of programming.
As you say, this isn't a song that appeals universally, and for that reason the rules are in place. However much that someone at Phonic FM feels that they are being unnecessarily censored by Ofcom's action, they have to obey the rules that everyone else does. Perhaps it would have been better to have referred to the track in question in a blog as you have done, and have invited listeners to follow it up if they wished to.
But they're lucky if they're continuing with a warning - people at our local stations would have been sacked by the owner straight away ( within 5 minutes ) for playing anything like this, never mind a judgement from Ofcom...
Let's hope that happier days return for them...
It was a reference to another Ofcom ruling where a radio station claimed that an obscene song lyric actually referred to a "sandwich sold locally and is made of Italian bread with cheese and tomato which is heated up".
I've now tried listening to the song Phonic FM played, twice, and each time had to stop because it's such a horrible song. Others may disagree, but on balance I doubt that any child accidentally tuning into the station would have bothered to listen to the song for long enough to be traumatised. Similarly, I can't imagine a child accidentally hearing the album versions of John Lennon's Working Class Hero or Radiohead's Creep would be pay much attention to the lyrics. If they did, would hearing a few f-words cause them irreparable psychological damage?
Somg lyrics contain swearwords for a number of reasons: emphasis, authenticity, or sometimes (eg the song on Phonic) just for the sheer hell of it. It should be up to the radio station to decide whether to play a song that includes swearing, and the reason the song includes swearing should be one of the factors the station's management consider when making that decision. But the idea that playing a rude word on the radio will cause some unspecified mental problems in children is absurd.
Parents - if you don't want your kids to hear swearwords, don't f****** swear in front of them all the time.
I don't. And I would like to be able to trust the radio to talk nicely too.
Lets hope that day doesn't come in my lifetime.
Why do you need to hear swearing on the radio?
Whilst there is a wealth of good content online, the internet is also the world's biggest cesspit. That's what you get if regulation doesn't exist. Heaven forbid broadcast radio goes down that route.