[cma-l] mixed messages and 'make your mind up time'

[Office - ccr-fm]

Dear All

 

I have just spotted something else on the toolkit regarding behaviour of a
Station. Firstly, can I say that I do not agree with or condone bad language
(certainly not on the radio) and Canalside Radio does all it can to prevent
broadcast of this type of material ....... however, there are things to
consider.

 

1) You can not blow the bugle and say ''here we go'' it is time for
community radio and then dictate that it is open to all and then start
excluding everyone !    I had it pointed out to me that our dance music /
rap music forays on an early Saturday/Sunday overnight were pathetic ....
the people listening saying that the editing ruined the very meaning of the
songs and culture in which they were written                  in a way    I
agree. Anyone who has a twelve year old kid listening to the radio at 1:30am
shouldn't be complaining to anyone. My children (now 27 and 23) were in bed
by 9.

 

2) Canalside provides a local music show .... It is massively popular and a
God send for all local artists ...... they love it !            we have
sadly had the odd clown who has come in and sang live' at 7pm of an evening
and used words in their songs like ''sh--------------it''
''bol----------------------locks''         etc              not to the
extent whereby it has been repeatedly thrown at the audience but nonetheless
it has sneaked out.

The people in question were told, and anyone blatantly breaking the
guidelines would not be invited back.

 

Once again, we can't have double standards, we can't keep moving the
goalposts ....... our job I would argue is ten times harder than the
commercial outfits with possibly ten times less resources ...... furthermore
the people we run our ventures with are not in the main of a standard that
next week they would be reading the ten o' clock news on ITV ...... So .....
We've got another one of the ''wake up and smell the coffees''
you can't have it BOTH WAYS.

 

We are open to all, warts n' all, rag tag and bobtail, rough at the edges,
community access, welcoming with open arms or we are not.

 

If you are running a soup kitchen in downtown New York, it is pretty obvious
that you going to get some poor unfortunate people thru your doors ... they
may have clothes on their backs that haven't been washed for months and they
may have shoes and socks that haven't seen a change for weeks ... there
could be a peculiar smell ???                      you take the rough with
the smooth. It is why it exists. Secretary of State Clinton ain't gonna' go
there for her tea is she ?

 

Community Radio was set up to give people a chance. People who would never
have got a chance. We can give them the rules, but they could drift ?
sometimes unknowingly ...... Once again I ask the question ..... Surely a
bit of common sense is needed and not just dictating codes.

 

Perhaps if the restrictions were different everyone would be able to afford
a profanity delay ! instead we're struggling to buy a bottle of milk for a
cup of tea.

 

The swearing on television is a joke, however, if I watch certain films or
certain programmes and comedians knowing that there may be an issue, then I
have the option of turning off.

People listening to a RnB Rap show, or Local artist rock show is obviously
going to be sailing close to the edge ....... bugger off and listen to
something else if you don't like it and furthermore get your kids in bed at
a sensible time.

 

It is difficult to fully explain my point, but what I can say is this .....
not all the people who walk through the community radio doors were educated
at Eton.

 

Regards

 

Nick

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/pipermail/cma-l/attachments/20110713/44ddd601/attachment.html>