[cma-l] Avoiding sexually-explicit songs

[Two Lochs Radio]

Time to de-lurk!

I understand what you're saying Ian, but I think your final salvo about encouraging community segregation etc opens up some huge contradictions that would lead potentially to the conclusion that community radio is in itself encouraging segregation and discrimination, and it really is not a sustainable argument.

Communtiy Radio licences are issued to enable a group to serve a community, be that a geographically defined community, or a community of interest. If your argument is taken to its logical conclusion, surely these purposes, particularly the community of interest one, would be inherently capable of being seen as divisive and encouraging segregation and discrimination. For example, a station established to serve an Afro-Caribbean community is by its nature somewhat exclusive of other ethnic groups. Almost every other station by seeking to particularly serve a group of people with a common interest runs the risk of discriminating and encouraging segregation.

Or, such a station can strive to make its remit include fostering better understanding of and relations between its core audience and other communities, and thereby aim to diminish discrimination and barriers.

Surely a station with an essentially broad audience (eg a geographic one) that programmes less mainstream musical tastes 'out of hours' may be attempting just the same thing for its listeners' musical awareness and tastes - ie exposing them in a limited manner to a wider range of artistic and cultural material and standards than they might automatically come across, rather than segmenting and isolating them in their niches?

So I guess I am with Lol on this.

I also wonder why it is that the concept of scheduling more narrowly acceptable material in off-peak hours and preceding/accompanying programmes with warnings is seen as totally unacceptable for radio when it is such a widely accepted and deployed procedure for TV? 

I accept that radio may be a bit more pervasive, but surely its audience at any particular time of day is known just as innaccurately as TV's is? It's not a black-and-white game in which we must programme to the lowest common denominator of every single listener - instead meeting the expectations, sensibilities and needs of the vast majority of an audience seems to be a valid concept. While the bar may need to be set higher owing to radio's greater ubiquity, I don't see why the general concept of raising and lowering the bar with time of day and using listener warnings shouldn't apply at least to some degree.

Alex
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Ian Hickling 
  To: lolgellor at yahoo.co.uk ; cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk 
  Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2011 1:09 PM
  Subject: [cma-l] Avoiding sexually-explicit songs


    Lol
  I know you said don't bother to comment - but I'm going to.
  The obvious problem with your proposed disclaimer is that it may not be heard.
  In any case, watersheds and disclaimers and assertions of ethnic or social parity are simply excuses for not doing the job properly.
  I'm no prude - I swear quite well when it's appropriate - and I enjoy and relay Billy Conolly-type humour.
  But I moderate my outgoings to suit my known audience.
  You can't do that with broadcasting because you cannot possibly know your audience.
  If you want to broadcast what you describe as "programmes with language, lyrics and views outside of mainstream sensibilities" then you must logically be sure that listeners in that category will accept them, but those outside that category are excluded to protect yourself.
  I submit that it is impossible to effect that exclusion, therefore exposing the latter to that programming is irresponsible and places you at risk of action or prosecution.
  In any case, why do you feel there is a need to offer programming in that vein?
  Surely by doing so you are encouraging community segregation and thereby discrimination? 
  Is that Social Gain?
  I don't think so.
  Quite the opposite in fact.

  ------------------------------------

  Ian Hickling
  Partner
  transplan UK



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