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Radio 1 In Trouble For Bad Language |
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Tuesday, 27 September 2005 |
 BBC Radio 1 has been criticised by Ofcom for airing a clip of an elderly lady reading a list of swear words and offensive phrases on an early evening broadcast.
The broadcast came at the beginning of Most Punk at 7pm on a Thursday night show in June. The presenter Zane Lowe welcomed listeners with:
“Hello ladies, boys and girls, I thought that you might like to know - in the spirit of punk rock – the following show includes, what we often refer to as language. So if, like me, you are offended by such words and phrases as: arse; bollocks; tit, wank; tit-wank; rotter; mother licker; mother sucker; mother fucker; twat; minge juice; bottler and of course bastard – then you might wish to turn over, or fuck off – thank you."
Several listeners have since complained to media regulator Ofcom, but the BBC maintains that the show is about ounk culture, is meant to be thought provoking and that under-15s typically consisted of 1% of the total radio audience on 7pm on a weekday evening.
Ofcom believe this figure is higher, and that in actual fact 14% of the total audience for Radio 1 at 7pm would be made up of listeners aged 4-14.
Ofcom added:
"Given the potential child audience for Radio 1 at this time, we believe that the use of such strong language, with such intensity, at the start of the programme was inappropriate."
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