UK

Boom Radio has received two complaints about broadcasting offensive language in the music track You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette.

The song, which contained one use of the F word, was playing ‘during the school run’ according to one of the complainants.
Also this week, Ofcom has announced that Radio Winchcombe played Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter, also in a 4pm hour.
Boom Radio said that it had not intended for the song to be broadcast “in the form it was”. It said it was “aware there were alternate versions” and that it had “downloaded the one which was marked appropriately, but it had been incorrectly labelled”.
The Licensee said, “in that respect, we agree with the complainants in that we would not have chosen to air the version we did”.
However, the station added that 94% of Boom listening is from those aged 55+ and that its “under 18 audience registers at zero”.
The station argued against Ofcom’s finding that children are particularly likely to be listening, and questioned why it was upholding this complaint when it didn’t pursue a complaint in 2021 regarding three uses of the F word.
Ofcom concluded: We considered the Licensee’s reference to a previous complaint about offensive language which Ofcom did not pursue. However, Ofcom also noted the differences in the circumstances of the two cases, specifically that the previous case had involved the accidental use of offensive language in live programming which had been followed by a sincere apology.
“Ofcom’s decision not to pursue this case was in line with Ofcom’s 2021 offensive language research, which found that participants considered the accidental use of the offensive language in live programming that was clearly a mistake to be more acceptable, particularly if it was followed by a timely apology. By contrast, in the present case, Boom Radio admitted that it had broadcast a version of a song that “had been incorrectly labelled”. We therefore considered that it could – and should – have known the nature of the content prior to broadcast.”
Meanwhile, Radio Winchcombe apologised to Ofcom for the broadcast of the offensive language, and said that it was “just as shocked as Ofcom in learning a track with explicit content” was broadcast and that there had been no apology or realisation that a mistake had been made.
The Licensee explained that the presenter was a relatively new volunteer and said that he had been “unwilling to accept any input we tried to give him about his show”.
It added that it had previously considered whether to allow the presenter to continue at the station, but had concluded that it did not have “significant enough concerns”.
The presenter provided his representations via email, which was sent to Ofcom directly. The presenter said that he “regret[s] ever playing that song” and that he has never “played a rude word and never would”. He explained that, following feedback from a listener that his show did not feature enough modern music, he began playing the top three songs in the Singles Charts, which he downloaded from the internet as he thought it “would be ideal for the younger listeners to hear”.
The presenter said that he did not know the song and did not hear the offensive language as the song was broadcast. He added that, had he known that there was offensive language in the song, he would not have played it, and that he had apologised to the Licensee when he was made aware of the broadcast of offensive language.
The presenter said that he had not been “shown how to use the main broadcasting computer or the 2 console[s] very much at all” and that he had therefore found these difficult to operate.
The presenter has since stopped presenting his show on the station. […]

Ofcom has investigated Hayes FM following a complaint about its output.
The community radio station in Greater London should provide original output for a minimum of eight hours per day and locally-produced output for a minimum of 13 hours per day.
Communicating with Ofcom, Hayes FM acknowledged that neither the original nor locally-produced output requirement has been met recently.
The Licensee explained that this is, at least partly, due to facing “a reduction in volunteers following [the Coronavirus pandemic and then] delays in getting all of the volunteers checked with the DBS agency”.
It set out that its current studio is on school grounds meaning a DBS check is a pre-requisite for volunteering.
The Licensee said that it is currently in the process of seeking out a new studio after its agreement with a local school to use their facilities has come to an end.
Hayes FM stressed this as a primary reason for its lack of original and locally-produced output and explained that its “energies have been and are focussed on finding alternative premises to set up a new studio to broadcast from”.
Ofcom had a listen to the station and said in terms of original output, the station met the stated eight hours only on the Friday of the week in question. Hayes FM broadcast three hours of original output on the Monday, two hours on both Tuesday and Wednesday, seven hours on Saturday and four hours on Sunday. Of particular concern was Thursday when no original output was broadcast.
The regulator added that locally-produced output was overall closer on the average to its required output, but the stated minimum was still not achieved on any of the days of the week. […]

A long-standing Jersey presenter has retired from broadcasting after 35 years.
Phil Taylor, who was well known for presenting various shows including a Sunday afternoon request programme, announced his departure on social media.
He wrote: “18.00 today I came off-air at BBC Radio Jersey for the final time to join the ranks of retired radio presenters.
“It has been the absolute privilege and pleasure of the last 35 years playing “The Music That Matters To You, my listeners.”
“I have honestly enjoyed every moment of that time playing your choice of music, sometimes a regularly played tune, sometimes a rarely heard cracking classic and occasionally a forgotten pearl.
“Thank you so much for inviting me into your homes, cars and workplaces.”
He continued: “It is a privilege that I never took for granted, ever.
“Until next we meet, wherever, whenever, please be kind, tolerant, understanding and accepting of each other. Thank you.
“Phil Taylor – Retired BBC Radio Jersey presenter.” […]

Nigel Farage will return to host his evening show on GB News Radio next week.

The MP will be back on the radio and television station on Tuesday following his election as the new member of parliament for Clacton-on-Sea in Essex.
Commenting on his return, Nigel said: “I’m very much looking forward to coming back to GBNews, and to a job I have thoroughly enjoyed over the last three years.
“GB News is now here to stay as a mainstream broadcaster in this country. Thank goodness for that.”
He stepped away for his show after announcing that he was returning to politics as leader of Reform UK and running for Parliament as the prospective MP for Clacton at the General Election.
Lee Anderson will also be returning to GBNews, to present his Friday night show Lee Anderson’s Real World. […]

David Hamilton is celebrating 65 years in broadcasting with a new autobiography, David Hamilton`s Long and Winding Road.
The book tells the story of his journey from growing up on a remote farm in Sussex where he listened to the stars on the wireless, of returning there many years later to broadcast from an attic in his farmhouse on Boom Radio, becoming at 85 the oldest person to do a daily show on national radio, and of all the places in between.
One of the first DJs to play rock’n’roll on the British Forces Network in Germany during his National Service in the RAF in 1959, he did one of the first interviews with a new group called The Beatles on ABC TV in 1963, was the first face to be seen on Thames TV in 1968 and had a daily show that was broadcast on both Radio 1 and Radio 2 in the 70s.
On BBC and commercial radio he has hosted over 13,000 shows.
In one of the frankest autobiographies of the year he tells of his Life, Loves and Lessons Learned.
David Hamilton`s Long And Winding road is published on July 19 by Austin Macauley and can be found here. […]

Classic FM presenters Dan Walker and Karthi Gnanasegeram are to host a new nine-part series called Perfect Pitch.

Launching this evening at 9pm, Karthi and Dan will feature the classical music that has soundtracked sport’s most iconic moments and inspired our nation’s famous sport stars.
The first series of Perfect Pitch, devised and presented by Karthi, was broadcast on Classic FM in 2019, and for this new series, Karthi is teaming up with the station’s Classic FM Breakfast host Dan Walker.
In the first programme, the pair will celebrate the many big occasions where sport and classical music have come together. Highlights are Pavarotti’s legendary recording of ‘Nessun dorma’ by Puccini, synonymous with Italia 90, Ravel’s Bolero that accompanied Torvill and Dean’s legendary routine at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo in 1984, and Malakai Bayoh’s performance of ‘Abide with Me’ that was sung by the young treble ahead of the FA Cup final in May this year.
The first guest, joining Karthi on Friday 19th July, will be Colin Jackson, the two-time world and Commonwealth champion, and Olympic silver medallist.
Dan Walker said: “Sport and classical music just work when they are put together. They pull on our emotions, they give our hopes and dreams a soundtrack and set us up for the biggest sporting occasions on the planet. Every Friday on Perfect Pitch, we’ll ask some superstars about their perfect warm-up tracks and the music that always gets them in the zone to produce their best when it really matters.”
Karthi Gnanasegaram said: “My passions growing up were classical music and sport and I loved playing in orchestras and being part of sports teams. I feel very lucky to still be involved with both, and in this second series of Perfect Pitch on Classic FM, to chat with some of the biggest sports stars who understand that mix of personal and team inspiration. Musicians must work together for the orchestra to be in sync, in the same way that sports people work with their team to achieve their goal. It’s fascinating talking to athletes about that spirit of collaboration and the power of classical music to enrich their lives.” […]