KTU This Friday Night

[OriginalSample]

I turned in to KTU tonight to hear their mixes and to my surprise DJ Jenny Acosta played The House version of “El Apagon” by Bunny which is basically a chant of some guy saying “me gusta la ch*ch@ de Puerto Rico”, along with 2 Without’s Hats House version of “Que bonita bandera” and “Boriqua Posse”.

Fun fact, KTU means (K)ater To yoU

 

[dcowboy7]

I have no idea what this means.

 

[davideduardo]

I turned in to KTU tonight to hear their mixes and to my surprise DJ Jenny Acosta played The House version of “El Apagon” by Bunny which is basically a chant of some guy saying “me gusta la ch*ch@ de Puerto Rico”, along with 2 Without’s Hats House version of “Que bonita bandera” and “Boriqua Posse”.

That is not the only obscenity in the song. It has the "F Word" in English, and words like "ca--rón" which loosely translates as the functional equivalent of "bastard" and "hi-- de pu--" which is also idiomatic but equally a profanity. Some of the words are repeated over and over and over, in case anyone did not understand.

 

[davideduardo]

I have no idea what this means.

I believe the poster is referring to the profanities that fill that song. Were it in English, the FCC would be all over the station with fines.

 

[OriginalSample]

I have no idea what this means.

As intended to be 🤘

 

[TheBigA]

I believe the poster is referring to the profanities that fill that song. Were it in English, the FCC would be all over the station with fines.

Except that the song aired after 10PM:

Under FCC rules and federal law, radio stations and over-the-air television channels cannot air obscene material at any time and cannot air indecent material between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.: language or material that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory organs or activities.

Obscene, Indecent and Profane Broadcasts

Federal law prohibits obscene, indecent and profane content from being broadcast on the radio or TV.

www.fcc.gov

 

[OriginalSample]

I believe the poster is referring to the profanities that fill that song. Were it in English, the FCC would be all over the station with fines.

Except that the song aired after 10PM:

Obscene, Indecent and Profane Broadcasts

Federal law prohibits obscene, indecent and profane content from being broadcast on the radio or TV.

www.fcc.gov

Thank you TheBigA. The Voice of reason around here.

 

[Red Plume]

I helped develop a Latin music program, and we came to the conclusion that the bizarre and short list of English-language (FCC) profanities does not really translate easily.

In English, the F-word means "copulate", according to Merriam-Webster. Since "copulate" is okay to say in English, an equivalent in another language should be okay.

Our general rule was that the lyrics on the show shouldn't be offensive when considering contemporary community standards, and if potentially offensive, shouldn't lack serious cultural, political, or scientific value, which we believed to be stricter than any enforceable standard.

The FCC hasn't acted on any of the "seven words" in over two decades. Not sure that there is a "seven words" equivalent in other languages.

Edit to add: The 10PM thing is one more step towards safety, as pointed out above, and I don't want to discount that point.

 

[TheBigA]

The FCC hasn't acted on any of the "seven words" in over two decades. Not sure that there is a "seven words" equivalent in other languages.

The key phrase in the FCC rule is:

taken as a whole, lack serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.

The word 'artistic' is covered when the words are used in a song by a singer who has some artistic standing. He's not just ranting, but doing so in a poetic way with music. I think this is why the FCC hasn't really challenged lyrics in songs, especially after 10 PM.

 

[davideduardo]

Thank you TheBigA. The Voice of reason around here.

The song has countless plays on many stations prior to 10 PM. Maybe not in this instance, but in general it is getting wide airplay.

 

[davideduardo]

I helped develop a Latin music program, and we came to the conclusion that the bizarre and short list of English-language (FCC) profanities does not really translate easily.

It does not translate at all. Spanish has its own obscenities / profanities and they even are different in nearly every region or country. The "F" word has dozens of versions in as many countries that I know... and there have to be even more.

The FCC hasn't acted on any of the "seven words" in over two decades. Not sure that there is a "seven words" equivalent in other languages.

And the seven words are not embedded in legislation or regulation. They were examples in a specific case, not a rule.

Edit to add: The 10PM thing is one more step towards safety, as pointed out above, and I don't want to discount that point.

But that was a bad song to pick as an example as it got early evening play on Spanish language stations regulated by the FCC. But several other currents now have more airplay, particularly the duos with Arkangel and Rauw Alejandro. Or songs like "Bichiyal" which is a direct play on the vulgar term in Puerto Rico for the penis.

 

[OriginalSample]

Or songs like "Bichiyal" which is a direct play on the vulgar term in Puerto Rico for the penis.

That is so blatantly incorrect. I literally am cracking up over here. Sure, they have similar spellings but they mean different things.

 

[TheBigA]

The song has countless plays on many stations prior to 10 PM. Maybe not in this instance, but in general it is getting wide airplay.

It only spent 2 weeks in the Hot 100, peaking at #54. More success in the Latin Top 40.

It's also not in WKTU's regular playlist.

 

[BJSteigner]

I turned in to KTU tonight to hear their mixes and to my surprise DJ Jenny Acosta played The House version of “El Apagon” by Bunny which is basically a chant of some guy saying “me gusta la ch*ch@ de Puerto Rico”, along with 2 Without’s Hats House version of “Que bonita bandera” and “Boriqua Posse”.

Fun fact, KTU means (K)ater To yoU

The REAL (K)ater To yoU was back in 1996 when it came back. It took 1 year to get to the top and New York's metro area and their club scene was buzzing. Now the station sounds like it was made so cheap that the station's owner only thinks about $$$$ and not the consumers and listeners.

The REAL KTU had the REAL DJ players of the game who played by their own rules...<This is what made KTU best.

 

[OriginalSample]

I think Jenny Acosta’s mixes were not aired last weekend. So lesson learned - not to post certain things on here about radio play

It’s a shame cause it was a great mix. Reminded me of those Saturday night mixes from Hot 97 where they played 12” like “esa loca (dale webo)” that’s how they spelled it. Lot’s of other songs like “fly tet@s”.

I was about to add something else and I thought better not before they censor that too on KTU.

 

[radiodx10]

I also think that this varies upon location as well. In NYC, they could probably air something much worse and get away with it (unless you're WBAI in the 70s airing a certain Carlin bit), because the community is more liberal-leaning and forgiving as opposed to a station in, say, rural Tennessee, where the community would probably take more exception to any amount of profanity on the radio or TV.

This isn't to say one's right and one's wrong. Radio at its best is a reflection of the community it serves, not that it also shouldn't challenge or push back against something that is wrong. A balance between the two, in my opinion, best.

I still think the profanity rule is absurd and in my opinion a legitimate reason why radio is struggling to some degree. Listen to any Top 40/hip-hop station, the censored versions are downright unlistenable because so much is being lost to the censors. Why would anyone, especially younger folks, listen to some radio disney-fied versions in between commercials, when they can hear the real thing the artist wanted on streaming?

Adults can handle a little bit of swearing. And to the "think of the children!" crowd, one- I guarantee you they've heard and seen FAR worse online and two, there's something really cool called a dial, and you can use it change the station!

Canada doesn't have profanity rules (to my knowledge). In fact, CFZM 740 has that midnight blue show and airs very sexually charged music with full profanity and last time I checked, Canadian society is still perfectly fine.

*steps off my soap box*