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B101 in trouble with rape crisis organization

leethalweapon

leethalweapon

Allaccess reports that B101 management wanted to censor a PSA because of what they say is offensive content. http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/75782

My question, is this because the management want their audience to walk around completely oblivious to reality? Child sexual abuse and child abuse are both disgusting acts, but they are two completely different offences under law. Are B101 management more concerned with their image, or helping the community (listeners) be informed about a serious issue?
 
When I started in radio news in the early 1980s, I heard about soft rock/adult contemporary stations that didn't want violent crime, particularly rapes, reported in their newscasts. Then, briefly in the mid 80s, I worked for a soft AC, and it was suggested (but not a written rule) that we keep such news off the station and "let the newspaper cover it." Such things didn't belong on a "family friendly station."

It appears this train of thought still exists at B-101. I don't listen to the station, but I bet they don't cover violent crime news in their morning newscasts, either.

Another angle on this story: When would B-101 be airing PSAs? Do they air them every few hours at designated times? Are they relegated to periods like overnights and Sunday mornings when the station is less likely to be sold out of commercial inventory? Has anyone who listens to the station ever heard something that was, without a doubt, a PSA during morning, midday or afternoon, when listeners might actually hear it?

B-101's demos are women 25-54, and usually tops in that category ... the demographic with children. If one station in Philly needs to air this PSA, it's B-101. It'd be interesting to see if other stations that appeal mainly to that demo, WXTU (Beasley), My 106 and WDAS(Clear Channel), WRNB (Radio One) and Ben 95.7 (Greater Media) are airing this PSA.

B-101 gets loads of praise in the industry press for being a locally owned major market station in this era of consolidation. What good is that local ownership when it rejects a community-oriented local PSA like this?
 
According to a press release from PCAR:
"The station denied PCAR space because the 30-second public service announcement, urging adults to report child sexual abuse, contained the words rape and sexual."

Question: Does anybody know if there's a song in WBEB's playlist by Marvin Gaye, it was a really big hit in 1982, something about "healing" in the title...

Full press release here:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...s-to-air-child-sexual-abuse-psa-94936159.html
 
Actually, if I were B, I would air this PSA during the workday when women are listening at work. I might not air it at other times, however.
 
Whether the case may be, children abused sexually, violently, verbally, etc., it's term is still "child abuse." I don't see why the coalition insist on having "child sexual abuse" in their PSA. If I did hear that PSA air with the sexual or rape term, personally, I'd be offended. That is a very harsh way to put it out there, especially for the victims and their families having that term rubbed in themselves. I understand what the coalition is doing to help children in these cases, but some people wouldn't feel comfortable hearing a term like that. Too sensitive to even think about it if you ask me.
 
There are much more tactful way for informing people about an issue without going for !! Shock Value !! I don't blame a listen-at-work station for shying away from a PSA that tries to stir up negative emotions in their listeners. When you hear something that makes you emotionally upset, you don't tend to keep tuning in to hear it again and again. Just present the problem in a tactful way and everybody benefits.
 
Here's a modest solution: Have B101 run the PSA on their online stream.

Ugh, on second thought... never mind...
 
I don't get what people are so gaga about Jerry Lee. Yeah it's a locally owned station, but the on-air content is no better than what you would get from Clear Channel etc. The jocks are detached from the music with those horrible pre-recorded backsells... it's such a bad station.
 
The Allaccess report was very one sided. You do not have the whole story if you are depending on that for your opinion formation.

This is the story from RBR/TVBR, who actually took the time to speak with WBEB as well. WBEB offerred to rewrite, and AFTRA revoice the announcement at it's own expense. They have bent over backwards to accommodate these people, and yet they still sully WBEB's good name. Please read the RBR commentary at the end: http://www.rbr.com/radio/24515.html

Also it's important to note, it was NOT a PSA as claimed, it was a paid, cash schedule for a logged commercial accouncement. It had to run when ordered according to contract, not "unsold overnight" times.
 
Actually B is a pretty great station.

As far as those back sells you don't like, for years women have been saying that they want to be told what every song is..yes even that Phil Collins tune they've probably heard 2000 times by now. It's a pretty unabtrusive way of doing it. I'm surprised more stations don't do this.

B has sat near the top of the ratings for a VERY long time. It's not like other stations haven't tried to take them on. No one has come close to succeeding.

But back to the subject---knowing this was a paid schedule and B would have no say when it would air, they did the right thing by rejecting the spot. Sounds to me that they tried to work with the organization to create an alternative.

This is another reason why B is successful. They actually turn down $$ when what would air could hurt their brand. Who doesn't wish that their favorite radio station wouldn't do the same to keep some of those horrid screaming car spots off the air.
 
wgliradio said:
I don't get what people are so gaga about Jerry Lee. Yeah it's a locally owned station, but the on-air content is no better than what you would get from Clear Channel etc. The jocks are detached from the music with those horrible pre-recorded backsells... it's such a bad station.
Click to expand...

Really? Last I checked, they've been #1 since Moses walked the earth. They must not be as bad as you say.
 
"I don't get what people are so gaga about Jerry Lee. Yeah it's a locally owned station, but the on-air content is no better than what you would get from Clear Channel etc. The jocks are detached from the music with those horrible pre-recorded backsells... it's such a bad station."

"Really? Last I checked, they've been #1 since Moses walked the earth. They must not be as bad as you say."

I have to agree with point number one. Jerry Lee has done many great deeds for the terrestrial radio industry, especially when it was in its hey day and also the community, and he runs a great communications business. I have also had the pleasure of working with him in the past on a couple of projects. But as for a great radio station, it's simply not and they've pulled the wool over the eyes of many women in the Philly DMA over the years so good for them from a business standpoint. The station's ratings (don't forget this is the PPM era of drive-by listening) are simply indicative of the parochial, never-changing mindset of Philadelphia natives when it comes to media consumption - ie: out-of-date. Why would anyone listen to the music on a FM radio station when they can put together a similar, but much deeper lineup of the same format music themselves on their own technology and be their own program director knowing who the song was sung by without boring jocks and no commercials? This has never made sense to me when I have to hear this boring station twice a year, actually forced to listen in my dentist's chair for bi-annual cleanings, although I guess I could wear ear plugs.
 
It would be interesting to find out, if Wilmington's WJBR, which is very much like Philly's B-101 (and essentially targets the same audience with similar music) airs this spot. I could understand these or any FM stations, frankly not wanting to air this sort of spot. I guess the bigger question is, can a station turn away a paid spot? I know at least with Political Ads they can not refuse them (equal time being made available, etc). FM, generally likes to be the happy non-threatening place to be and a spot about rape or incest (child sexual abuse) might not fit what that station hopes to create each day for it's primary female oriented audience.

Unlike local TV news that offers a major dose of police blotter stories where rape and incest along with fires and murders would be key players as well with AM radio news (WDEL and WILM - not sure about KYW) has become a major source for the police blotter news story.

Interestingly, WHYY-FM's local newscasts, as well as their NPR newscasts, generally, do not contain police blotter stories. To be quite frank, it's a refreshing change.
 
Radio stations are free to refuse commercial time to virtually anyone. I say virtually because there is the rule about political ads.

And even that rule is misunderstood. The law states that any "Federal" candidate must have access to the airwaves, and at the rate that the station charges its lowest paying clients. That means that ads for the local dog-catcher or even state congress can be refused if the station so desires. But once that decision is made, it must apply to all. So if a station accepts one, they must accept all. If they refuse one, they must refuse all.

But no other type of paid advertising is a must. Stations can, and do, choose their clients all the time. In these difficult economic times, though, you won't find too many turning down very much. It has to be a truly awful ad that counters the station's image before they'll turn anything down. I give B101 kudos for sticking to their guns.
 
I remember during the 2004 election where Lancaster's WDAC, a commercial Christian station, that is a conservative Evangelical Christian station, aired ads by John Kerry, liberal Democrat. What they did was to offer a disclaimer before and after the ad saying something like: As they, WDAC, accept paid ads from candidates they do support, they also are required by law to accept ads from candidates they do not support as WDAC does not support this particular candidate, or words of that sort. My guess is, they were getting plenty of angry phone calls from listeners, so the disclaimer probably helped cut down those phone calls to the station.
 
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