Seeking around today I landed on 90.3 WRIU (URI'S noncom) and heard unedited rap music complete with the f word, the n word, and mofo. I was surprised! Checking out their website it looks like it's a hip hop show called Underground Sound. Is this the norm with college radio? I'm not about to waste my time googling lyrics that can and can't be broadcast.
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F WORDS AND N WORDS AND MOFOS OH MY!!!
- Thread starter Tee Man 82
- Start date
I think the FCC is starting to take a back seat and relaxing language rules. it's about damn time. We all know what these words are. Beeping out words doesn't hide them. You can still tell what they are saying. Not a kid on the planet doesn't use these words. So what exactly is the point of censoring language? Just so some soccer Mom driving her kids to school can protect their fragile little ears from hearing words they already know anyway. This is what the format of "Lite Radio" is for. Listen to that and you don't have to worry about language. I've always hated censorship. If you can say it in your house than I think you should be able to say it on the radio.
Does swearing necessarily improve anything? Sometimes yes. Sometimes No. Some of the funniest comedians on the planet never utter a swear word. People like Jerry Seinfeld. Funny Funny Funny guy! But it doesn't change the fact that I think people should be able to swear if they want to. This is America. The land of the free. This should transfer over to Free speech as well. The government is already in our business to much as it is. Nobody needs them telling us what we can and can not say on the radio.
Does swearing necessarily improve anything? Sometimes yes. Sometimes No. Some of the funniest comedians on the planet never utter a swear word. People like Jerry Seinfeld. Funny Funny Funny guy! But it doesn't change the fact that I think people should be able to swear if they want to. This is America. The land of the free. This should transfer over to Free speech as well. The government is already in our business to much as it is. Nobody needs them telling us what we can and can not say on the radio.
I've heard it in safe harbor. I think what it comes down to is that nobody's really interested in putting in the time and effort to file a complaint. Listenership is select on these college stations. It doesn't have the broad exposure that a commercial station like Lite 105 has, where a curse would be more likely to hit someone with a stick up their butt who has free time to complain to the FCC.
The FCC won't respond unless it gets a complaint. But if it does, the fine is (if I remember right) $350,000 per incident. Moreover, it's license renewal time, and if I were the licensee of the station I'd be very careful. There are any number of Christian groups that would love to get their hands on that license, and this sort of incident would seem to be tailor-made for them.
Not at all sure of the mechanics involved but IIRC, non-commercial programs featuring various artistic presentations in full are allowed to do so uncensored. Of course, good programming practice and reasonable scheduling is expected.
Underground Sound would be unable to properly exhibit all feelings and aspects of the Rap genre; if they were to arbitrarily edit the very words that most express the intensity and spirit of the artwork!
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Underground Sound would be unable to properly exhibit all feelings and aspects of the Rap genre; if they were to arbitrarily edit the very words that most express the intensity and spirit of the artwork!
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College stations tend to be that way. The adolescent demographic has always been scatological. Until the 60's, the adults with families controlled the culture. Since then. it's been the opposite.
If it aired between 10pm and 6am, then it's in "Safe Harbor" when indecent...but not obscene...material may be broadcast. "Obscene" is a pretty high standard: http://www.fcc.gov/guides/obscenity-indecency-and-profanity
90.3 WRIU is a great station for underground hip hop. The DJ's seem pretty passionate about the format. I'm not sure that they're that concerned with airing the clean versions that much...gives them "streed cred".
I also heard unedited hip hop on 95.3 WHRB late this past Sat night, on their hip hop programming "The Darker Side."
88.9 WERS does, in fact, though always play censored music on their nightly hip hop show "88.9 at night"
I also heard unedited hip hop on 95.3 WHRB late this past Sat night, on their hip hop programming "The Darker Side."
88.9 WERS does, in fact, though always play censored music on their nightly hip hop show "88.9 at night"
It has nothing to do with artistic presentations or non-commercial. It's "safe harbor". If it's aired between 10pm and 6pm and it's indecent, it's allowed. Obscene material is NEVER allowed, but the threshold is set very high before something is legally considered "obscene".
BTW, the potential fine is $325,000 per utterance, issued at the FCC's discretion. However, while the federal circuit courts have ruled that the FCC *is* allowed to regulate decency on the airwaves, they invalidated the FCC's current approach as unfairly arbitrary and told them to come up with a scheme that is not. So far, the FCC has not done so but they are working on it...eventually they will, and it can be retroactive. That all said, the FCC is a REactive agency when it comes to indecency, not PROactive. They will only act on formally-filed complaints received from people "with standing" (those who live and, in some cases, work within the protected service contour of the station in question).
The bottom line is:
There are rules and, though the FCC may be working its way thru the issue of how to enforce them and how you interpret the offenses when they occur, the facts are the facts.
Some college students who feel it's their "artistic" right to use music with foul language to make their points may just have to learn the hard way that the "rules" say you can't use such language on over the air radio. (Though there is the "safe harbor" rule, which will allow a certain amount of "rule bending" at a time of day when the youngest of the young are not "supposed" to be listening to radio.)
I'm sorry, but I can appreciate the views of a parent who doesn't want their 9 year old kid exposed to F-bombs and N-bombs and B-words, etc. over their local radio stations during most times of the day...even if the kid has heard those words and uses them. Moderating that is the parent's job (and some parents do a lousy job of that!)
Yes, I can also appreciate the "if you don't like it, change the channel" argument. But, just try to make listeners understand that. It ain't easy, trust me. We just can't live in a system where there are no rules.
There are rules and, though the FCC may be working its way thru the issue of how to enforce them and how you interpret the offenses when they occur, the facts are the facts.
Some college students who feel it's their "artistic" right to use music with foul language to make their points may just have to learn the hard way that the "rules" say you can't use such language on over the air radio. (Though there is the "safe harbor" rule, which will allow a certain amount of "rule bending" at a time of day when the youngest of the young are not "supposed" to be listening to radio.)
I'm sorry, but I can appreciate the views of a parent who doesn't want their 9 year old kid exposed to F-bombs and N-bombs and B-words, etc. over their local radio stations during most times of the day...even if the kid has heard those words and uses them. Moderating that is the parent's job (and some parents do a lousy job of that!)
Yes, I can also appreciate the "if you don't like it, change the channel" argument. But, just try to make listeners understand that. It ain't easy, trust me. We just can't live in a system where there are no rules.
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