I tried to get some help in the NY forum but no one responded, so I am hoping somewhere from the hometeam can help out. I was recently listening to a new York radio station on iheart radio and the jock and a caller where having a discussion. The words shit, goddamn, and n***a where all used interchangeably and losely. It was not edited at all. How is this possible? Even with southpark they were able to say shit over 100x on one particular episode. Hicks hear are afraid to say ass on the radio (bible belt I know) here. So is it different in the more "liberal" northeast? Since new yorkers have a more "forward" thinking mentality is it more acceptable to curse on the radio there?
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
Question about profanity on the radio......
- Thread starter AJ JAM
- Start date
The FCC doesn't act unless it receives a complaint.
Is it possible the on-line feed had content that somehow was not on the airwaves?
Lame radio edits are one of the main reasons I subscribe and listen to XM. Urban radio in Atlanta is bad enough but it gets worse when a song is ruined by censorship.
I meant JOCKS here not HICKS lol.....proofreading goes a long way huh...
And it was aired in ny because i asked a cousin of mine about it and she said yeah they curse all the time!!!
I just think its interesting that New York can be so free and careless about this yet other cities particularly in the south are so uptight and more strict about this.
And it was aired in ny because i asked a cousin of mine about it and she said yeah they curse all the time!!!
I just think its interesting that New York can be so free and careless about this yet other cities particularly in the south are so uptight and more strict about this.
AJ, I think you were just having a dream.
AJ JAM said:
Are you sure that New York station actually broadcasted the cussing on air? It could be that streaming isn't subject to the same regulations, just like premium cable channels aren't subject to the same regulations ordinary cable channels are (since the customer has to specifically order them)
As "snippy" as the FCC has been on some issues (the wardrobe malfunction?) I would think they would be all over it if even the NYC airwaves were full of the kind of language I hear suggested in this thread.
We know that some of the modest, low-budget LPFM community radio stations are running different content on the air and on-line because they get in trouble if they run "call for action commercials" on the air, but they can generate added revenue if they promise the endoresement sponsors a full blown commercial on-line.
In a competitive, crowded market like NYC... I could see programmers "salting the mine" of the on-line content just to make sure they are "the talk of the town".
It's got us talking about them.... and aren't even there! ;D
We know that some of the modest, low-budget LPFM community radio stations are running different content on the air and on-line because they get in trouble if they run "call for action commercials" on the air, but they can generate added revenue if they promise the endoresement sponsors a full blown commercial on-line.
In a competitive, crowded market like NYC... I could see programmers "salting the mine" of the on-line content just to make sure they are "the talk of the town".
It's got us talking about them.... and aren't even there! ;D
D
Dial
Guest
Long time troller, first time poster.
Regarding profanity on the air. Just about all the "internet shows" or "on-line after shows" are not regulated by traditional FCC rules.
And truth is, you can pretty much say any curse word on the radio, as long as its not in verb form. Saying "thats dumb as "sh!t" is ok, but "I was sh!tting all day" could get you fined. However, that rule could be outdated and fines only come if just one person complains.
Damnit.
Regarding profanity on the air. Just about all the "internet shows" or "on-line after shows" are not regulated by traditional FCC rules.
And truth is, you can pretty much say any curse word on the radio, as long as its not in verb form. Saying "thats dumb as "sh!t" is ok, but "I was sh!tting all day" could get you fined. However, that rule could be outdated and fines only come if just one person complains.
Damnit.
Dial said:
So there is a cross-link between NCE and LPFM rules on selling "Endorsements" and the profanity prohibitions.
Everything is fine as long as there is no "call to action" verbiage.
Dial said:
The trigger seems to be sexual or excretory functions.
So the "s" and "f" words as "fleeting expletives" might get you in trouble if the FCC gets a complaint. But using those two words in a literal sense will certainly result in a fine if there's a complaint or if it's heard by FCC staff. Which is how the Who's "Who Are You" and Pink Floyd's "Money" have been a le to air unedited for 35-40 years.
The "n" word is not covered by any FCC rule, nor is "goddamn".
To be honest, I'm not sure why the DJ would even be allowed to say those words over the air, even if they would be allowed as long as they were censored. Just like saying something "is so gay" is something that you legally can say, I thought CC would deem those words (especially the "n" word) to be in poor taste and would not allow jocks to say them on their watch.
I'd be curious which station it was...because the courts have used "community standards" as the guide for profanity. And in certain communities, such as the hip hop community, a lot of words that might be objectionable to some are fairly common. And it's not about New York. It could also apply to Atlanta.
I've been to NY in the past few years, and yes they do tend to curse on the radio. Especially Hot 97 and Power 105.1 in the morning. Both stations seem to take on a more "laissez faire" disposition on the radio in general. Now they won't allow them to say f*ck, sh*t, or b*tch on the radio, but it is not unheard of to hear other profanity such as damn or ass over the airwaves. In other words, some markets aren't as uptight as others and NYC is one of them.
They are quite uptight here comparably to other markets because I know V-103 and to a certain extend Hot 107.9 won't allow most their jocks to even utter profanity over the air. Especially V-103 because they want to be considered "family friendly", but occasionally I've hear profanity used over the air.
They are quite uptight here comparably to other markets because I know V-103 and to a certain extend Hot 107.9 won't allow most their jocks to even utter profanity over the air. Especially V-103 because they want to be considered "family friendly", but occasionally I've hear profanity used over the air.
You can stream whatever the hell you want. No FCC jurisdiction there.
AFAIK and IANAL but the only case law regarding specific bad words is the George Carlin/Pacifica "seven dirty words" case, and some other case (Cher? Bono?) in TV also covering the s-word and/or the f-word. I don't think any case law exists regarding any other words, although that's not to say it couldn't be established.
In any case, the p-word seems to be broadly accepted on the air these days. The other 6 seem to still be verboten.
As I have posted before, radio stations have been editing the s-word from "Money", the f-word from "Who Are You", and f----t from "Money For Nothing" recently (last 10 years), where they generally didn't 15 years ago. Although the uncensored version of "Money For Nothing" seems to be making a comeback.
Hall and Oates et al. have been saying the b-word ("Rich Girl") on the air for decades.
The FCC proscribing GD, JC, etc. might cause them to run afoul of the Establishment Clause...???
AFAIK and IANAL but the only case law regarding specific bad words is the George Carlin/Pacifica "seven dirty words" case, and some other case (Cher? Bono?) in TV also covering the s-word and/or the f-word. I don't think any case law exists regarding any other words, although that's not to say it couldn't be established.
In any case, the p-word seems to be broadly accepted on the air these days. The other 6 seem to still be verboten.
As I have posted before, radio stations have been editing the s-word from "Money", the f-word from "Who Are You", and f----t from "Money For Nothing" recently (last 10 years), where they generally didn't 15 years ago. Although the uncensored version of "Money For Nothing" seems to be making a comeback.
Hall and Oates et al. have been saying the b-word ("Rich Girl") on the air for decades.
The FCC proscribing GD, JC, etc. might cause them to run afoul of the Establishment Clause...???
- Status