on the little warning signs

[serinde]

...which are, frankly, scarier than the big neon flashing ones. Because we're all getting accustomed to the fundamentalists' assaults on our rights, on what we may see and do--the abortion debates, the nekkid bQQbie debates, all that sort of thing, we see them coming; we mobilize, we write letters, we rant in LJ, the ACLU and the EFF and all their fellow-travelers weigh in; the battle isn't won, no, not by a long chalk, but the fight is there and we all see it.

And we never notice their Fifth Column silently stealing ground way in our backfield.

Like this morning, when 92.3, nee K-Rock, now Free FM, dropped the words "giving head" out of "Walk On The Wild Side".


I don't care for your new weekday talk format at all--I hate talk radio--but I've really loved your Free FM weekends; I keep my radio tuned to it almost constantly.

Until this morning, when I just heard you bleep the words "giving head" out of Lou Reed's "Walk On The Wild Side".

What the hell, people? This is not Saudi Arabia. You are allowed to say that on radio. I'm embarrassed and disgusted that any American station with any claim to upholding the spirit of music would do such a thing, and it's only the more pathetic that you're calling yourself "Free FM". Until and unless I hear that you've decided to play songs in their entirety without editing them for the ears of six-year-olds, 92.3 is completely off my dial.

Comments

[dvandom.livejournal.com]

With most radio stations owned by one of a handful of conglomerates, they now tend to get their music from a central depot of stuff that's bowdlerized to be as inoffensive as possible to all possible demographics. Sure, Wild Side may fly uncensored on a station aimed at fratboys in a college town, but not in a sleepy little suburb.

So it's not a Religious Reich thing, it's a spineless corporate pandering thing. The people offended by the censorship are not much of a target market. People offended by the word "privates" ARE a significant target market. Sadly.

[arkham1010.livejournal.com]

Wherein FreeFM is a wholy owned entity of Infinity Broadcasting, those souless bastards who took Krock and turned it into FreeFM.

This shocks you...how?

and it further shocks you...how when you realize the weekend stuff isnt even broadcast from New york? Its just a automated feed from their center in California.

I hate to say it, but your email did not even register as a blip on the radar.

[naudia.livejournal.com]

I have been noticing such things for a while, and even on "Jack FM" they are editing such works as fuck, asshole, dick, ass, and even such sentiments as "I was off to drink you away" are cut along with almost every drug reference. The music industry, I'm afraid, is not interested in free speech or even in music. We have a few options. We can try to fight, but we liberal types aren't really known for accomplishing much.. We can stop listening to the radio all together in favor of things such as internet radio, we can mix cd's and mini-disks (now only of music that we register for, even if we did buy the damn thing), and attempt to expand our own music libraries..We can support only stations which do not censor their music..If you know of any, I'd love to hear about them. On this issue, I do not wish to roll over. Music is a passion of mine. Not only does this speak of a disregard for the artists and listeners, this speaks of a frightening step toward controlling all forms of information and entertainment. Didn't we create a new country to avoid all of this?

[sweh.livejournal.com]

This isn't really anything new. Songs have been banned for lyrics, or had "radio edits" to change words (eg the Beautiful South's "Don't Marry Her" change the line "don't marry her, fuck me" to "don't marry her, have me" just for the radio).

Hmmm... http://www.rock-links.de/banned.htm is fun reading! http://www.ericnuzum.com/banned/ is also interesting

[yesthattom.livejournal.com]

I agree!

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

Yes, but I was hearing Wild Side in its entirety growing up in Ohio. Hell, you were in Cowlumbus; you know. If it safely flew there, I am quite sure it will fly most places.

I mean, it's not like I'm complaining about them censoring NIN's "I Want To Fuck You Like An Animal". Mind, I'd rather they not play it at all than chop out the central word of the whole darn song, but it is one of the Seven Words You Can't Say, so there you go. But this--this is just dumb.

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

K-Rock was either Infinity or Clear Channel before the format change, too. I just forget which. There was never any soul there and hadn't been for years.

And I don't care where it's an automated feed from. As I just followed up to The Other Dave, if the song was considered harmless for 1980s Ohio, it's by damn safe for 2000s NYC/California/anywhere in this country.

Yes, one letter does nothing. But consider the fact that the fundies have gotten as far as they have by mobilizing their foot soldiers to each send reams of complaint mail and calls to every corporation who isn't 100% sanitized. If theirs is the only viewpoint our logo overlords (thank you DD) hear, that's what they'll conform to.