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gfloyd
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 4861 Location: Here, There, Everywhere.
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 4:17 pm Post subject: Ofcom Gets Tough With Radio 2 |
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Ofcom has issued a warning to broadcasters following an increase in the number of obscenities broadcast before the watershed.
Pointing to an increase in the broadcast of "unsuitable material" before the watershed, the regulator warned broadcasters to "ensure that robust procedures are in place" and said that action would be taken if compliance procedures were not rigorously followed. Ofcom sanctions can include fines and the withdrawal of broadcasting licences.
One of the programmes cited in Ofcom's latest complaints bulletin was Radio 2's Green Guide to Life. It was censured by the regulator for using the word "f**k". The broadcaster was also warned about further breaches.
Ofcom upheld two complaints about the half-hour comedy programme about modern living, which was broadcast in April and in which comedian Jack Dee was heard to use the words, "F**k off".
Ofcom pointed to a "weakness" in Radio 2's compliance procedures and warned the station that this was "not the first occasion on which inappropriate language has been transmitted on Radio 2".
======================== _________________ His name was ernie ........ and he drove the fastest milk cart in the west..... |
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Ian Robinson Site Admin
Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 3609 Location: Chorley, Lancashire
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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However, after an intensive year-long investigation by a huge team at Ofcom they have been unable to find any comedy in the Comedy Hour and have fined the BBC under the Trade Descriptions Act... |
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Toggy tea slurper Guest
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 8:16 pm Post subject: |
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I hope they haven't heard Janet & John |
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Lord Evan Elpuss
Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 3417 Location: Cloud Cuckoo Land
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 8:19 pm Post subject: |
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Plenty of inuendo etc but I don't think I've ever heard any actual bad language in them. _________________ Lord Evan Elpuss, Your ideal job is a Lumberjack. |
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Toggy tea slurper Guest
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 8:26 pm Post subject: |
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No there is never any bad language in them but they are a bit saucy. Then again it's all in the mind I suppose |
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SantaFefan
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 11258 Location: top of the cliffs in Norfolk
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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I'm no prude but I really don't think there is any need what so ever for using such language on the air; at any time.
I had the misfortune to see a bit of "8 out of 10 Cats" the other night and heard f**k off used off a lot.
It's almost childish playground stuff.
Is it really necessary? |
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mark occomore
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 9955 Location: UK
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 7:25 pm Post subject: |
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Sally said Blow Job. |
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Mark Mayhew
Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 2897
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Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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I have no problem at all with the stance taken by Ofcom.
Certainly vewers/listeners to the BBC need to have complete confidence in ethical/proper/honest behaviour. Clearly the BBC have been ignoring certain basic principles.
Will they learn from recent episodes-I doubt it. |
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firewirefred Guest
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Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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Mark Mayhew wrote: | Will they learn from recent episodes-I doubt it. |
Don't forget that the new BBC Trust has just come into being, having taken over from the old Reithian Board of Governors. OfCom now has more bite than ever, so the move by the BBC today is the result of a very firm shot across the bows.
I wonder what would happen to ITV PLC's fortunes if it was forced to take the same stance - the orgnisation would be bust, since many programme strands like the XFactor (to name but one) depend on Phone and Text revenue splits for their programme funding. Gone are the days when Tv companies could rely on spot advertising revenue alone. |
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pickle
Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 252 Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 8:06 am Post subject: Ofcom get tough with Radio 2 |
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So where the hell were they when Steve Wright expressed his homophobic views?
I got modded on the R2 boards for using the word homophobia. Their theme song should be After The Fire's 'One Rule For You, One Rule For Me'! _________________ We made a land where crap is king and the good don't last for long.
'The Good Don't Last', Spock's Beard |
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SantaFefan
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 11258 Location: top of the cliffs in Norfolk
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 8:21 am Post subject: |
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How did he express his homophobic views? |
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gfloyd
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 4861 Location: Here, There, Everywhere.
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 8:22 am Post subject: Re: Ofcom get tough with Radio 2 |
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pickle wrote: | So where the hell were they when Steve Wright expressed his homophobic views?
I got modded on the R2 boards for using the word homophobia. Their theme song should be After The Fire's 'One Rule For You, One Rule For Me'! |
Ofcom respond to complaints by the public. They dont listen to every single thing broadcast by stations. If you feel strongly go to Ofcom's website & read about how to make a complain to them. _________________ His name was ernie ........ and he drove the fastest milk cart in the west..... |
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firewirefred Guest
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 8:47 am Post subject: Re: Ofcom get tough with Radio 2 |
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gfloyd wrote: | Ofcom respond to complaints by the public. They dont listen to every single thing broadcast by stations. |
All broadcasters in the UK - even hospital radio - have to keep what's called Logging Tapes. These are basically a low-quality recording of all the output, 24/7. One of my earliest jobs was loading those damned things and then cataloguing the contents.
If you ever have to complain about something to the regulator and they need to investigate further the broadcaster is required under the terms of their licence to produce the relevant logging tape as evidence. Assuming they still use tapes, of course because the BBC intends to be 100% tapeless by 2010. |
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mark occomore
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 9955 Location: UK
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 1:37 pm Post subject: Re: Ofcom get tough with Radio 2 |
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firewirefred wrote: | gfloyd wrote: | Ofcom respond to complaints by the public. They dont listen to every single thing broadcast by stations. |
All broadcasters in the UK - even hospital radio - have to keep what's called Logging Tapes. These are basically a low-quality recording of all the output, 24/7. One of my earliest jobs was loading those damned things and then cataloguing the contents.
If you ever have to complain about something to the regulator and they need to investigate further the broadcaster is required under the terms of their licence to produce the relevant logging tape as evidence. Assuming they still use tapes, of course because the BBC intends to be 100% tapeless by 2010. |
Thanks for this information. I would expect shows are added too some sort of hard drive. This is why Steve Wright had to drop the Copywright tag as all BBC shows are copyright.. |
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firewirefred Guest
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 1:52 pm Post subject: Re: Ofcom get tough with Radio 2 |
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mark occomore wrote: | I would expect shows are added too some sort of hard drive. |
There may be a logging system that shares the same technology as the listen again software/hardware coupled perhaps with speech - to - text converters which can then create a rough text transcript on the fly. However, the logging tape technology is specialised and I would be surprised if the beeb isn't still using this, coz it is very easy to load a 10" NAB reel onto a slow-write recorder and leave it for the day. It does not need to be broadcast spec.
mark occomore wrote: | This is why Steve Wright had to drop the Copywright tag as all BBC shows are copyright.. |
I think the reason is more to do with lots of people (including BBC people internally) telling the producer that he just sounded stupid saying that at the end of each programme, it was always totally unnecessary. |
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Rob
Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 163 Location: Leicester
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 10:18 am Post subject: Hospital Radio |
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Only just catching up with some old threads, so please accept the tardy response.
The comment about broadcast radio stations having to log their output may well be right. I worked for an ILR station in the early 80s and the IBA requirement was to use a 4-track machine to record the stereo off-air FM signal (2 tracks), the AM transmission off-air (1 track) and a time stamp track. Most stations paid a silly sum of money to BT for the speaking clock, but we had an early example of a speech-synthesis clock. You pressed a button and it read you the time. We built some electronics to simulate the button being pressed every 15 seconds or so and, hey presto, royalty-free time stamps!
The reason for the logs, of course, was to allow serious complaints to be handled. What was actually transmitted could be transcribed and used in evidence, if ever a matter came to court.
I don't know how many other stations are obliged to make this sort of recording, though. The BBC may well do (I would be surprised if they didn't), but the hospital station I'm involved with certainly doesn't. However, we don't have a transmitter - we're carried by the in-hospital bedside system, so there's no broadcast licence required (though copyright issues still have to be addressed). I suspect it's only a requirement for broadcast stations.
Rob. |
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firewirefred Guest
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 10:26 am Post subject: Re: Hospital Radio |
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Rob wrote: | I worked for an ILR station in the early 80s and the IBA requirement was to use a 4-track machine to record the stereo off-air FM signal (2 tracks), the AM transmission off-air (1 track) and a time stamp track. |
A rack-mounted TEAC 4-track, I'll wager! Grand old workhorses that lots of stations had in their production studios. |
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Rob
Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 163 Location: Leicester
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Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 2:05 pm Post subject: 4-track machines |
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To be honest, I can't remember whose machines we had for logging. I know the studio machines were Studers, though.
But the logging machines were certainly not rack mounted. We had a chief engineer who had some different ideas, and there was a recessed cabinet in the reception area. This had two sliding, glass doors with a lock on them, with the logging machines behind them. One would be active at any time, with the second (generally) rigged to take over. Each machine was wired to the other so that when the tape ran out on one, the other would start recording.
I seem to remember that the cabinet presented some interesting challenges over heat dissipation, but it certainly made our reception look a little more radio!
Rob. |
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Ian Robinson Site Admin
Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 3609 Location: Chorley, Lancashire
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Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 2:34 pm Post subject: |
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I think there was an instance a year or two ago when a commercial station was fined for not having the tapes for Ofcom when a complaint was made. So, I would guess they're under obligations to record some (if not all) of their output.
I know that Chorley FM have to record certain shows on a regular basis, and whenever a guest comes in. |
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pickle
Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 252 Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire
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Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 5:29 pm Post subject: Ofcom get tough with Radio 2 |
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Steve Wright would always say 'seems like a nice boy' or 'let's go shopping' in a lisping voice after something by the Pet Shop Boys or Soft Cell.
He also mucked about with the Bronski Beat/Marc Almond medley of 'Love To Love You Baby/I Feel Love/Johnny Remember Me' on air. _________________ We made a land where crap is king and the good don't last for long.
'The Good Don't Last', Spock's Beard |
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mcl
Joined: 04 Feb 2007 Posts: 127 Location: Somewhere in the South
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Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:16 pm Post subject: |
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Ian Robinson wrote: | I think there was an instance a year or two ago when a commercial station was fined for not having the tapes for Ofcom when a complaint was made. So, I would guess they're under obligations to record some (if not all) of their output. |
What about the infamous Oxygen FM logging tapes incident? Still spoken about in hushed tones in the industry - the Radio Authority requested a sample of a particular day's output following a complaint, they didn't have the tapes, so they just restaged the entire day's broadcasting and sent that to the RA......which is, of course, incredibly illegal! I admire their guts for thinking they could get away with it, though. Oxygen are now no longer on the air, incidentally.......
All you fancy-dan BBC stations with your 10" NABs - we use a bank of long-play VHS machines, as do many other commercial stations, though we also have a computer logging everything for about six months at a time. _________________ "....you're wearing a plywood bow tie with Dundee United on it?" |
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