No sex, gun lyrics - JamaicaObserver.com

Sunday, November 08, 2009 12:43 AM

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No sex, gun lyrics

Broadcasting Commission clean-up continues

Saturday, February 21, 2009

THE Broadcasting Commission took another step in its drive to clean up Jamaica's airwaves by issuing a directive banning music promoting sex and violence.

"The Broadcasting Commission is prohibiting transmission of any soca music content that displays, simulates or instructs about sexual activities or positions. The commission has also put a halt to the transmission of lyrics glorifying the gun and promoting killings and other acts of violence," said the commission in a statement yesterday.

These latest directive comes just two weeks after the commission banned the airing of recordings promoting 'daggering' and other sexually explicit content in the broadcast media.

Said the commission yesterday: "Acting under Regulation 30(d) and exercising the powers granted under Regulation 31 of the Television and Sound Broadcasting Regulations, the commission now requires the immediate halt to the transmission of:

. any live presentation, audio recording or music video from the soca, hip hop or any other music genre, which promotes, contains references to, or is otherwise suggestive of 'daggering' or which publicly displays, simulates or instructs about explicit sexual activities or positions;

. any content from live coverage or recorded shows, dances or events which displays children participating in activities that simulate sexual activities or positions whether in street parades, stage shows or at any other event.

The commission's directive on gun lyrics also requires the immediate halt to the transmission of:

. any recording, live song or music video which promotes and/or glorifies the use of guns or other offensive weapons;

. any recording, live song or music video which promotes or glorifies any offence against the person such as murder, rape, and mob violence or other offences such as arson.

The directive, the commission said, will require programme managers and station owners and operators to take immediate steps to prevent the transmission of any material to which they apply or which falls into the category of edited musical content using techniques of 'bleeping' or 'beeping'.

In the meantime, the Media Association of Jamaica Limited (MAJL) said the constant focus on the media was not going to deliver the desired results on cleaning up the quality of music consumed by members of the public, and called for help and support from the authorities and the broader society.

In a letter to the Broadcasting Commission which was copied to several organisations and individuals, including the prime minister and the information minister, the MAJL urged agencies and institutions to fairly enforce the various laws that can help in the effort. "This is the only way to ensure a meaningful solution to this issue," the association said.

It said, too, that if steps were taken to clean up the music played on public transport, in recreational parks and other public spaces, establishing a framework for entertainment zoning to create a structure for the delivery of events to the public, then the overall impact of broadcast media and other publicity media sources would be more far-reaching.

"It is critical that the authorities enforce the nearly 20-year-old law that bans music on public transportation as a way of creating an immediate impact on what is being presented to the public in general and children in particular," the association said. "The airing of pornographic and raunchy audio and video material in public passenger vehicles (which is already illegal but not enforced) and in public spaces is targeted, high-impact, damaging and could not be considered acceptable to continue."

The association said its members were prepared to again buttress public education campaigns in support of ridding public transportation of music, cleaning up content in public spaces and educating about noise abatement laws.

".This support, and the support given recently to moves by the commission to improve the quality of music in media, are geared to ensure successful interventions. Support of the proposed steps is conditional on:

. campaigns having very clearly defined and measurable objectives;

. the enforcement measures being put in place before campaigns begin; and

. ways to measure success/failure of the campaign before campaigns begin."

It said, however, that there were still issues of concern it had to discuss and work through with the Broadcasting Commission and the minister of information about the creation of a national media policy, improving regulations, compliance, equity and even regulating all media entities. i

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