Offended? DJ sacked for accidental use of 'N'-word.

[DaveHarries]

Hi all,

More unwelcome press attention for the BBC following an innocent mistake by one of their presenters who had been doing radio for over 30 years.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-27360884

Make of it what you will: the DJ puts his side of the story here:

http://www.mid20thcenturymusictalk.blogspot.co.uk/

I find the situation absurd and will say this. Despite now being only 32 years of age, and therefore unable to remember when most of the music featured by David Lowe (the DJ in question here) was first released, I was only 13 when I became a regular listener to his slots on Monday evening (he used to do a show called "As Time Goes By" on Monday evenings) since my earliest days, back in 1995, of listening to BBC Radio Bristol. The fact that he has gone has deprived listeners of a show, enjoyed by many people, that was broadcast on the local BBC stations not only in Bristol but also in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall and indeed via the internet to listeners in other corners of the globe.

My Mum admits that she has heard the version in question of the song in question and never noticed the offending word. I also heard the whole edition of the show on 27th April (the date this happened) and I also failed to notice it. My Dad was also a fan of the programme in question.

Although I am glad that the BBC Devon management finally saw sense and offered Mr. Lowe his job back I can quite understand why he has turned down the offer as it made worse his problems with a stress-related condition. I wish Mr. Lowe a very happy retirement and hope that, somewhere along the line, there is a chance - however faint - that he will return to the airwaves of southwest England sometime in the future.

Although the BBC have found a DJ to take over the slot in question and with the same kind of music I doubt it will have the listenership that David Lowe had. I, for one, won't be listening to the new DJ - who has until now been doing a BBC Bristol slot on Sunday afternoons - and Sunday evenings will never quite be the same again.

Dave

 

[starrymarkb]

I don't think the guy has done himself any favours though with ranting about Political Correctness and using quotation marks for 'forbidden' and "horrified". Again I suspect we only have one side of the story.

Hopefully the new DJ will be better at checking the stuff he plays before broadcast.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

The DJ, by his own admission, suggested to the BBC that he resigned. The BBC accepted that decision.

I suspect there is a lot more in the emails between himself and the BBC than he says on his blog.

 

[meridian2]

I don't think the guy has done himself any favours though with ranting about Political Correctness and using quotation marks for 'forbidden' and "horrified". Again I suspect we only have one side of the story.

Hopefully the new DJ will be better at checking the stuff he plays before broadcast.

And yet Radio 1 regularly play songs by artists such as Kanye West (yes I may be old but i try and keep up with the times!) or Snoop Dogg which contain the same words as in this song.
What this demonstrates is the BBC wanting to keep a certain section of society happy, simply by doing away with old practices and bringing in new ones. People harp on about 'political correctness', but 'political correctness' is merely old timers, like myself, trying to justify this constant need to keep this section happy. Clearly, this section of society are very important to the BBC, either they are within the electorate or something similar, otherwise, incidents like this would merely be a flash in the pan and not the huge PR fiasco it's evolving into.
The trouble is though, beyond this small section, you have people like me, and we make up the rest of the BBC's audience, and they are the ones who are up in arms over this. By dismissing this DJ, the BBC have potentially lost a large proportion of its audience and with it is credibility to publish stories which are balanced, accurate and unprejudiced.
Thank goodness for competition. Farcical, utterly farcical.
:roll:

 

[455driver]

And yet Radio 1 regularly play songs by artists such as Kanye West (yes I may be old but i try and keep up with the times!) or Snoop Dogg which contain the same words as in this song.

But dey isss black innit so it dont ma uh!

As was pointed out a few years ago, only white people can be racist! :roll:

This is just some people looking for something to be disgusted about for its own sake.

Before you ask no I dont like (or use) the word in question!

 

[Mvann]

They should do like Radio 4 Extra and put warnings up with certain programs pointing out when they were recorded and that certain things were acceptable at the time.

Didn't the football association get offended with a certain Reginald D Hunter's after dinner speach.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Didn't the football association get offended with a certain Reginald D Hunter's after dinner speach.

Yes, even though anyone who's seen five minutes of his stand-up would be able to tell you he frequently makes references to the black / Deep South culture that he grew up in back in the 60s. You would hope however was in charge of arranging entertainment for the evening would do a bit of research before hand (FWIW I think he's the best American comedian out there). Thank God they never got Chris Rock, Clarke Carlisle would have had a heart attack and Sol Campbell would still go on incessantly about it.

 

[meridian2]

But dey isss black innit so it dont ma uh!

 

[richw]

I assume any of their DJs playing Elvis Costello's Oliver's Army will be leaving next.
I've heard that a couple of times this year.

 

[DaveHarries]

But dey isss black innit so it dont ma uh!

Yeah innit.

It is interesting that the DJ who has lost his job over this incident mentions that:

I was alerted to my error by an email from the BBC management who had, in turn, received a complaint from a listener who, by his own admission, never listened to my programmes, but just happened to switch-on his radio sometime after 8 pm on Sunday April, 27.

So one single person has cost a large portion of the southwest radio audience a show that was enjoyed by many. I hope some friends / neighbours of the person who complained happened to be listeners to the show in question and, if so, that the complainer now gets the cold shoulder from those friends / neighbours.

Dave

 

[ralphchadkirk]

And yet Radio 1 regularly play songs by artists such as Kanye West (yes I may be old but i try and keep up with the times!) or Snoop Dogg which contain the same words as in this song.

No, they don't. The radio edits provided to stations like Radio 1 have the offensive words edited out. In the track broadcast here, it was from the DJ's own record collection and thus wasn't edited out. He should have been more careful, both in his selection of tracks to play and his communication with the BBC.

 

[richw]

Yeah innit.

It is interesting that the DJ who has lost his job over this incident mentions that:



So one single person has cost a large portion of the southwest radio audience a show that was enjoyed by many. I hope some friends / neighbours of the person who complained happened to be listeners to the show in question and, if so, that the complainer now gets the cold shoulder from those friends / neighbours.

Dave

It's more than the southwest now isn't it? I understand bbc local radio goes national after either 7 or 8pm now.

 

[DaveHarries]

It's more than the southwest now isn't it? I understand bbc local radio goes national after either 7 or 8pm now.

It does on Mondays to Fridays, albeit between 7pm and 10pm only, but not at weekends.

Dave

 

[starrymarkb]

No, they don't. The radio edits provided to stations like Radio 1 have the offensive words edited out. In the track broadcast here, it was from the DJ's own record collection and thus wasn't edited out. He should have been more careful, both in his selection of tracks to play and his communication with the BBC.

Yes which in some cases means there isn't much left. [blank] and [blank] my [blank] and their [blank] - BBC won't play them uncut until late evening if at all.

I suspect where DJs do provide their own music (rather then using versions in the BBC library) they have to carry the can for not checking it more closely. Maybe it has to be run by a BBC screener, given the fines that can result from broadcasting inappropriate content, it wouldn't surprise me if the BBC didn't have a checking procedure that may not have been followed.

The way he's reacting on his blog and going to the press makes me think there is more to this. Maybe he knew about the content and hoped no-one would notice and played dumb when called out on it.

Plus I suspect most people listen for the music rather then the DJ.

 

[meridian2]

No, they don't. The radio edits provided to stations like Radio 1 have the offensive words edited out. In the track broadcast here, it was from the DJ's own record collection and thus wasn't edited out. He should have been more careful, both in his selection of tracks to play and his communication with the BBC.

So should Jeremy Clarkson then. Although that footage was unreleased, he wasn't given the boot.

Even if you manage to justify to yourself that this sacking was deserved, it is clear-cut double standards and even then if you say it's not, it's a pretty desperate sign from a corporation trying to save face by targeting the lowest common denominator.
And whether you like it or not, this has set a precedent whereby if you aren't well-known or if you don't provide a large slice of the corporation's revenue, even if you apologise (as the DJ did) you're still expendable and for any aspiring DJ, that's not a sight you wish to see.
Yes he maybe should've been more careful in the selection of the songs, but this is, once again, a punishment that is far too disproportionate for the crime, hence the 'farce' it is becoming.

 

[Qwerty133]

Its from 1932, when unfortunately racism was seen as acceptable. We can't just forget about history and trying to hide it won't make it go away.
If the word in question is so bad it is unacceptable to even hear in the middle of a song, in the middle of a BBC local radio show aimed at adults, who understand that times have changed, why did I have to study 'Of mice and men' this year which contains said word many times.
No the word is not acceptable in everyday conversation (nor should it be), but on a show about old music its hardly the end of the world if it appears once in the lyrics.
He should have been asked to apologise in the following show, and they should have used it as a positive to show how much times have made us more accepting.

 

[IanD]

The differerence between this and Clarkson is that David Lowe made the mistake of offering to resign, which is something I would imagine Jeremy Clarkson is too arrogant/clever to do. This offer then gave his bosses an easy way out.

As Andrew Marr said on his Sunday AM show (paraphrasing here), never offer your resignation to a BBC executive* unless you're absolutely sure they aren't going to accept it because the spineless wotsits will always look to take the easy option regardless of what's right.


* other spineless bosses are available

 

[hairyhandedfool]

I think also the BBC are very much aware that certain programmes would be watched by fewer people without the buffoonery of Clarkson, whereas many radio DJs (not just the local ones) are interchangeable.

 

[jon0844]

One of the issues here is that he wanted to apologise, but the BBC actually wanted to sweep it under the carpet and make him keep quiet.

That's a management decision and one that I believe was wrong, although whether he needed to apologise is a different matter. Nevertheless, he wanted to and offered to do that or resign.

Clearly, letting him resign was the easiest option (well, if you're not bothered about the impact to the station on the assumption that listeners actually liked the DJ).

Given he was then offered the job back, but it was refused due to stress, I wonder if the next we'll be hearing of this is a legal case. However, he was freelance so I am not sure what rights he will have to claim damages for the stress leading to him being unable to work.

But, it's quite possible that if there's any other local station, he may land some work there anyway. Often those who are involved in things like this get work elsewhere, on the basis that someone else sees the publicity as a good thing.

 

[gordonthemoron]

I assume any of their DJs playing Elvis Costello's Oliver's Army will be leaving next.
I've heard that a couple of times this year.

White n* doesn't have the same connotation. Still I'd like the BBC try playing Patti Smith's Rock'n'Roll n* anytime soon, they'd probably get accused of blasphemy too. If you haven't heard it, it does use the n-word rather liberally (it's also v.good)

 

[ralphchadkirk]

never offer your resignation to a BBC executive*

Never make the mistake of thinking you are indispensable, because it's a shock when you find out that you're not - as this DJ did.

 

[meridian2]

Never make the mistake of thinking you are indispensable, because it's a shock when you find out that you're not - as this DJ did.

He offered to resign. That is an honorable thing to do, and certainly not the mark of an 'indisepsnible' employee, something which JC thinks he is.

 

[Emyr]

It's the system of political correctness which has turned this into a rather badly-handled affair.

Attacking the principle and hinting that you might throw your toys out of your pram is a very good way of ensuring that having your out of the picture is a desirable outcome.

Apparently he was invited to take up the role again but decided that his health should take priority.

Not irreplaceable.

 

[richw]

Turns out the show was pre-recorded. David Lowe was a freelance DJ recording the show in his own production studio and sending it on to the BBC for playing.
I assume the BBC do not review what they are playing on a pre-recorded show by a Freelance DJ.

 

[harry42]

As was pointed out a few years ago, only white people can be racist! :roll:

Unfortunately, this is very true :roll:

 

[158747]

Typical overreaction from the politically correct BBC.

 

[TheKnightWho]

Typical overreaction from the politically correct BBC.

And a typical overreaction by quite a lot of people in response.

It's funny how offended people get over other people being offended :roll:

 

[meridian2]

And a typical overreaction by quite a lot of people in response.

It's funny how offended people get over other people being offended :roll:

What 'other people being offended'? Try a) speaking to people without the condescending Oxbridge high and mighty and b) reading the article properly.

:roll:

 

[ralphchadkirk]

What 'other people being offended'? Try a) speaking to people without the condescending Oxbridge high and mighty and b) reading the article properly.

:roll:

Now that must be the definition of hypocritical.

 

[LateThanNever]

But dey isss black innit so it dont ma uh!

As was pointed out a few years ago, only white people can be racist! :roll:

This is just some people looking for something to be disgusted about for its own sake.

Before you ask no I dont like (or use) the word in question!

Quite - in the end life is offensive!

I feel mortified because I come from Essex and I fink we are a race and bofe girls and boys are abused and probably the transgendered, cosmetically enhanced, disabled and coloureds as well!
But I've learn't to live with it and I shall be putting the BTP on speed dial and watching to see that I remain unoffended - even west of Liverpool Street....

Whilst there is no excuse for being purposely insulting this behaviour from the BBC is just nuts!