MediaBuyerPlanner: An African American-owned radio and television station company is banning music with lyrics that are violent, sexist or racist on its Jackson, Miss., radio station.
Terrill Weiss, general manager of Roberts Broadcasting Co.’s WRBJ-FM, is quoted in Radio Ink as saying, “There’s probably a higher incidence of derogatory language in general in hip-hop music because it’s a language of the street.” He said that he is glad the owners took a stand on the issue, which has received attention in the press in the wake of the Don Imus incident last week.
In a letter to the staff of WRBJ-FM on Wednesday, chairman and chief executive Michael Roberts wrote (via Businessweek) that the Imus case “has certainly put new fire under the need to respect ourselves first – specifically the hip-hop nation and rap music’s role in desensitizing our country to derogatory comments toward women and each other.”
The lineup on Roberts’ four TV stations could eventually be affected, as well. All but the St. Louis station are affiliates of The CW Network. The St. Louis station is a MyNetworkTV affiliate.
Related stories:
- CBS Radio Sends Imus Packing
- MSNBC to Cease ‘Imus’ Simulcasts
- Staples Pulls Ads from ‘Imus in the Morning’
- Don Imus Suspended for ‘Repugnant, Repulsive’ Remarks
- WFAN to Stream Live, Finally
- Imus Outdoor Ads Flaunt First Amendment
