Classic FM is a very naughty station
When we first read Stephen Green crowing on his website about his achievement in cancelling the promotion of Not the Messiah (see below) we assumed he was just kidding himself. Kidding himself is, after all, what he spends his life doing. But the British Humanist Association received confirmation yesterday that the channel did indeed drop the promotion because of complaints.
Perhaps Classic FM did not know that the complaints were from the notorious cancer charity blackmailing bigots who rose to fame by publishing the home addresses of TV producers on their website. Even so, that is still no excuse to cave so cravenly to the fundamentalist shut-up brigade.
The BHA’s Campaigns Officer Pepper Harow:
We are hugely disappointed by the judgement taken by the head of Classic FM to effectively ban promotion of this show. There are no blasphemy laws in this country anymore and this decision is entirely unjustifiable.
Just because some people may not like something, it doesn’t mean it should be banned. We live in a liberal democracy where all views should be heard, not just the ones we want to listen to. Hyper-sensitivity to one particular religion should not prevent the enjoyment by everyone else of perfectly legitimate music, art or drama.
Why not contact Classic FM and tell them what you think?
Full article: http://www.mediawatchwatch.org.uk/2010/03/25/classic-fm-cave-in-to-christian-voice/
Classic FM is a very naughty station,
I am now feeling confused about the truth concerning what has actually happenned at Classic FM regarding “Not The Messiah”.
When I read the news on the BHA website I was outraged that a small but vocal minority could influence the policy of a national radio station. I wrote to Classic FM, via their website, to express my feelings on this issue.
Later in the day I received a response from Classic FM, denying that their policy had changed. The email said that the publicity for “Not the Messiah” had only ever been intended to run till last weekend and it had run for the length of time it had always been intended to.
If this is the case, then it would appear that Stephen Green is claiming credit for something that did not happen! A christian making false claims? Surely not!
I think the true story here is the false claims made by Stephen Green rather than Classic FM bowing to pressure!
Whilst I condemn bowing to the demands of a vociferous but probably unrepresentative section of the population, I can sympathise with Classic FM’s decision, if indeed they did withdraw the trail as a result of the complaints. From a commercial perspective it would have been inadvisable for them to alienate some of their core listeners. An obvious decision.
What I find puzzling, given the nature of the target audience, is how they thought this would not result in indignant complaints.
So, in my view an editorial lapse of judgement which ended in the worst possible outcome – an apparent caving in to a vociferous but probably unrepresentative minority, who can now claim an unwarranted success.
I’m wondering where the BHA “received confirmation” that Classic FM dropped the promotion because of the complaints. Is this a matter of confidential sources? I received the same reply as Mike Reynolds reports above. I’m certainly one of Classic FM’s “core listeners” James refers to, so I hope they take account also of the responses they have received from humanists, though how this would affect their output I’m not sure, since most humanists appreciate religious music. Fewer carols at Christmas perhaps?
Hi all
It seems numerous people had similar responses from Classic FM, saying that no promotion of the show was pulled in response to pressure from a religious lobby.
However in response to this, the BHA updated its news page, explaining the confirmation they had sought and received on this story before they acted on it. See http://www.humanism.org.uk/news/view/514