Michael Jackson songs taken off from radio stations around the world
A number of radio stations across the world have dropped Michael Jackson songs from their playlists. Stations in Canada and New Zealand are reported to have taken Jackson’s songs off the air.
This comes in response to the broadcast of HBO’s Leaving Neverland, which revived sexual abuse allegations are made against the late pop singer.
According to CNN, multiple major radio stations in New Zealand have stopped airing Jackson’s music including commercial broadcaster MediaWorks.
CBC has reported that in Canada three major Montreal-based radio stations have pulled off Michael Jackson’s songs.
According to The Canadian Press, spokeswoman for the owner of the French-language stations CKOI and Rythme and the English-language The Beat said they pulled Jackson’s music Monday morning.
“We are attentive to listeners’ comments, and last night’s documentary created reactions,” Christine Dicaire, director of marketing and communications for Cogeco, said in a statement.
MediaWorks’ Leon Wratt in a statement said: “Michael Jackson isn’t currently on any MediaWorks Radio stations’ playlists. This is a reflection of our audiences and their preferences – it is our job to ensure our radio stations are playing the music people want to hear”.
NZME, told the New Zealand Herald: “NZME station playlists change from week to week and right now Michael Jackson does not feature on them”. NZME is also the rival broadcaster to MediaWorks.
BBC Radio 2 was compelled to clarify to NME that it had not pulled Jackson’s songs from the station’s playlists. It followed what a BBC spokeswoman said was an “incorrect” report by The Times that that was the case.
The BBC in a statement said that it doesn’t feature Jackson the playlist because it is reserved for new releases.
BBC also said that they don’t actually ban any artists from the air, as for the other tracks played. BBC added, “We consider each piece of music on its merits and decisions on what we play on different networks are always made with relevant audiences and context in mind”.
Director Dan Reed’s, Leaving Neverland, the documentary film focuses on testimony by Wade Robson, 36, and James Safechuck, 41. Both of them have claimed that Jackson sexually abused them when they were children.
Jackson’s family have denied all the allegations leveled against the late king of pop in Leaving Neverland.
