Регулятор Ofcom оштрафовал радиостанцию Sabras за эфир с оскорбительной песней

Ofcom has found Sabras Radio in breach of the Broadcasting Code over a song containing offensive language played on-air. The incident occurred at around 1.26pm on Saturday 1th April when the track “MF Gabhru!” by Karan Aujla featuring Ikky was played, containing 18 uses of the word “mother****ker” in both Punjabi and English. Ofcom investigated following a complaint and confirmed the translation of the lyrics. The regulator found the broadcast in breach of Rule 1.14, which prohibits the most offensive language when children are likely to be listening, and Rule 2.3, which requires broadcasters to ensure that potentially offensive material is justified by context. Sabras Radio said the song was aired by mistake, explaining the presenter believed it was a radio edit. The station apologised for the error, describing it as a rare lapse in over twenty years of broadcasting by the presenter involved. The station has since reminded all presenters of internal rules and temporarily banned personal music storage devices until further training is completed. Ofcom noted the station’s argument that few children listen at that time, but its guidance considers weekends between 6am and 7pm as periods when children are particularly likely to be listening. The regulator concluded that the repeated use of the offensive word was a clear breach of its code, despite the steps taken by Sabras Radio to prevent recurrence.