OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Responding to a wave of public criticism, the CRTC has asked the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) to reconsider its decision to ban the unedited version of the Dire Straits song “Money for Nothing”.
After the CBSC’s January 12th determination that the use of a derogatory word for gays in the song breached broadcast codes, the Commission said that it has received over 250 letters from Canadians, “most of which have suggested that the CBSC made an incorrect decision, and many of which have urged the Commission to take corrective action”. In addition to the “strong public reaction”, the CRTC said that the decision has “created uncertainty for private radio stations across the country”.
In a letter to the CBSC on Friday, the Commission asked the CBSC to appoint a national panel to review the complaints and the organization’s original decision, plus to solicit further comments from the public. The CRTC also recommended that the CBSC "take into consideration all relevant factors", including:
– the context of the particular wording in the song’s theme and intended message;
– the age and origin of the song and the performance date;
– the prominence of the contested word and the use of that word over time, and;
– the length of time and frequency that it has been playing on the radio.
The song, from the band’s 1985 album Brothers In Arms, includes three instances of the word “faggot”. A listener complained to the CBSC that the word “faggot” is discriminatory to gays.
