OTTAWA – The hosts of CFNY-FM’s Dean Blundell Show have received their second ruling from the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council in less than a month for breaching private broadcasters’ codes, and now the council says the station must clean up the program in order to remain a member of the CBSC.
Today’s decision pertained to comments made on the morning show on January 17, when hosts Dean Blundell and Todd Shapiro discussed a U.S. news story about a 17-year-old male who died after accidentally getting stuck upside down inside a rolled-up gym mat at his high school.
The CBSC described the incident: “Although the report did not state that the young man participated in high school wrestling, the Edge hosts proceeded to talk about how wrestling was a ‘gay’ sport because ‘you just jump on him [one’s opponent] and smother him with your privates’.
“Shapiro then suggested that perhaps the young man had crawled into the mat on purpose because he was ashamed of the things he had done at wrestling practice to which Blundell responded ‘like finger-hooked a couple dudes’. ”
The council received two complaints about the broadcast, citing concerns that the hosts had used the word “gay” with a derogatory connotation. They characterized the entire exchange as “homophobic” and perpetuating stereotypes, and alleged that these types of “jokes” are irresponsible given the high rates of suicide among LGBT youth.
CFNY-FM responded to the complainants, stating that the program is intended to be satirical and sarcastic.
The CBSC’s Ontario Regional Panel concluded that while the use of the word “gay” in this case did not promote violence against homosexuals, Blundell and Shapiro’s comments presented an unduly discriminatory, stereotypical, degrading and negative presentation of homosexuals contrary to the CAB Code of Ethics and Equitable Portrayal Code. The comments also trivialized the student’s tragic death, which constitutes improper commentary under the CAB Code of Ethics.
As part of the CSBC decision, CFNY-FM must announce the decision once during peak listening hours within three days and again within seven days during the Dean Blundell Show time slot. It must also provide confirmations of the announcement to the CSBC.
Today’s decision marked Blundell and Shapiro’s third breach of Clause 2 of the CAB Code of Ethics and Clauses 2, 3, 4 and 7 of the CAB Equitable Portrayal Code. Last month, the CBSC found the show in breach of the CAB Code of Ethics after comments made on November 13, 2012 show about a fist fight that had broken out at a Toronto Remembrance Day ceremony were found to sanction and glamorize violence.
The council has given the station 30 days to present a plan to the CBSC outlining the measures the broadcaster will put in place to ensure that no other breaches of the private broadcasters’ codes occur on its airwaves.
If the station misses the 30-day deadline or does not provide an acceptable plan, the council said CFNY’s membership may be reviewed to assess whether the broadcaster will be allowed to remain as a CBSC member.
