OTTAWA – Negative comments about women made on a Toronto radio morning show violated broadcasting codes, however, a discussion about culling cats did not, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) has ruled.
The CBSC investigated two complaints made about the Dean Blundell Show broadcast on CFNY-FM (102.1 The Edge, Toronto). The show features songs, news and banter between Blundell and his co-hosts. A listener complained about an episode where the hosts talked about women, laughed at their female co-worker for suggesting that men and women are equal, and joked that women should keep their mouths closed and do chores.
They went on to describe a scenario of women participating in war, suggesting that women could fake wounds when they were menstruating, and would engage in lesbian activity, using the words “trenches” and “foxholes” as euphemisms for female genitalia. The CBSC’s Ontario Panel concluded that this representation of women was unduly discriminatory, negative, stereotypical and degrading contrary to Clauses 2, 3, 4 and 7 of the CAB Equitable Portrayal Code and Clause 2 of the CAB Code of Ethics.
In another episode, Blundell explained how sometimes he had to help cull cats to control their population when he was growing up on a farm in Saskatchewan. He explained methods of killing the cats and joked that he would “bat a thousand” when hitting them with a spade. A listener expressed concern that this dialogue made light of violence against animals.
The majority of the CBSC’s Ontario Regional Panel concluded that the conversation was about rural practices and did not sanction or promote violence in any way, and therefore did not breach either Clause 9(a) of the CAB Code of Ethics or of Article 9.1 of the CAB Violence Code. Two adjudicators, however, dissented.
Created in 1990 by Canada’s private broadcasters, the CBSC currently administers 7 codes which deal with ethics, equitable portrayal, violence, news and journalistic independence. Nearly 760 radio stations, satellite radio services, television stations and specialty and pay television services across Canada are members.
