Q. What happens when a radio station wants to play a popular single that has bad language in it?
A. It depends what kind of language you’re talking about. If it’s one of what George Carlin called “the seven words you can’t say on the radio,” those words are usually masked out by the record company before the single is sent to radio stations. Beyond that, tolerance for naughty words is different in different regions of the country, and some CD singles sent to radio stations have gone out with several different versions of the song on them, according to Q-101 program director Dave Richards. For example, Q-101 is playing one of the two edited versions of Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” that his label, Interscope Records, sent out.
Beyond the seven banned words, “we use our own judgment,” he said. If rape or extreme violence is mentioned, the radio station may choose not to play the song; if drug use is referred to, they may take out a line. “We have to go on a case by case basis. It’s very subjective,” he said.
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Richards added that it’s almost unheard of for a radio station to be penalized for playing a “bad” song. For the FCC to take action against a station, according to Richards, a complaint must be filed by an individual, and people usually file complaints about the comments of on-air personalities, not the content of songs.