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Kanshi Radio in breach for airing “filthy” Punjabi song

Radio desk

Digital radio station, Kanshi Radio has come in breach of Ofcom rules and regulations after it broadcast a “filthy” Punjabi song on 1st September 2016.

A complainant alerted Ofcom to a “filthy Punjabi” song broadcast on 1st September 2016 on this station containing lyrics that the complainant considered were “threatening to…Muslim women”. In its representations, Kanshi Radio confirmed that the song had also been broadcast on 30th June 2016.

Ofcom translated the song, which was in Punjabi and called “Pinky Pinky”. Ofcom gave the station an opportunity to comment on the accuracy of the translation. Kanshi Radio did not raise any accuracy issues, and Ofcom therefore relied on this translation for the purposes of the investigation.

Kanshi Radio offered its “sincerest apologies…and regret that this incidence took place” adding that the song had not been “broadcast intentionally with [the] purpose to offend or threaten anybody”. It added that “The material was not created by Kanshi Radio and does not reflect who we are”. KRL also said that: “Kanshi Radio is dedicated to broadcast to the Asian community and as such we have a mixture of presenters from different backgrounds, from Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Ravidassia and Valmiki’s. Our aim is to promote community cohesion and [we] do not wish to offend anybody from the Muslim and other communities”.

In conclusion, KRL said it had taken this matter “very seriously” and had taken “preventative measures to eradicate the possibility of this happening again”. It therefore, outlined the actions it had taken to make its procedures “more robust”.

In response, Ofcom noted that the 11-minute song in this case, “Pinky Pinky”, was principally sung in Punjabi by a male singer, and the lyrics clearly identified him as being a member of the Sikh community.

Due to the explicit nature of the song, BizAsiaLive.com was unable to publish the exact findings by Ofcom. Kanshi Radio has been found in serious breaches of 2.1, 2.3, 3.2 and 3.3. Ofcom has therefore put Kanshi Radio on notice that we will consider these breaches for the imposition of a statutory sanction.