# "Foul" Language in Songs On the Radio

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foul-language-in-songs-on-the-radio/386>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [April 29, 1999, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foul-language-in-songs-on-the-radio/386 "1999-04-29T18:22:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 1999, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foul-language-in-songs-on-the-radio/386/1 "1999-04-29T18:22:00Z")

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Where I live, there are only four radio stations that don’t play Country music. Needless to say, I listen to them heavily. I’ve noticed that certain stations air the songs uncut, with all profanity left in, while others bleep out everything; some even bleep out the word “gun” for pete’s sake. My question is this: What are the FCC regulations on profanity in music, and how do some stations manage to slip it through? I called one of the radio stations and they gave me a very vague and unsaisfactory answer.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 1999, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foul-language-in-songs-on-the-radio/386/2 "1999-04-29T19:52:00Z")

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The FCC does not have the power to ban any language from the airwaves, thanks to First Amendment considerations. What is and isn’t acceptable is left up to local standards and station by station discretion; and in fact, the FCC cannot act unless a complaint is filed by a listener.

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\*\* Phil D. \*\*  
“Not only is the world queerer than we imagine,  
it is queerer than we can imagine.”  
–J.B.S. Haldane

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 1999, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foul-language-in-songs-on-the-radio/386/3 "1999-04-30T19:47:00Z")

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Why is this posting & response in both the About This Message Board forum, and the General Questions forum? It’s a good GQ but I don’t see it belonging in the About This Message Board forum.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 1999, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foul-language-in-songs-on-the-radio/386/4 "1999-05-01T12:25:00Z")

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I agree. I’m closing this thread; feel free to repost this question in the proper forum.

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Saint Eutychus  
[www.disneyshorts.org](http://www.disneyshorts.org)