What's the deal with the FCC fining (censoring) a Colorado radio station for playing the _censored_ version of one of his songs? http://www.nme.com/NME/External/News/News_Story/0,1004,32248,00.html # # SHADY MOVES LEAD TO FINE FOR RADIO STATION # # A radio station in the US has been fined $7,000 for playing # EMINEM's 'THE REAL SLIM SHADY', even though the tune had been # edited for broadcast. # # The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) slapped the fine # on KKMG-FM of Colorado Springs because, it said, the station # had be censured despite the edit, because of the tone of the # tune. # # "The edited version of the song contains unmistakable offensive # sexual references. In this regard, portions of the lyrics contain # sexual references in conjunction with sexual expletives that # appear intended to pander and shock," they said in a statement. # # Two months ago, the FCC issued new guidelines to be used when # determining what is obscene and what is decent and made it clear # that innuendo was a factor, even if specific expletives were # missing. # # The fine has been roundly condemned. Hilary Rosen, chief of the # RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) told Variety # magazine that: "It would be a disgrace if the FCC were to impose # a violation on a radio station because they didn't like the # 'suggestive' nature of a song. That goes right to the heart of # idea-based censorship." # # A spokesperson for Citadel Communications, KKMG-FM's parent # company, said the fine set a dangerous precedent. # # "The danger involved is that folks at the station level can't # take comfort in the fact that something labelled 'radio edit # version' is in compliance with the FCC's rules," he said