BlackMan Time

There’s a BBC radio marketing campaign currently running in British cinemas which irritates me no end. It features a variety of top on-air presenters talking about how the various genres of music they play really turn them on.

This is just my way of styling what they’re talking about but the idea is they’re enthusiastic about the varied types of music played on BBC radio.

Among the genres mentioned are Hip Hop, R & B, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Jungle, Garage and an ever expanding list ending with Dubstep. And this is where my irritation escalates because nowhere in the ad do they mention Reggae (or even Dancehall!) yet the BBC have in Ras Kwame and Chris Goldfinger two of the most prominent disk jockeys spinning those genre on and off air.

To worsen matters Goldfinger and Kwame are actually featured in the ad but do not even get to speak while loudmouth Tim Westwood, the Hip Hop representative, practically spreads his bed in the studio.

Once upon a time they used to make the excuse that Reggae is small time music from a small Caribbean island and there is small appeal in it. But what excuse can they have now, apart from deliberately marginalising the music?

They play, use and mention genres like Garage, Jungle, Hip Hop and even Dubstep, which are heavily influenced by Reggae straight from the beloved island of Jamaica, yet conveniently omits Reggae.

For me this is another example of how the BBC does not cater to minority interest; that they’re an elitist, white, upper middle class institution catering to the interest of that group.

I’d dare any enterprising BBC PR/Press Person contact me about this, but they’ll probably just refer to type and won’t even have read this blog entry!