Words Dept.: entry

Following my earlier post on the subject, radio DJ Steve Penk has this week received a justified bollocking from Ofcom over his decision to play the song “Jump” in reference to a woman threatening to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge over the M60. Unfortunately, they’ve not fined him or his radio station a penny.

According to the Ofcom ruling, former ITV prankster Penk said

Just get on with it!

before playing the track on his Alan Partridge-esque local radio breakfast show at 8.28am on 14 January. He’d also suggested someone could

Video it and send it to Harry Hill

and whinged on-air about how the woman was “inconsiderate”, since her actions had led to a motorway closure through the “peak rush hour”. (Incidentally, a transcript in the Ofcom report also mentions in passing someone called Tony texting in to complain that he is “fed up” with “health and safety jobsworths” and “do-gooders”, to which the DJ replies: “I’m with you there, Tony, 100%.” Quite right, Steve. These do-gooders eh? I don’t know. I’m so fed up with people, y’know, doing good.)

Couldn’t really be any more Partridge-like if he tried, really. The bewildering response of Revolution 96.2 to Ofcom, following complaints from 57 people, goes like this:

According to The Revolution, Steve Penk “thought very carefully about [these requests] and took the view that playing the track – and making a point of it – would have been insensitive, cheap and likely to cause offence”. However, the broadcaster continued “Steve’s intent was to ‘subliminally’ demonstrate to [the listeners] and [their] fellow sufferers that he had empathy with their predicament without causing widespread upset amongst the wider audience”. The presenter therefore played the track “Jump” at 08:28. However, The Revolution said “no obvious reference was made to its significance”.

Except for the phrase “just get on with it”, of course. Not very subliminal.

A-ha!