UPDATE:
Australian radio station smoothfm have followed suit from some international networks and axed Michael Jackson's music following the controversy of the Leaving Neverland documentary.
NOVA Entertainment’s Group Programme Director, Paul Jackson, confirmed the decision in a statement given to The Music today.
“The decisions we make about the music we play on any of our stations are dependent on the relevance to the audience and the current context," Jackson said.
"In light of what is happening at the moment, smoothfm is not currently playing any Michael Jackson songs.”
Smooth finished out 2018 as Sydney and Melbourne's most listened to FM station. The first survey of 2019 will be released next week.
--
Radio stations in New Zealand and Canada have removed Michael Jackson's music from airplay.
NME has reported that New Zealand radio broadcasters MediaWorks and NZME are currently not playing Jackson's songs on their stations, with MediaWorks’ Leon Wratt saying “Michael Jackson isn’t currently on any MediaWorks Radio stations’ playlists. This is a reflection of our audiences and their preferences – it is our job to ensure our radio stations are playing the music people want to hear".
NZME have shared that their playlists change week to week and that Jackson does not currently feature on them.
Meanwhile, fans of the late singer launched a protest outside a UK TV network headquarters to condemn the airing of the Leaving Neverland documentary, which unveils new sexual abuse allegations made against the artist.
As reported by the Evening Standard, a group met outside of the Channel 4 headquarters and were chanting "Facts don’t lie, people do", as well as holding signs, and was organised through a Facebook group which called to "boycott releasing of disgusting documentary Leaving Neverland in UK TV and show public the true Angelic Beauty of MICHAEL J JACKSON".
Leaving Neverland explores the experiences of two men - Brisbane-born Wade Robson and James Safechuck - who alleged they were abused by the late singer when they were children. The documentary has since gone to air in the UK.
Ratings have revealed the documentary to be US broadcaster HBO's third-most watched documentary in a decade, according to The Wrap, with over 1.3 million viewers tuning in for the first episode, which sits behind the premieres of Going Clear at 1.7 million and Bright Lights at 1.6 million. The documentary's conclusion episode drew in 927,000 viewers.
Channel Ten has secured the rights to air the two-part Leaving Neverland documentary in Australia on Friday, 8 March at 9.00pm and Saturday, 9 March at 9.30pm. Find out more here.
Comments