The Broadcasting Complaints Commission has upheld a complaint against RTÉ 2FM for allowing foul and offensive language be aired in a sketch about Boyzone on a morning chat show.
A listener had claimed a segment broadcast on the Colm and Jim-Jim Breakfast Showlast May - featuring actors posing as Boyzone singers Ronan Keating and Stephen Gately deliberating how best to deal with the problem of an itchy groin after waxing - was inappropriate for a family audience.
The sketch, aired at 8.55am on a Friday morning, also contained an expletive-ridden discussion about wanting to attack Boyzone member Mikey Graham with a snooker cue.
RTÉ had argued the segment was within audience expectations. It said the show was slightly "zany", aimed at the 25 to 44 age group and renowned for using language and imagery which might offend some listeners. It said parents listening with their children did so in the knowledge that some of the humour might be risqué.
The comission rejected this defence. "The use of the 'f' word has a strong potential to cause offence," it said in its ruling. "This fact is widely known and accepted by society at large."
It said that while it acknowledged RTÉ's argument the programme was not aimed at children, "this does not preclude their responsibility of taking due care when scheduling sketches containing such coarse and offensive language and humour based on aggression".
It said the tone and manner of the humour was not what most parents would want their children to hear or repeat and it was "likely that at 8.55 a.m. on a Friday morning during a school term, children could be part of the audience".
Therefore, the broadcaster was in breach of Code of Programme Standards for not exercising due care and/or due regard for the likelihood of children being in the audience when scheduling the sketch.
The BCC also published its findings today on a complaint against RTÉ for allowing actor Gabriel Byrne to endorse Dublin City Council independent election candidate Mannix Flynn on the Late Late Showa week before the poll.
The BCC said presenter Pat Kenny did nothing to tone down Mr Byrne's comments and drew attention to the election leaflet. Details of the BCC's decision to uphold the complaint emerged last month.
