MTV: Big cocks, homophobia and racism, and a massive fine

MTV has been hit by a quarter of a million pound fine by Ofcom for numerous breaches of broadcasting guidelines across its various UK-originated networks. Some of the breaches are listed over on MediaGuardian, but amongst the highlights:

MTV Hits carrying a long discussion of "spunkbelly" at 7.30; Lisa Scott-Lee's reality programming playing out at half ten in the morning stuffed full of fuckings; broadcasting a trailer for the Jodie Marsh programme with the phrase "I just don’t want you settling down with some fucking wanker from a modelling agency" seven times during the same day. And Totally Boyband:

A viewer complained that this programme, a reality show following the launch of a new band comprising ex-members of boy bands, featured extensive offensive language including “fuck”, “bollocks”, and “crap”.

Additionally, while Ofcom was investigating this broadcast, two viewers complained to Ofcom that on 23 October 2006, also at 16:30, another edition of Totally Boyband contained the following offensive language: “a big cock”, “shit”, “fucking boring”, “whore”, “fuck it up”, “fuck up tonight” and “good little fuckers”.

Now, to make a trailer with fucks and wanks in - and then to transmit it during the day takes a special kind of stupid - but to not even take care about a programme which was already being investigated seems to be the sort of clumsy mistake that even The Apprentice contestants would manage to avoid.

Most shocking, though, is the lapse on MTV France - which broadcasts from the UK and so is regulated by Ofcom. There, the supposedly aware and inclusive MTV managed to stick onscreen a number of text messages:

These text messages translated as "the white race will triumph", "death to all immigrants", "death to gays" and "immigrants are going to fuck your mother".

MTV further compounded the offence by not having any recordings of the programme being complained about.