Virgin Radio has come under criticism for its latest music policy announcements. The station, originally designed to be a rock station, occasionally shifts back to its rock remit normally denouncing the bland pop that has creeped into its schedules in the process.
In the latest music policy blitz the station seems to have lumped R‘n’B and rap acts like Ms Dynamite, Roots Manuva, Craig David, So Solid Crew and Beverley Knight in with teen popstars Atomic Kitten, Gareth Gates and Westlife by saying it "has had enough" of music ranging from the manufactured acts created by reality shows "to any R'n'B or rap act".
Although programme director Paul Jackson described the move as a “bit of fun” some are saying the latest outburst shows the station to be "musically ignorant" and "dangerously close to racism" for condemning R'n'B and rap music as "processed crap".
"This reveals a lot of musical ignorance," Alan Edwards, chief exec of management firm The Outside Organisation (whose clients include Mercury Music Prize nominee Beverley Knight and US R'n'B star Usher) told the Media Guardian. "I cannot tell you how much exception we, and she [Knight], take to Virgin's stance. R'n'B, in it's classic sense, is where rock 'n' roll came from - it's what Elvis nicked. There would be no rock 'n' roll without R'n'B. Virgin has made a really, really bad and wrong analysis of the music. It's very ignorant, misjudged and gets onto very dangerous territory."
More importantly for the station, the move may be unpopular with advertisers. Ian Brewer of advertising agency Mediaedge:cia said: "Virgin need a reasonably broad format. They might be pigeonholing too narrowly, which could alienate some listeners and have an effect on the youth audience. R'n'B and hip hop is the favoured format for young people these days.”
But Jackson defended the inclusion of R'n'B and rap on his banned "processed crap" list. "Our position is around real music with people that play instruments and sing and can do it live."
In another stand to be a serious music station, Virgin is currently auditioning page three models to co-presenter its breakfast show!