MAJ Wants Bus Parks and Public Transportation to Join Broadcasters in Cleaning Up Music Print
Friday, 20 February 2009 00:00

The Media Association Jamaica Limited (MAJ) says the constant focus on the media is not going to deliver the desired results on cleaning up the quality of music consumed by members of the public.  The Association is calling for help and support from the authorities and the broader society to clean up music that is made available in the public domain.

In a letter to the Broadcasting Commission and copied to several organizations including the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Information, Culture, Youth and Sport, the MAJ has called on all agencies and institutions to fairly enforce the various laws that can help in this effort.  “This is the only way to ensure a meaningful solution to this issue”, the Association said.

The MAJ also says if steps are taken to clean up the music played on public transport, in recreational parks and other public spaces, establishing a framework for entertainment zoning to create a structure for the delivery of events to the public, then the overall impact of broadcast media and other publicity media sources will be more far-reaching.

“It is critical that the authorities enforce the nearly 20 year old law that bans music on public transportation, as a way of creating an immediate impact on what is being presented to the public in general and children in particular.  The airing of pornographic and raunchy audio and video material in public passenger vehicles (which is already illegal but not enforced) and in public spaces is targeted, high-impact, damaging and could not be considered acceptable to continue”, the MAJ charged.

The Association members say they are prepared to again buttress public education campaigns in support of ridding public transportation of music, cleaning up content in public spaces and education about noise abatement laws.

It said this support and the support given recently to moves by the Commission to improve the quality of music in media are geared to ensuring successful interventions.  Support of the proposed steps is conditional on:

  • Campaigns having very clearly defined and measurable objectives;
  • The enforcement measures being put in place before campaigns begin; and
  • Ways to measure success/failure of the campaign before campaigns begin.

The Association said there are still issues of concern it has to discuss and work through with the Broadcasting Commission and the Minister of Information about the creation of a national media policy, improving regulations, compliance, equity and even regulating all media entities.