"I Beg Your Pardon...??"

I’m always fascinated by regional and cultural differences when I travel to different parts of the world working with all sorts of radio stations.

I spent some time in India a couple of weeks ago with the team from CLUB FM in the Kerala region, and naturally the cultural differences between the UK and India are many, although the fundamentals concerning ‘radio programming’ are remarkably similar.

You would have thought that in Europe the differences are more subtle, and in many cases they are. However, one area that always amuses me is that of language... or more precisely ‘bad language’. So, when I was in Vienna with client station KRONEHIT last week, this commercial came on the radio and almost made spit out my Schnitzel with laughter...



That would not air in the UK, I can safely say!! The attitude to the word ‘fuck’ in most of Europe is that ‘it’s just another foreign exclamation’, and it’s not that bad really. So much so, that the word is not edited out of songs and alternative versions are not sought out.

Therefore in Austria, Cee-Lo Green does not ‘Forget’ anyone, but certainly sings very proudly... ‘Fuck You’!

Attitudes to language in the media change quite slowly over time, but I think I’ll be waiting a while before I hear that ad in the UK.

Fuckin’ funny though...