Radio stations in Australia, Canada and New Zealand are
refusing to play Michael Jackson's music in the wake of fresh allegations
against him of child sex abuse, AFP reported.
Sydney's Nova Entertainment on Thursday became the latest
radio group to announce they are taking the late "King of Pop" off
the air in response to public opinion.
The move comes after the broadcast of a US documentary
"Leaving Neverland" that featured two men who claimed Jackson
sexually abused them for years.
"In light of what is happening at the moment, SmoothFM
is not currently playing any Michael Jackson songs," local media quoted
Nova's program director Paul Jackson as saying.
The documentary has not yet been broadcast in Australia. A
second major Australian radio network, ARN, said it was "closely
monitoring audience sentiment in relation to individual artists".
In New Zealand, the star's songs are now almost totally
absent from the airwaves, after being pulled by the country's two biggest radio
networks, MediaWorks and NZME.
The two companies between them dominate commercial radio.
"We aren't deciding whether Michael Jackson is guilty
of pedophilia, we're just making sure our radio stations are going to play the
music people want to hear," MediaWorks director of content, Leon Wratt,
told Magic FM.
He said the decision was "a reflection of our audiences
and their preferences".
NZME group director of entertainment, Dean Buchanan,
confirmed Jackson's material was off the air, though he shied away from talk of
a ban.
Meanwhile, public broadcaster Radio NZ said Jackson's songs
did not feature on its playlists anyway.
The HBO documentary, which aired in the United States on
Sunday, has rekindled long-running questions about Jackson's relationship with
children.
Two men, James Safechuck and Australian-born Wade Robson,
say Jackson sexually abused them when they were aged 10 and seven.
There had been persistent rumors of throughout Jackson's
life, but no allegations were ever substantiated.
The four-hour two-part documentary – which premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival this year – has made sure those allegations continue a
decade after he died of an overdose.
Jackson's estate has denied wrongdoing and filed a $100
million lawsuit against HBO.
The 53-page complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court,
claims HBO was violating a "non-disparagement" agreement by airing
"Leaving Neverland".
"Ten years after his passing, there are still those out
to profit from his enormous worldwide success and take advantage of his
eccentricities," the suit claimed.
Off air in Canada
The decisions not to play Jackson's music will no doubt
further tarnish his brand and could result in a loss of radio royalties.
But it is far from clear that listeners on digital platforms
are abandoning the singer in the same way, and "The Essential Michael
Jackson" is still the 65th most downloaded album in Australia.
Earlier, a chain of dozens of Canadian radio stations said
they would not play Jackson megahits such as "Billie Jean" and
"Bad" for the time being.
"We are attentive to the comments of our listeners, and
the documentary released on Sunday evening created reactions," Christine
Dicaire of Cogeco – which operates radio stations in Quebec and Ontario – said
in a statement to AFP.
"We prefer to observe the situation by removing the
songs from our stations, for the time being."
In Britain, where "Leaving Neverland" was set for
release Wednesday and Thursday, reports said the BBC had also shelved his
music.
While a spokeswoman for the network told AFP it does not ban
artists, the organization said in a statement: "We consider each piece of
music on its merits and decisions on what we play on different networks are
always made with relevant audiences and context in mind."
