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iHeartRadio Shying Away From ‘That Word.’ Could It Happen Here?
Just when you thought there couldn’t be anything new to debate about racial tensions, comes a single word that has iHeartRadio in the U.S. so nervous, they’ve decided to avoid it altogether.
The word is “urban,” which was used to describe formats that appealed primarily to the Black community. Now, with extra sensitivity gripping the media, the company is pulling away from it, worried about its possible connotations.
There are a few stations that fit the description in Toronto – G98.7 calls itself “The Way We Groove,” so they don’t have to worry either way. But Vibe 105.5, the York University outlet, brands itself as “Toronto’s BEST Urban Music.” Is that no longer considered acceptable?
Stay tuned. It’s been a long time since Bob Dylan appeared on the scene, but the times, they’re still a-changin’.
Rolling Stone: Radio Is Quietly Scrubbing the Word ‘Urban,’ Sources Say
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Re: iHeartRadio Shying Away From ‘That Word.’ Could It Happen Here?
It's always struck me as an unfortunate format descriptor. Go to which is an online database of FM stations in N.A. and enter a frequency and the word Urban in the format section and you'll see how many there are, including varieties of urban. Urban AC (RnB), urban contemporary (rap, perhaps some hiphop), even urban gospel.
Urban for the Black community strikes me as problematic. Does it more than hint at the ghetto? Do people of all colours not live in and identify with urban settings? Most sensible to me as a reason is urban is a polar opposite to country, and in rural settings there is decidedly less diversity than in cities and large towns. I've seen that urban-country dynamic played out even somewhat collaboratively, and certainly there are influences evident if you listen carefully and pay attention. (with both urban and country, I find I really like 'old school' and really dislike 'new'/contemporary, so my age is no doubt showing).
I don't like to see words change for purely political correctness reasons, but at the same time language is a living thing and it does evolve and change. It feels funny to hear 'post modern' used as an historic marker, and it makes me wonder what we'll settle on when referring to Oldies (1950s, 60s, 70s, even 80s ... or maybe one day 2020s...).
Interesting...