Three major radio outlets in Montreal have pulled Michael Jackson’s music from their playlists, following new allegations of child molestation leveled against the late performer in an HBO documentary.
According to the CBC, a spokesman for the Cocego, whose stations include French-language CKOI and Rhythme, as well as the English-language station The Beat, announced the decision to delist Jackson’s music on Monday.
“We are attentive to listeners’ comments, and last night’s documentary created reactions,” Christine Dicaire, director of marketing and communications for broadcaster Cogeco said in a written statement.
Dicaire also noted that the decision will apply to Cogeco’s stations in smaller markets in the province as well. Cogeco operates 23 radio stations which it says reach an audience of more than 5 million people a week.
As well, the BBC appears to have quietly pulled Jackson’s music from the playlists of BBC Radio 2. While no formal announcement has been made by the BBC, The Times reported a “decision [to pull Jackson’s music] was made in the run-up to the broadcast on Channel 4 this week of the documentary.”
The documentary, Leaving Neverland, aired in the US on HBO on Sunday night and included graphic and detailed allegations of sexual abuse by James Safechuck, 40, and Wade Robson, 36, who claim they were abused by Jackson over a period of several years.
Jackson was arrested on charges of sexual abuse of a child in 2003 but was acquitted on all counts in 2005 after a high-profile trial. The Jackson estate has denied the allegations against Jackson, stating that his accusers have “provided no independent evidence and absolutely no proof in support of their accusations.”
photo: Michael Jackson / By CelebrityABC CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons)
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