In a development that sent shockwaves through the broadcasting industry, the Ukee Tattler has launched a B.C. Supreme Court lawsuit against 99.5 FM The Edge radio station for alleged breach of public contract.
Tattler editor Hack Vertue said he filed the suit out of compassion for fading pop stars whose royalty payments are no longer keeping up with their obscenely lavish lifestyles. He claims the Edge motto “Playing What We’ve Got” is directly contradicted by all the public nuking of songs by Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand and other lame or wimpy musicians, along with any and all rap tunes.
“They have in fact got all this great music and they’re not playing it,” said Vertue. “What’s worse, they’re mocking it. That’s not ‘playing what we’ve got.’ I call it a grave betrayal, both of their own promise and of the public trust. Who among us won’t benefit from hearing [Michael Jackson tune] Thriller one more time? Whose toes don’t start tapping when Fifty Cent comes on?”
Radio stations and other media outlets are watching developments closely. A ruling against The Edge could have massive consequences for media conglomerates country-wide. “Media might actually have to start putting meaning back into its programming,” said one industry analyst. “That would be a seismic shift in the industry, which for years has based itself on putting out increasingly meaningless product.”
In the event the Supreme Court is booked up, Ucluelet Council has agreed to fill in for them at one of the regular COW meetings.
