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DJs in a spin over alcohol comments

05/09/2008

Radio DJs like Chris Moyles are contributing to Britain's excessive drinking culture, a government-funded report out today suggests.

Research from the University of the West of England finds nearly three-quarters of comments by presenters about drinking encouraged it, while 11 per cent encouraged excessive drinking.

Alcohol as a "marker of weekend partying and socialising" was referred to 703 times in 1,200 hours of screening across six commercial and non-commercial stations from December 13th 2007 to February 10th 2008.

"Presenter comments about alcohol also varied by radio station and broadcast sector, with comments supporting drinking more frequently broadcast on commercial radio and BBC presenters more likely to make neutral comments or comments discouraging excessive drinking," the report noted.

It concludes by pointing out that, as some presenters can "identify and connect with listeners without mentioning drinking", all can make a choice in terms of their editorial content.

Moyles, whose work is the subject of one of the case studies in the report, is analysed for the way in which his show's "fun" content refers to alcohol.

It shows that drinking is referred to frequently and not always in an encouraging context; new year detoxes from alcohol, reflecting a healthy balanced lifestyle, are contrasted with comments about his liver "resembling a gherkin".