Some radio stations in New Zealand and Canada have decided they can no longer separate the art from the artist when it comes to Michael Jackson. Several radio stations in both countries have announced they will stop playing Jackson’s music, seemingly in response to the documentary Leaving Neverland, a film in which two men accuse Jackson of sexually abusing them for years when they were children. (The singer, who died in 2009, denied the allegations and was acquitted on all charges, including child molesting, in a 2005 trial.)
In New Zealand, multiple stations have stopped playing Jackson’s music, including major broadcaster MediaWorks. Leon Wratt, MediaWorks’ group content director for radio, confirmed the decision on Wednesday, saying in an interview that the stations haven’t been playing Jackson for a “little while now” anyway. “We’re always guided by the audience. The audience, for years, has been pretty split, to be honest, in terms of Michael . . . The allegations have been around for a long time . . . with something as controversial as what this [Leaving Neverland] was going to be, we’re certainly going to err on the side of caution here.”
He continued, adding that by making this choice, the company isn’t “deciding whether Michael Jackson is guilty of pedophilia or not; we’re just merely trying to make sure that our radio stations are going to play the music that people want to hear.” Unlike streaming services, listeners don’t have a choice what they hear when it comes to radio, he noted.
In Canada, three major radio stations in Montreal will no longer play Jackson’s music, in direct response to the allegations brought forth in Leaving Neverland.
“We are attentive to listeners’ comments, and last night’s documentary created reactions,” said Christine Dicaire, director of marketing and communications for Cogeco, a major media company, said in a written statement per CBC. She said the decision will apply to the company’s stations in smaller markets as well. Cogeco runs 23 stations throughout the province that reach more than 5 million listeners each week.
Meanwhile, Corus Radio, a company that runs 39 stations that reach more than 7 million Canadian listeners per week, told the CBC that it will continue playing Jackson’s music. “We currently have no plans to pull the songs, but are monitoring the situation closely,” said Chris Sarpong, a spokesperson for Corus Radio, in a statement to the CBC.
Leaving Neverland made its U.S. debut on HBO on Sunday and Monday, shocking viewers and angering the Jackson estate, which has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the network. Fans have also threatened Wade Robson and James Safechuck, the two men accusing Jackson of pedophilia, according to The New York Times. That hasn’t stopped the documentary from having an impact, however; it was recently sold into 130 territories, including TVNZ in New Zealand.
Thus far, no major American broadcaster has announced decisions to pull Jackson’s music from the airwaves. Representatives for platforms like iHeartRadio and Sirius and streaming services Apple Music and Spotify have not yet responded to Vanity Fair’s request for comment.
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