More Radio Stations Dropping MJ Music

Dozens of radio stations around the world have removed Michael Jackson’s music from their playlists after allegations that the late singer abused children aired on Sunday in the documentary Leaving Neverland, reports The Guardian.

In New Zealand, the public broadcaster and its major commercial rivals – whose listener base covers more than half the population – united in opting not to play Jackson’s hits.

State-owned RNZ said it applied “editorial judgment” to any music it played, and Jackson did not currently feature. MediaWorks, which owns nine major commercial radio stations, confirmed the artist had been pulled from all playlists at all its stations as “a reflection of our audiences and their preferences”.

Rival NZME followed suit, with director Dean Buchanan saying: “Playlists change from week to week and right now Michael Jackson does not feature on them.”

Earlier, three major Canadian radio stations ditched Jackson’s songs. The owner of the Montreal French-language stations CKOI and Rythme and the English-language The Beat said his music was pulled on Monday morning.

Christine Dicaire, a spokeswoman for media company Cogeco said the move – which also applies to 23 smaller radio stations – was a response to listener reactions to the documentary.

Other major broadcasters, such as the BBC have denied reports that it has banned Jackson, saying each piece of music was considered on their merits by each network.

These are some of the most disturbing allegations against Michael Jackson in @HBO's #FindingNeverland doc: https://t.co/iKMtcAcx9j pic.twitter.com/5yDpOmRS6y

— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 6, 2019

The documentary Leaving Neverland began airing on HBO on Sunday. It details the abuse allegations of two men who had previously denied Jackson molested them and supported him against authorities.

In the four-hour documentary two men accuse Jackson of graphic and extensive sexual abuse, and even participating in a mock marriage to the pop star.

Streaming music services Spotify and Apple Music and radio network iHeartRadio did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on their policy regarding Jackson following the documentary.