Why are radio stations allowed to air commercials or songs that include sirens and car horns?
We’ve all heard the car horns on the radio and think they’re coming from outside the car. But the First Amendment and federal law prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from censoring broadcast material and from interfering with freedom of expression in broadcasting. Each radio station is responsible for choosing everything they broadcast and deciding how to edit material for broadcast. The FCC doesn’t substitute its judgment for that of a station when it comes to artistic standards, format, grammar or quality of programming. That also applies to a station’s commercials, with the exception of political candidates’ ads during an election. An FCC spokeswoman said you may want to contact the particular radio station in writing to discuss your public safety concerns, as broadcasters often consider listeners’ comments when establishing programming practices.
