As was pointed out earlier, WHSD owes its existence to community support, not commercial dollars. This sets a standard for us that is much higher than those of a commercial station. This means that you will have to use superior judgment in deciding what songs are appropriate for broadcast and which ones aren’t. Let’s quickly go through the types of references which will not be allowed on WHSD:

            Obscenities: Forget about any song which prominently features swearing. Don’t waste your time with arguments like, "They’re just words," or "We all know and use them;" you’re wasting your time. They are not only offensive to some of our potential listeners, but playing songs with them on the air could lose the station its license. Use songs with them on the air, and you won’t be on the air again. Period.

            Sexual content: If we did away with every song about love and relationships, we would have very few songs left, so obviously inappropriate sexual content is a judgment call. If you have the slightest doubt about a song, make sure you run it by your sponsor.

            Drug references: Again, many songs make a brief reference to alcohol (Yes, it’s a drug just like any other—weren’t you paying attention in health class?), so we have a little latitude here. You should be able to tell the difference between a harmless reference and one which advocates and promotes alcohol abuse. Other drug references that are at all positive will be prohibited. Anti-drug songs are fine. A good example would be the cover Duran Duran put out a couple years ago, "White Lines," that is clearly anti-cocaine.

            Political/Religious Humor: As long as it isn’t crude or obscene, you should be able to play songs that make political statements—watch it with sexual content, as recent events have featured them prominently. Religion is more sensitive; government organizations such as public schools are not supposed to advocate one religion over another. This doesn’t mean that you can’t play songs with a religious content; just be careful about your comments in relation to them. "My Sweet Lord"—George Harrison, "I Say a Little Prayer"—Dionne Warwick, and "Jesus Is Easy"—Martin Mull are all examples of songs with religious content which would be acceptable on the air.

            In summation, the goal of WHSD is to provide its listeners with a wide variety of music that the DJ’s have put together with thought and care. Your task as a future music programmer is to familiarize yourself with as much music as you possibly can so that you can put your show and sets together with the primary purpose of exposing your audience to interesting sounds without catering to the lowest common denominator or using only a narrow slice of all the great music that is out there.