Belfast LGBTQ+ radio station "truly baffled" after Ofcom rules it doesn't broadcast enough LGBTQ+ content
– 2 min read
The founder of Juice FM Belfast, a community radio station founded to serve the LGBTQ+ population of Northern Ireland, has said he is "truly baffled" after the station came under fire from Ofcom, the UK’s broadcasting regulator, for allegedly failing to meet its licence commitments to the queer community.
In its latest 'Broadcast Bulletin', Ofcom found Juice FM in breach of several licence conditions, including failing to maintain its “character of service” and not providing requested recordings and programme schedules. The regulator concluded that the station’s output resembled a mainstream music service, with “little to no content” clearly targeting the LGBTQ+ community.
Ofcom to take no further action after finding GB News breached broadcasting code for “homophobic slur”
After more than six months of investigation, Ofcom has concluded that while GB News breached the broadcasting code when a presenter repeated “a homophobic slur” it will take no further action. On 22 January, one of the presenters on the news discussion show ‘Headliners’ repeated a “dangerous lie” linking the
Graham Robson
Juice FM’s founder and managing director, Shane Pearce, responded with disbelief, calling the ruling “truly baffling” and accusing Ofcom of “flip-flopping” on its expectations. “Three years ago, Ofcom challenged us with all the coherence of a poorly tuned radio signal,” Pearce said. “We defended our mission rooted in community, diversity and authentic music, and Ofcom conceded that we met their requirements. Now they’ve changed their tune again.”
Juice FM defended its programming, citing shows like AMDMs (A Morning Dedicated to Matters), which explores LGBTQ+ issues, and Listen with Pride, a feature aired over 160 times a week to highlight support organisations. The station also broadcasts live from events such as Belfast Pride and actively recruits volunteers from the LGBTQ+ community.
Despite these efforts, Ofcom stated that the station’s speech content was largely limited to music announcements and lacked clear indicators of its LGBTQ+ focus. The regulator also noted that Juice FM failed to provide recordings and schedules during the investigation, citing technical issues.
This week Ofcom itself came under fire after it announced it will take no further action after a GB News presenter repeated a "dangerous lie" linking LGBTQ+ community to paedophilia.
The decision came after a record 71,582 people used Good Law Project’s online tool to file a complaint.
