http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/tv--radio/nine-swears-ramsay-says-other-words-too/2008/10/14/1223750035076.htmlGORDON Ramsay might use the f-word a lot but the Nine Network has defended the celebrity chef's profanity by saying he speaks so much in his program that the swearing represents only a small fraction of what he says.
In a reprimand by the Australian Communications and Media Authority finding that the broadcaster has incorrectly classified episodes of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, the regulator said yesterday that Nine's defence was "unsustainable" in terms of upholding community standards.
Nine had argued that Ramsay's use of coarse language was relatively "infrequent" considering the sheer volume of what was being said in the fast-talking chef's 40-minute program.
Using one episode as an example, the broadcaster said there were 73 swear words, with 7603 words spoken in total, meaning they accounted for less than one per cent of language used in the program. That would account for about one f-word every three or four sentences.
The media regulator was unimpressed, saying it would force Nine and its affiliate stations in Adelaide, Perth and regional Victoria, which are owned by Bruce Gordon's WIN Corporation, to ensure their programs are correctly classified.
It pointed to three episodes of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and three episodes of the Melbourne mafia series Underbelly that were screened earlier this year under an M classification rather than the stricter MA warning, which is required for shows that are only suitable for viewers aged 15 or older and have to be shown later in the evening.
"ACMA is concerned about the number of programs that were incorrectly classified, and is discussing serious remedial action with the Nine Network, which provided and classified the programs, and the WIN Television licensees, which broadcast the programs," said the authority's chairman, Chris Chapman.
Ramsay's program, in which the foul-mouthed kitchen star coaches unsuccessful restaurateurs, contained "frequent coarse language, which was not particularly important to the programs' story lines", the regulator said.
In the case of Underbelly, the authority found three episodes that included "depictions of implied or simulated sexual behaviour that were not restrained".
Channel Nine was being contacted for comment.
Gordon's swearing triggered a Senate inquiry earlier this year. It recommended changes that would force networks to permanently show a program's classification on screen.
