Trash(no)more: Reminder to radio as April 1 approaches

Attorney and digital media expert David Oxenford has published his annual cautionary note to broadcasters regarding April Fools tomfoolery. “No matter what you do, be careful not to violate the FCC’s rule against broadcast hoaxes,” he warns, citing Section 73.1217 of the Commission’s Rules. Unlike legal experts, we had to look it up. It’s called the Broadcast Hoax Rule, and warns against announcing a crime or catastrophe known to be false, and foreseeably might be damaging. Diverting emergency services is specifically cited as criminal. When broadcasting a spoof, a clear disclaimer stating the fictional nature of the content is required.

The regulation was motivated by the infamous “Mount Trashmore” radio broadcast spoof, which alerted citizens that a large mound of buried trash was about to explode due to methane gas build-up. Nearby residents were ready to evacuate. The wild burlesque was stopped when police showed up at the radio station — perhaps the ultimate payoff for the DJs. That put an end to it. The DJs were suspended for two weeks without pay. The station manager noted: “They have fertile imaginations, and perhaps took it to a higher extent than they should have.” (We enjoy that “perhaps.”)

We are also mindful of the War of the Worlds panic when the 1938 Orson Welles radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds, which portrayed a realistic alien invasion, sparked public hysteria.