Not For Broadcast

From the earliest days of radio, there have been songs that were deemed unfit for airplay. Who banned these records and why? Starting with the discovery of a mysterious old leather-bound book, Nick Bollinger delves deep into the RNZ archives in search of answers.

In the second part of this series Nick Bollinger goes back to the 1950s and looks at how a nationwide morals panic influenced the songs that were played – and not played – on New Zealand radio.

What’s the difference between a political satire and a campaign song? In the third part of this series Nick Bollinger listens to some songs about politicians that were deemed suitable for broadcast – and a few that weren’t.

Sexual innuendo has always been a staple of the pop song, but when is a song too sexy for the radio? The fourth part of this series looks at the history of songs, sex and censorship.

In the final part of this series Nick Bollinger explores more songs about God and sex, and hears from some current broadcasters about a few records they played but maybe shouldn’t have.