Study: Radio Hosts Promote Getting Drunk

Aled, after a 3-week binge

Radio stations in the U.K. reacted with outrage when they learned of a report by researchers from the University of the West of England which accused them of promoting excessive drinking.

The study looked at 1,200 hours of radio output, and found 703 references to alcohol, with 75 percent of those references encouraging drinking and 13 percent of those touting “excessive drinking,” writes the Guardian. Just 17 percent of comments about drinking were neutral or discouraged heavy drinking.

On BBC stations, nearly half of alcohol-related comments discouraged drinking or were neutral.

Radio 1 presenter Chris Moyles was accused of having 74 seconds of alcohol references across three-and-a-half hours of programming.

A spokesman for Radio 1 disagreed that its presenters encourage excessive imbibing, saying that, in fact, “we have run a high-profile campaign on the radio and online asking listeners to think about the amount of alcohol they drink.”

The study was funded by the Department of Health and the Home Office as part of the Know Your Limits campaign.

Interestingly, Radio 1 seems to be doing some research of its own. Lately, on the Chris Moyles show blog, readers will find the so-called “drinking diary” of Aled, who will be “getting drunk everynight until Friday when I’ll be taking my physical and mental test to see what kind of damage I’ve done from 3 weeks of drinking twice the recommended alcohol amount…”