A complaint has resulted in Tipp FM being found guilty of broadcasting insensitive and offensive material.
It happened after a presenter was giving away tickets to see the All-Ireland Hurling semi-final last August on the Tipperary station.
One listener, who is blind, complained to the station that she can’t text the station to enter the competition. The presenter then commented on-air “if she’s visually impaired, how would she be able to see the match? You know, I mean would it be worth her while entering the competition?”
In response, Tipp FM said: “The reason for this proactive response was to initiate a conversation on a disability that many people don’t think about very much. He then went on to explain that the text format was fairer because it could give an unlimited number of people the chance to win while a phone competition was restricted to, at most, 150 people.
Later in the show, the presenter spoke to a listener who explained how and why a visually impaired person could and would enjoy such a match.
But despite the debate being aired at the time, the BAI received a complaint and found upheld it.
The BAI Committee said their view is that the item was handled in a manner which lacked sensitivity and understanding and could encourage stereotyping of people with a disability. “Overall, the discussion was not considered by the Committee to constitute an example of the treatment of people with disabilities that was justified or appropriate and was considered contrary to section 3.4 of the Code of Programme Standards.
A second part of the complaint, about a non-substantiated discussion topic, was not upheld.