Kentucky radio station plays ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ for 2 hours despite backlash
The Christmas classic song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” has been receiving a lot of backlash for being played on radio stations. The song has been flagged for having lyrics that don’t fit in with the #MeToo era.
Some radio stations have opted to completely remove the song from their playlists, but one Kentucky radio station is not backing down.
This past weekend, the WAKY radio station in Elizabethtown, Kentucky held a two-hour marathon of playing the song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” On Sunday morning, the radio station promoted the two-hour marathon on Facebook.
They wrote:
"BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE! We like it and we're not afraid to play it on WAKY for the next couple of hours!"
Kentucky radio station plays "Baby It's Cold Outside" on repeat for 2 hours straight https://t.co/3HuJp2whS3 pic.twitter.com/z6N1pn2XYr
— The Hill (@thehill) December 17, 2018
For more on this story go to our Twitter account @amomama_usa. The director of programming for WAKY Joe Fredele addressed the controversy stating:
"I'm not sure why it's controversial. We've played this song for years, you know, this song is older than WAKY is. It's almost 70 years old."
For some, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a beloved Christmas classic. For others, it's a song whose lyrics evoke date rape and coercion. https://t.co/dDyZmDhkPc
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) December 16, 2018
The #MeToo movement is responsible for bringing the issue of consent to the forefront. Critics have blasted the song saying it sends the wrong message to the public.
The annual debate over "Baby, It's Cold Outside" gets to the heart of a major culture war over sexual assault, consent, and “political correctness." https://t.co/hnYJuXZVnd
— Vox (@voxdotcom) December 17, 2018
Amy Turner, the director of sexual assault services at The Center for Women and Families said:
"We really need to think about the impact that songs have, not just 'Baby, It's Cold Outside,' but numerous songs that we decide to play on the radio."
Kentucky Station Plays Controversial 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' for 2 Hours: 'We're Not Afraid' https://t.co/YCAPvZJ7FH
— People (@people) December 18, 2018
Fredele revealed that he supports the #MeToo movement but doesn’t understand why this song is being targeted. The director of programming for the station shared his thoughts on what the song truly is about.
He explained:
"This song is not about that. All it is, is a dialogue between a man and a woman, and at the end of the song, you hear them harmonize together, so they're agreeing basically.”
His radio station played five different versions of the song exclusively on Sunday morning from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Fredele stated, "It's just a fun way of saying, 'Hey this our vote for that song. It's a fun song. It's a romantic song, don't pick on it.'"
Many fans of the song and listeners of the station took to social media to express their support for WAKY keeping the track on their playlist.
Radio station plays 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' nonstop amid controversy https://t.co/FcBuTTJ704 pic.twitter.com/MN5iBq8qQb
— New York Post (@nypost) December 17, 2018
On Monday, actress Joan Collins, 85, appeared on “Good Morning Britain” where she shared her views on the controversy surrounding the classic song. She said she didn’t agree with people who found the track to be problematic.
Collins stated:
“What’s going to happen to seduction is you are not going to be allowed anymore. Is someone going to have to ask permission of the parents before they can kiss a girl? It’s absolutely becoming out of control. It seems to have happened in the last two years. It seems to get worse and worse.”
