Could UK radio tell people how to vote in the forthcoming referendum?

By James Cridland for media.info
Posted 7 March 2016, 5.04am est

As Britain sees a referendum on retaining membership of the EU - where, by law, broadcasters have to remain impartial - Australia may be going to the polls soon to decide about legalising gay marriage.

Unlike many countries, gay marriage is still unrecognised in Australia. Same-sex couples are prevented from marrying. Should they win an election later this year, the Australia Coalition Government has a promise: to take Australians to the polls in a "plebiscite", a vote to discover the will of the Australian people, with regard to a potential change. Unlike Britain, votes in Australia are mandatory.

As it's done in the past, Sydney's 2DAY FM changed its name to 2GayFM over the weekend, to support the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardis Gras. This year, the station also released an online campaign, led by breakfast hosts Rove and Sam, in a bid to support Marriage Equality. In a statement, the radio station said:

It’s 2016. Love is equal, but in Australia marriage is not. We call on all government officials to define marriage as a union of two people, no matter their sexuality. Stand with us. #ThisNeedsToChange.

A video was released on Facebook with many of 2DAY's stars promoting the campaign and arguing for equality.

In the UK, Ofcom rules on impartiality only apply to Ofcom licenced broadcasts. Radio station social media accounts don't fall under the rules of Ofcom - indeed, nor does internet radio broadcasting.

This overt political statement from an Australian broadcaster leads to an interesting question. Could UK radio stations and companies do the same during the EU referendum, if they wanted to, on social media and even within their online radio streams? If I was listening to a radio station, could a "split link" on FM contain entirely different content online? And would any radio companies care that much to try?

It's certainly one to watch...