Commercial radio stations are playing inoffensive songs, so as not to upset listeners or drive away advertisers, and the BBC has told producers to play music with a “light, melodic” feel before and after news bulletins, especially when the reports are likely to detail coalition casualties.

Radio 1 has started by removing from its playlist a song called Diamonds and Guns, by the Transplants, a punk band, and a chart-bound song called Bandages, by the rock band Hot Hot Heat, although it has no connection to the war. The lyrics read: “These bandages cover more than scrapes, cuts and bruises from regrets and mistakes . . . Bandages on my legs and my arms from you.”

A Radio 1 spokesman said: “We do not want to offend listeners by playing anything which is inappropriate in the current climate. We thought a song about bandages could potentially be upsetting.”

Capital Radio in London said that it had told producers to play records with a positive, upbeat sound. The alternative rock station Xfm, owned by Capital, has cut back on raucous punk and nu-metal.

The MTV Europe satellite network, which is watched by millions each day, has produced a blacklist of videos that must not be played during the war. The broadcast standards manager has sent a memo to staff giving warning that videos must not be played that depict “war, soldiers, warplanes, bombs, missiles, riots, social unrest and executions”.

Viewers will not see an Aerosmith video that features clips from the film Armageddon or anything by the popular American band the B52s. One of the banned videos — Boom! by System of a Down — lists statistics, including potential Iraqi casualties, and was produced with a specifically anti-war intention. An MTV spokesman said: “Like any other broadcaster we feel it is important to reflect current sensitivities. Any changes to the playlist will be temporary.” The station said that it must abide by the ITC Programme Code requiring it not to broadcast material that “offends against good taste or is offensive to public feeling”.

Madonna will challenge the MTV ban with an anti-war video, which depicts her throwing a grenade during a fashion show and cavorting with a brigade of female soldiers. She said the message of the American Life video and single was that “the atrocities of war are as American as the First Amendment”.

MTV said that it had not yet seen the full video, but it appeared to touch on all the categories of material that cannot currently be screened. MTV is, however, playing a George Michael protest song, a cover of Don McLean’s anti-Vietnam song The Grave.

Television stations are scouring their schedules to remove any potentially offensive films. BBC One failed to unleash The Dogs of War, replacing the film with the real thing as it switched to live coverage from Baghdad.

War films are the most vulnerable in the television schedules. Channel 4 pulled the Second World War film To Hell and Back, which was due to be seen in an afternoon slot next week. The story of the Texas-born war hero Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier in US history, was deemed inappropriate. ITV1 said that it had replaced The Eagle Has Landed.

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