A question mark hangs over a new Government policy apparently forcing radio stations to play a ten per cent quota of Bermudian music.

One of the Island?s main stations told The Royal Gazette it understood the policy ? aiming to promote the talents of Island artists on the country?s airwaves ? was still being developed and under discussion.

Hott 107.5 FM programme director Thaao Dill said if this quota system was fully enforced it would ?compromise the sound? of its modern urban playlist. This features R&B and rap stars like R Kelly and 50 Cent, with no room left for traditional Bermudian calypso and reggae beats.

But ZBM programming manager Darlene Ming said she believed the quota was now compulsory.

The new policy was advertised in the media on November 4 by the Ministry of Telecommunication and E-commerce. It states commercial stations should devote ten percent or more of its musical content to Bermudian selections.

And it defines ?Bermudian selections? as being at least one of the following: music or lyrics performed principally by a Bermudian and music or lyrics composed entirely by a Bermudian. But Mr. Dill said Hott would have problems if the letter of the law was applied, meaning two hours of local content would have to be played daily.

And he said the station could not support Government mandates dictating what music was played.

He added: ?I understand this is a policy still being refined to meet the local market.

?The intention to support local artists is admirable, but it has to be done the right way.

?We play local records when they are hit records. Hard as it is to say, there?s just not as much quality in terms of locally produced Bermudian music.?

Mr. Dill, who is a local musician, said the station?s playlist of hip-hop and R&B was carefully selected and the ?sound of the station was paramount.

?We would have to dramatically change the sound of our station if we went with the law, and our sound works.

?If we are brought a hit record by a Bermudian, like Johnny Barnes by Ninja Cutty, then it will be on the air. But if it?s a mediocre record from a Bermudian, and the same applies for Americans and anywhere else, it will not get on.

?Music should be on because it?s great, not just because it?s Bermudian.?

?We play the hits. Nothing more, nothing less.?

He also said finding two hours of local music each day could cause problems. ?I?m sure we could find it,? he continued. ?But some of it might be poetry or steel-pan music.

?I?m not knocking people making that music, it?s just not our audience.?

Darlene Ming, of ZBM and ZFB, which runs 1340 AM and Power 95 FM, said its stations had followed the new policy since last summer, and had been pro-active with Government on the issue.

However, she said a survey conducted by the Bermuda Broadcasting Company indicated traditional Bermudian music was not popular with most listeners. Ms Ming also said the ten per cent target would be an ?interesting challenge? to meet, especially as local music often did not meet on-air production standards.

But she added: ?We have gone along with this policy from the beginning and local musicians feel they are not getting a good deal, and now it?s policy.?

Kenneth DeFontes, president of VSB, which runs 1450 AM Gold and Mix 106 FM, said the local content policy would not trouble his stations.

?We have been doing this for years,? he added. ?We are playing it all the time, although there?s not that much local music.?

Nobody from the Ministry of Telecommunications and E-commerce was available to comment o the new policy yesterday.