Radio stations dropping R. Kelly, silent on Michael Jackson

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Major radio stations across the DMV are staying silent about Michael Jackson - even in the wake of a new HBO documentary that exposes the late pop singer as a sexual predator.

The two singers face similar accusations, but Jackson's victims were reportedly young boys - while R. Kelly's were reportedly young girls.

Despite the similarity of the cases, a social media movement to mute R. Kelly led to radio stations banning his music nationwide. Meanwhile, Michael Jackson songs continue to make airwaves.

Urban contemporary radio stations WHUR, WPGC and WKYS all reportedly received memos to not discuss Michael Jackson.

One station executive not authorized to speak on camera says the memo was emailed out last night.

This is a far cry from the response we all saw as the R. Kelly documentary was airing.

The #muteRKelly movement quickly became a trending one and even today Kelly remains a topic for banter on radio stations across the country but Michael Jackson is apparently off limits.

WBGR Network CEO Lionel Green attributes the different standard to the fact that R. Kelly is still alive.

They know that they can hurt R. Kelly in the present. If they mute Michael Jackson who is going to be affected by that," Green said.

Green couldn't explain the apparent lack of outrage of the Michael Jackson case, but he pointed out that the late King of Pop is not alive to defend himself.

Green says his station did not mute R. Kelly, nor will they mute Michael Jackson.

He also calls the muting movement ridiculous.

In all fairness, Green's station rarely plays Kelly or Jackson, and primarily focuses on gospel music.

Even so, despite the District's robust radio community, Green is the only radio executive we reached out to who could comment on camera.

The Lifetime documentary featuring R. Kelly led to radio stations boycotting his music and ultimately his arrest and current charges that he was sexually abusing underage girls.

The HBO documentary featuring Michael Jackson has had far less reaction.

Several people who did not want to speak on camera - or, in some cases, were not authorized to speak - say Jackson's music catalog is larger, his appeal more widespread and his brand more beloved than Kelly's and that could explain why the response has been different.

"There's a whole lot of artists who have done wrong in every genre of music and if we start muting everybody, we'll just be listening to ourselves," he said.

It's important to note that neither singer has been convicted.

Both faced previous trials and the charges were dismissed.

We're told my several radio executives across the district, there are no plans to mute Michael Jackson.