Media Perspective: Ofcom's light-touch approach sends out the right signals.(Ofcom's)(trading market)

FA Cup third-round weekend is fantastic. Not because of the football, which is generally third-rate, but because it's one of the few occasions when you get to hear shockingly foul language on primetime, pre-watershed BBC1.

More used to Songs of Praise at 6.30pm on a Sunday, I spluttered on my tea and crumpet at the sound of Leicester City fans in full cry with the classic urban hymns 'You're shit ahhhhh!' and 'Two-nil and you fucked it up' as they beat Spurs.

In any other context, such language would land the broadcaster in trouble with the regulator, but football matches, and the canvas they provide for thousands of deranged nutters to scream 'fuck off bollocks you're a c**t' at the tops of their voices, seem to be exempt from the usual standards.

I, for one, applaud such a light-touch approach and it's a way of working that, thankfully, seems to apply to other areas of broadcast regulation.

Ofcom's willingness to get involved in the TV trading market, for example, seems to have waned. While it's rolling up its sleeves on matters such as food advertising to children and the TV production market, in December it cancelled a proposed investigation of the trading market.

In a revealing interview this week, Stephen Carter said he understands why critics perceive Ofcom to be in ITV's pocket. However, its decision not to push ahead with the review sends out the right message and means ITV could now be forced to turn to the Office ...