British radio ignores new George Michael single

BBC News says that George Michael's new single "Shoot the Dog" is unlikely to storm the British charts, particularly since radio stations in the United Kingdom are mostly ignoring the song. Music Control U.K.'s radio airplay chart shows the single barely scraping its way into the top 50 most-played tunes, despite the widespread controversy engendered over the song's video, which portrays Tony Blair as George W. Bush's poodle. Airplay is seen as crucial to securing a good chart position in the weeks leading up to the release of any single, although Michael's previous single, "Freeek!" made it as high as number 19 on the airplay charts on the week before its release, only to enter the pop charts at what was considered a very disappointing number 7.