New York hip-hop station Hot 97 has been slapped with a fine for sponsoring “smackfest” competitions.

The station organised a contest from April 2004 to January 2005 in which contestants, mostly young women, were supposed to slap each other in a not-so-silly fashion in exchange for coveted concert tickets or a cash prize.

The station was ordered to pay a $US240,000 fine and to finance an anti-violence public service campaign, under the deal the station reached with prosecutors.

“This agreement should be a wake-up call to all those in the entertainment industry who think outrageousness is a clever marketing strategy,” Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said.

“The law establishes set boundaries that cannot be crossed to protect our community’s health and safety.”