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The FCC's $1.2MM fine of the Fox network . . .

Tenacious-D

All-Big Ten
Feb 12, 2002
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was recently in the news. They were fined for the "Married by America" reality show. News reports stated that the FCC received 159 letters/emails of complaint.

That number includes the same letter sent by the same people to several different FCC offices. It seems that 23 people actually sent letters (many were multiples). Of the 23, 2 were original and 21 were form letters - all the same. So, 3 people actually wrote letters complaining that the show was offensive. That's $400,000 per person, according to Jeff Jarvis of Buzzmachine.

I'm going to write the FCC and complain that SuperHoosier's posts are patently offensive in their inanity and see if I can get him pulled off the board since Peegs can't afford a fine that large I bet.



BM
 
And I will do the same towards you and your

offensive sigs. First nudity and now violence?! What is this place coming to anymore.
 
the hypocrisy of the FCC is staggering....

fines for not actually seeing a woman's breast (Janet's Nip was covered), and offending approximately .00000053 of the population of the United States. Yet no fine for Bono uttering the F bomb on a national telecast, no fines for the uncut versions of South Park: The Movie or Saving Private Ryan.

am I the only one that feels as though the FCC might be the biggest joke in America, a panel that is completely out of touch with the population, and legislates with a ridiculously outdated morality?
 
Here's one for the FCC...Smoking joke by morning DJ's could lead

to FCC fine or suspension...

Memo to concerned citizens of Lexington, Ky.: Don't believe everything morning-crew radio-station shock jocks tell you.

Memo to Lexington, Ky., shock jocks: Don't lie to the public.

Devotees of the Z-Rock Morning Show (search) on WXZZ, 103.1 FM in Lexington were outraged last week after learning the county council had passed a new smoking ban — one that barred people from lighting up in their own cars.

Angry rock listeners swamped 911 lines and switchboards at City Hall, the police and health departments and the county attorney's office, reports the Lexington Herald-Leader and WKYT-TV.

The upshot: The Morning Show has been suspended indefinitely and the city plans to both file an official FCC complaint and send a letter of complaint to Cumulus Broadcasting (search), Z-Rock's owner.

"It was a stunt, a prank, a joke," Z-Rock General Manager Chris Clendenen told the Herald-Leader. "We thought we'd have some fun. We didn't mean to cause any harm or inconvenience to anyone. If we did inconvenience the city, we're sorry."


The city of Lexington's chief administrative officer, Milton Dohoney, said it wasn't funny that people with legitimate police, health or legal matters might not have been able to get through on jammed phone lines.

"If it was meant to be a joke," Dohoney said, "we fail to see the humor in it. There's not a kernel of truth to it. It caused unnecessary angst on the part of the public."

There's an FCC rule against broadcasting false information that could cause "public harm" and diverts "law enforcement or other public health and safety authorities from their duties."

As for the local police, "the police department has no comment or position," said Lexington police Lt. David Boggs.

Clendenen tried to talk the story down to the Herald-Leader, saying he hoped "cooler heads will prevail" and that the "overwhelming majority" of listeners knew it was a joke.

Still, he refused to divulge the real names of Morning Show personalities Kyle, Mary Jane and Twitch.

By Friday, a large banner was up on the Z-Rock Web site.

"Z-Rock's Morning Show has been SUSPENDED," it read. Inside a memo from Clendenen read in part: "It is the determination of the management of the station that the Z-Rock Morning Show will be suspended indefinitely, pending a resolution with the city regarding this matter."
 
"Ridiculously outdated morality"?

Please elaborate on your ultra-modern/contemporary morality, which I'm sure reaches far beyond a traditional conception of simple public decency ... but, of course, I'm a Christian who voted Republican, so I'm probably trying to impose my "values" on you. Beyond that ...

The fact is that when one subscribes to a cable-type service, one opens one's home to whatever may be carried by said service. Over-the-air televised or radioed broadcasts, accessible by anyone - particularly children - are subject to gov't. regulation (since the airwaves are, in effect, nationalized) and, as such, are (and should be) subject to a "community standard". Which means, practically, that vulgarity or obscenity must needs be restricted.

And, of course, you fall into the fallacy of alleging that one failure of the FCC to censure a certain network for an "artist" using a profanity justifies overlooking another violation of their regulations. I agree that whatever network aired Bono's F-bomb should have been fined, and, while it wasn't, that does not excuse the FCC from levying a penalty against another network.
 
I guess Bono knows his law, too...

I guess if Bono can say it on TV then I can have it in the below quote.

"This is really, really, ****ing brilliant", said Bono. Indyfro says the same about the FCC.
____________________________________________________________
As a threshold matter, the material aired during the Golden Globe Awards program does not describe or depict sexual and excretory activities and organs. The word "****ing" may be crude and offensive, but, in the context presented here, did not describe sexual or excretory organs or activities. Rather, the performer used the word "****ing" as an adjective or expletive to emphasize an exclamation. Indeed, in similar circumstances, we have found that offensive language used as an insult rather than as a description of sexual or excretory activity or organs is not within the scope of the Commission?s prohibition of indecent program content.
_______________________________________________________________
 
your self-righteousness certainly didn't stop you....

from jumping to conclusions or making assumptions about the meaning of my words did it?

can you honestly disagree with me that the definitions of decent and proper are so ridiculously vague that in the case of federal communications, the application and levy of fines is entirely at the discretion of the people in charge of the FCC?

what offends some does not offend all. In the case of children, don't parents have any responsibility in governing the viewing habits of their spawn? is a child more influenced by the accidental exposure of an albeit thinly veiled breast, or the sight of a german soldier soothing a jewish-american soldier as he slowly slides his knife into his chest, thus ending his life?

my point was this...the FCC is out of touch, and bases it's decision on a notion that sex is more influential than violence, which I do not necessarily agree with.

And for the record, I'm Catholic, and I also voted Republican
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You are correct in the fact that

"over the air televised or radioed broadcasts" are subject to gov't regulation and should be subject to "community standard." Where the FCC FAILS is that they have not defined "community standard." Basically, they treat their rulings and fines as the definition of community standard. And THAT is the problem. One day, they rule that Bono blurting out the F-word is OK because of the context that it was used. But after Janet decides to expose her ugly boob to the world, the FCC changes their ruling and says that the use of the F-word was innapropriate.

Granted, the F-bomb probably should have been ruled innapropriate from the beginning, but WHO do you fine? The Network who did a Live broadcast and did not have time to "bleep" the word? All the affiliiates that carried the program? The person who said the word? But that is whole other issue to discuss.

The FCC's inconsistency in their rulings, and their disciminate application of their undefined "standards" is what is most troubling. Radio DJ's like Bob & Tom, Howard Stern, etc. are held to a tighter standard than someone like Oprah Winfrey. Oprah had an episode on where the language discussed "tossing salad" in graphic terms, yet the FCC said that she did not violate the standard. WHAT????? Anyone else plays the exact language she had on would get fined in a New York Minute.
 
The incident occured at the Golden Globes on NBC...

But the cable networks are free from FCC regulations, as you pointed out. See my post above for the FCC's ruling on Bono's expletive.

No reference to sex, no reference to body parts or excretory organs and activities, then OK with FCC.
 
Actually, I agree with Indyfro here...

The FCC is hopelessly outdated - It amounts to nothing more than Central Planning, which is a vestige of Communist states; and the last I heard, those were falling out of vogue. The FCC was created in 1934 to basically hand out broadcasting licenses. Fast forward 70 years or so - now the FCC is another arm of right wing fundamentalist groups who utilize it to push outdated moral concepts on the general public.

However, back to the issue at hand - The FCC hands out fines and sanctions all willy nilly - with no rhyme or reason for their actions, some things are OK, while others are punished by inappropriately high fines for very minor transgressions. If they are going to exist they need to standardize.
 
Problem is the FCC changed their ruling

after that initial ruling. They have since said that it was indecent and have either already fined, or in the process of fining, NBC and their affiliates that covered the broadcast for that statement by Bono.
 
Agree with the entirety of your post.

My main beef is the idea that there shouldn't be SOME kind of "base-line" of decency on publicly accessible broadcasts.

As far as fining the "Bono incident" ... *I* would say the network should be fined for not having a delay on the broadcast. Bono's an idiot, and the affiliates are just transmitting what comes from the New York center.

The "context" excuse is ridiculous.
 
Man, I really missed your

bitterness when you were gone.

I am glad you are back, Mr. Basil

*hugz and handpoundz* as our boy Aruss would say
 
On the other side, why should people with

"outdated morals" be forced to listen and watch much of the garbage that the FCC doesn't allow? Isn't it better to error on the side of caution?
 
"FCC hands out fines and sanctions all willy nilly" reminds me . . .

of Major League Baseball. Let's just make Bud Selig in charge of the FCC too.
 
...and I have no problem with a baseline.

We on the OTF have more of a baseline than the FCC does. I really feel for the broadcasters because they really do not know what will happen to them on a day to day basis. There are very conservative Congressional leaders who are trying to increase fine levels and also begin fining the radio dj's, but they have not defined a standard.

The Saving Private Ryan saga was a perfect example. The movie aired in 2001 and 2002 in its entirety. The FCC ruled it was ok, but over 10 affiliates were not comfortable showing it because of the recent inconsistency of the FCC. They feared that their latest rulings were setting precedents that they would be fined for showing it.

Eff the FCC until the standards are set!
 
I'm not sure what you're talking about here.

It seems to me that the picture is pretty clear in FCC land: Don't swear, show nudity beyond a woman in a bikini, or graphically describe sex during the family hour and you're OK.

What's the confusion?

Regards.
 
It's a matter of free choice...

Simply put, if you don't like it, don't watch it. That's the beauty of living in a free society, you can choose what you wish to ingest. As far as the kids go, it isn't the govenments job to babysit and monitor what they are viewing. Last time I checked, that's what parents were supposed to do. In the event that the parents are lazy, there are restrictive controls on most new TV's / Cable boxes. Simply block objectionable channels. Case closed.
 
Reply ... point by point.

1. "Self-righteous"? I'll admit, I'm right about everything I advocate ... that DOES NOT mean I'm self-righteous ... I just pity those of you who can't see the light. ;-)

2. Agreed, those fines ARE entirely in the hands of the FCC. It's not MY fault the airwaves were nationalized.

3. Absolutely, parents do have a responsibility in monitoring what their chirren are taking in via the media. Of course, as I can attest to, personally, parents CANNOT completely monitor everything their chillun take in ... I remember listening to the corrosive, amoral tunes of Hall and Oates when I was ten years old, against the unspoken wishes of my parents. Point being, while one can put an internet filter on one's computer, what comes over the air cannot be regulated in the same way.

4. Sex is as influential as violence. I know that this runs against the grain of contemporary American culture, but I have no desire to see my (future) chirren raised in a culture vitiated by the pleasures of the flesh.

All this said, I'll try to post something funny above. Can't we all just get along?
 
What does being conservative have to do with fines, the FCC...

It's OK if a liberal's 6 year old asks what the "F" word means, but if it's a conservative, it's not? Or in other words, a liberal congressional leader is less apt to do much about it?
 
Sorry, I should have clarified......

....I meant to say, "Super Right Winged Extreme Christian Conservatives Who Are Trying To Impose Their Religion, Morals, And Way Of Life On The Rest Of Us" Congressional Leaders.

I am a Catholic, I am a moderate, but I do not agree with this country preaching Christianity to the masses. What about the Jews, Muslims, Budhists, etc?
 
More to the point, the hypocrisy of the right....

In a NY Times story dated yesterday, Arts colunmist Frank Rich noted:

"The blue ascendancy is nearly as strong among Republicans as it is among Democrats. Those whose "moral values" are invested in cultural heroes like the accused loofah fetishist Bill O'Reilly and the self-gratifying drug consumer Rush Limbaugh are surely joking when they turn apoplectic over MTV. William Bennett's name is now as synonymous with Las Vegas as silicone. The Democrats' Ashton Kutcher is trumped by the Republicans' Britney Spears. Excess and vulgarity, as always, enjoy a vast, bipartisan constituency, and in a democracy no political party will ever stamp them out.

If anyone is laughing all the way to the bank this election year, it must be the undisputed king of the red cultural elite, Rupert Murdoch. Fox News is a rising profit center within his News Corporation, and each red-state dollar that it makes can be plowed back into the rest of Fox's very blue entertainment portfolio. The Murdoch cultural stable includes recent books like Jenna Jameson's "How to Make Love Like a Porn Star" and the Vivid Girls' "How to Have a XXX Sex Life," which have both been synergistically, even joyously, promoted on Fox News by willing hosts like Rita Cosby and, needless to say, Mr. O'Reilly. There are "real fun parts and exciting parts," said Ms. Cosby to Ms. Jameson on Fox News's "Big Story Weekend," an encounter broadcast on Saturday at 9 p.m., assuring its maximum exposure to unsupervised kids."

The story points out exactly what I have felt since the storm of stories about "moral values" voters hit the airwaves and newsstands. For all the outrage that Murdoch, et al express about the coarsening of culture and society, Murdoch is the single largest purveyor of the tripe that the blue-noses decry.

Later in the story, Rich makes this critical point:

"It's in the G.O.P.'s interest to pander to this far-right constituency - votes are votes - but you can be certain that a party joined at the hip to much of corporate America, Mr. Murdoch included, will take no action to curtail the blue culture these voters deplore. As Marshall Wittman, an independent-minded former associate of both Ralph Reed and John McCain, wrote before the election, "The only things the religious conservatives get are largely symbolic votes on proposals guaranteed to fail, such as the gay marriage constitutional amendment." That amendment has never had a prayer of rounding up the two-thirds majority needed for passage and still doesn't."

I think it is fair to say that the "moral values" voters are trying to have it both ways. Fine the major networks all you want, but don't you dare step on on parton saint's toes. Is this really fair and balanced?
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Red States, Blue Culture
 
Not to get too far into religion

but some would say that being Catholic doesn't necessarily make you a Christian...

depends on what your beliefs are though...
 
Sorry Billy, but this thread is approaching the "no comment'...

stage.

It's my philosophy not to discuss religion and such... On a public forum anyway.
 
Yes, but those few are bumbling idiots, and they're wrong.

The inverse of that statement is true, in that being a Christian by no means makes you a Catholic.

Regards.
 
Take it to the Cooler...

You know the rules here.

That is all.

Thank You and have a nice day.
 
LOL, now - that's

pretty ridiculous. Where do you get this information? Unless something has changed since oh20 seconds ago, The Catholic Church is still pretty much the last word on Christianity.
 
My last word on this.....

wife grew up Catholic...according to her

Ideologies are much different! The concept of accepting Christ as your personal Savior aren't relavent in the Catholic Church (as far as I know. I don't know much about Catholicism). Our Church tells us this is the only way to Heaven...as does the Bible

Enough of the WC talk for me. I am going home and then to work out

Later all
 
They both should have been fined, and both producers should

have known better.

That said, the tenor of the HS quotes is a bit more crass than is the tenor of the Oprah show.

Regards.
 
Yes it is, but I doubt that the millions of parents who let their kids

watch the Superbowl anticipated that a woman would be violently stripped of her clothes as part of the "entertainment."

The Lord (and everyone else here) knows I have no objection to nudity. However, it should be in context and give forewarning. The networks have shown more nudity without objection from the FCC. The nudity, and the violence against a woman, had no place in a football game.
 
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