FCC Punishes Viacom for Indecency

[Moloch]

WASHINGTON — The nation's third-largest media company agreed Tuesday to pay the federal government a record $3.5 million to settle complaints that it broadcast sexually explicit material on its radio and TV shows.

The pact between Viacom Inc. and the Federal Communications Commission (news - web sites) comes amid growing concern by regulators, politicians and viewers that broadcasters have pushed too far in lacing shows with sex, violence and graphic language.

Just last week, the FCC (news - web sites) launched an investigation into the opening skit for ABC's "Monday Night Football" featuring a locker room romp between Philadelphia Eagles receiver Terrell Owens and "Desperate Housewives" star Nicollette Sheridan.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&ncid=2026&e=7&u=/latimests/20041124/ts_latimes/fccpunishesviacomforindecency

[high density]

1. Wow, that Bush ass-kissing by Sumner Redstone really did him a lot of good

Not.

[mstrsplinter326]

2. At least america is focused on what's important...

Armageddon Econ.
Iraqnam.
Private Soc. Security.

But MORAL VALUES, ANGLOSAXON PURITAN BURN-THE-WITCHES MORAL VALUES!! NO TITS! NOOOOOOO TITS!

[Bluzmann57]

3. Heaven forbid we should get a glimpse of Nicolette Sheridan's back

in a fictional skit. But carnage and bloodshed is ok. Fighting at sporting events is all right, but the human body isn't. War related video games are a-ok, but Janet Jackson's breast, which truthfully wasn't visible unless one was really looking for it, is a horrible thing. When the fuck are people going to wake up and realize that priorities are skewed? Damn!

[Deja Q]

4. So when will FOX broadcasting get fined?

Their history, up to the present day, includes sexually explicit material in some form. Not all programs, but a few could easily be named.

[VivaKerry]

5. Punishes??? is that what it is called now? Punishes?

This fascist govt really DOES think they are the mommys and daddys.

Punishes is not a civil legal term.... unless, I guess, MORAL VALUES installed by the govt are all about stopping moral CRIMES.

[The_Urge]

6. Okay

I don't have a problem with the FCC going after SOME of these guys like Stern and those jocks fromw WRKR. Some of the material is pretty lewd and its on at 9:00 am. When you look at the amount of money that these companies are makeing the fines are pretty inconsequential.
The monday night football "incident" I find sily to investigate because it was after 9:00 pm, it just wasn't that big a deal. The Janet Jackson thing on the other hand was at ike 8:00 or so and was a bit more revealing. Although I saw it more with the news showing it every five minutes afterwords. They should have just fined them and moved on.
Just my two cents.

[Name removed]

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