FCC denies 36 indecency compalints

[Freddie Stubbs]

By Genaro C. Armas
Associated Press Writer


WASHINGTON - Federal regulators on Monday denied 36 complaints of broadcast indecency in connection with popular TV shows like "Friends," "The Simpsons," and "Gilmore Girls."

The complaints to the Federal Communications Commission were all filed by the Parents Television Council, a conservative watchdog group which frequently complains about sex and violence on television.

"None of the segments were patently offensive under contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, and thus not indecent," the agency said in a statement.

Three members of the five-member FCC approved the entire order: Chairman Michael Powell and Kathleen Abernathy, both Republicans; and Democrat Jonathan Adelstein. The two other commissioners, Democrat Michael Copps and Republican Kevin Martin, dissented on parts of the order.

more: http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/01252005/biz_nati/60945.htm

[VegasWolf]

1. Odd, these "values" types never seem to complain about violence. n/t

[tridim]

2. Or blatent lies on the "news". n/t

[Ian David]

4. Or the abuse of the airwaves by televangelists

the Secular Coalition for America

Coalition to FCC: Televangelism is not "educational"
FCC complaint filed
http://www.secular.org

May 18, 2004 - The Secular Coalition for America has filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) {now online in .doc format}, contending that satellite television companies are violating federal law by granting so-called "public interest" channel capacity to religious broadcasters who use the channels for proselytizing, commercial activity, and fundraising.
http://www.secular.org/fcc_complaint.doc

Federal law requires that satellite broadcasters reserve four percent of their channel capacity for non-commercial broadcasters who air "educational or informational" programming. In creating the legal requirement in 1998, the FCC stated that the channels were intended for innovative, non-commercial programming such as distance learning, foreign language broadcasting, arts and culture programming, and other creative broadcasting.

Instead, satellite broadcasters have made a practice of turning the channel capacity over to fundamentalist religious ministries, who use it for strictly religious programming and fundraising.

On April 9 the Secular Coalition announced that it had formally requested the nation's largest satellite television provider, DIRECTV, to comply with federal regulations by disclosing its policies and practices for granting access to public interest channels. It asked DIRECTV to provide a complete listing of "entities that have requested (channel) capacity, disposition of those requests and reasons for the disposition..." as required by FCC regulations.

DIRECTV responded to the Coalition's information request by acknowledging it had denied applications from several secular programmers. The company cited "capacity full" for each refusal and stated that the religious programming met FCC requirements.

In the FCC complaint, SCA points out that the company granted 5 of its 12 public interest channels to religious programmers, while rejecting channel access requests from the American Distance Education Consortium, the Classic Arts Showcase, Free Speech TV, and several universities.

More:
http://www.secular.org/fcc.html


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[LiberalFighter]

20. We should make this a project...

To get most if not all of the religious channels off of DirecTv.

[CoffeeCat]

3. No doubt...good point...

Most likely, this is the same crowd that watches CSI forty seven times a week.

They'll watch murder, rape, stabbings, shootings, stranglings, child molestations and the dissection of human bodies--for entertainment.

However, if Buffy Jo from the Gilmore girls sidles up to her boyfriend on the couch while wearing a short skirt---by God the wheels are coming off of this country!!!

Goofballs.

[MARALE]

6. Kids can be wiser than adults sometimes

My 16 year old son said he doesn't know why the US has a harder time with sex on shows and such and not violence. He said other countries are the opposite, they don't care as much about the sex as the violence. I agree with him. Sex is a normal, not harmful part of life and violence is not natural. I am so glad he notices things like this and feels he can dicuss them with us.

[Selteri]

10. I agree fully

Noticed that myself when I was around that age. I think it's worse that our country is so bad about blaming someone else for every problem instead of looking where the fingers are really pointing.

My son imitated something from a violent video game! But I never watched him play it because it's boring and I never talked to him about the associated issues withe hte video games or made him take a grounding in reality.

In europe I even saw a commercial where roughly translated it suggests, "Watch shows with your kids, talk with them about the content, make sure they understand what is and isn't appropriate and what is and isn't real." It was a bit more terse than that, but that would be the most accurate translation of my understanding of German.

[CoffeeCat]

16. That's a testament to your good parenting...

...sounds like you have a great kid!

[MARALE]

19. I do have a great kid.

I don't know if that has to do with my parenting, but I have noticed that most great kids come from parents that think the kids are great. I really think that is the key to raising a well-balanced kid. Plus, we are pretty open in talking about things, I think that is good to do as well. Thanks for saying that, I will bookmark this when I feel I have done something wrong.:hi:

[Roland99]

5. And look who's involved... Brent Bozell

http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/aboutus/main.asp



Who is he?
http://www.mediatransparency.org/people/brent_bozell.htm

[ChaoticSilly]

22. PTC files 99.8% of complaints to FCC

http://www.mediaweek.com/mediaweek/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000731656

Kind of disgusting how one small, vocal group is trying to tell the rest of us what we can and cannot see on tv.

[Redstone]

7. I'll bet $100.00

that if their houses and records were searched, we'd find that at least 50% of the membership of the "Parents Television Council" own several porno movies, or have rented one more than once in the last year.

Redstone

[yellowcanine]

8. Not to mention what they watch in hotel rooms when they are at a

church conference. Religious hypocrisy hath no bounds.

[Yavin4]

9. It Never Ceases To Amaze Me How The Right Doesn't Get Irony

Look at this page on the Parents TV Council site:

http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/cable/main.asp

Scroll down and look at the obscene language section. Now, according to these folks, it's wrong to say these words on TV, but it's perfectly okay to say them on a website.

Also, notice how they use the Black Man/White Woman picture at the top of the page to inflame the yokels.

[yellowcanine]

11. Not only that but they have video clips you can click on and watch.

And helpfully, they note: "Warning, Graphic Content!"

Just how are they different from a porno website? They don't say you have to be 18 to see the raunchy stuff, for one thing. Amazing.

[Selteri]

12. What do you expect when you look at their show ratings

Enterprise - YELLOW

Charmed - RED

Monk - YELLOW

Smallville - YELLOW (Though it should be red according to their ranking with two red light (Sex and Violence) and one yellow(Language). I guess they don't want to look TOO extreme.)

Judging Amy - RED (Funny, I think any kid watching it would think it too boring to want to imitate it)

Drew Carey - RED (Like that's a surprise)

8 Simple Rules - YELLOW (Now that is a little surprising)

Simpsons - YELLOW (I don't understand it, I don't get it, they must be lured in by the skin color or on something considering how much ore offensive the Simpsons can be than Judging Amy, Drew Carey and even charmed if you consider that Lisa is a Buddhist(Pagan).)

This list is a joke and insane if one considers that my mother would likely allow me to watch Smallville if I were a teen today, but I know for a fact I wouldn't be allowed the SIMPSONS which are a solid yellow according to these people. Their ranking system is truly... baffling.

[Ian David]

13. Drew Carey is red?

But Drew Carey is a conservative Republican!

[sonicx]

15. Carey's a libertarian...

Is that a pic with Spongebob in a 3some?

[Yavin4]

17. Man, Is that Picture Racist Or What

Black man with his arm around a White woman. He's wearing a doo rag and holding a gun in his other hand and pointing it at the kid. Wow! KKK can't do any better.

[Walt Starr]

14. Notice that "dick" is one of the obscene words

but the Rush Limbaugh event didn't trigger any fines out of the FCC.

Go figure, it only applies to "liberal" shows, I guess.

[Redstone]

18. I checked their site and it got me hot...

all them dirty words, and the easy-looking slut at the top (she must be a slut; she's with a BLACK GUY)...Hey wait a minute, these guys have a pronographic site that could get someone all worked up and run out and commit a sex crime!!!!

And they have a picture of that homo Sponge Bob, right there on their site!!! Someone's gotta report them to that Dobson, Dotson, whatever his name was, who has been telling us about that dangerous poofter sponge!!!

They must be shut down!!!! My KIDS might go to that site by accident and get their minds warped by that foul, horrible language and lewd picture!!!


Redstone

[Danieljay]

21. Did anyone look at the South Park Clip (worst of the week) on that site?

I don't watch TV...but was a South Park fan for some time, did they really show that on South Park on Comedy Central? If they did...I personally think its in terrible taste and I agree borders on indecent. Is that from a television clip or an actual movie?

That being said...its a slippery slope to censorship. Yikes.