FCC Going After NBC's Olympic Opening
#1
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FCC Going After NBC's Olympic Opening
This is up at Zap2It:
http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271|92351|1|,00.html
When will this end?
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) The Olympics are meant as a showcase for athleticism and sportsmanship, a tribute to the competitive human spirit. The Olympics may also be indecent by the stringent standards of the FCC.
According to media reports, the Federal Communications Commission has requested a tape of the Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Summer Games from Athens. The multi-nation parade aired on tape delay in the United States on August 13.
While it's possible that FCC chief Michael Powell may just want to see a friend on the Sri Lankan delegation, it's more likely that Powell is examining the possibility of adding NBC to the list of recently fined major networks. Although the FCC won't confirm the exact nature of the investigation, The Hollywood Reporter claims that at least one indecency complaint was filed.
In honor of the Olympics' birth in Athens, the ceremony featured performers dressed as classic Greek statues and as ancient Gods. There was also an interpretive dance segment featuring a pregnant woman and her apparent mate. It's unclear which of the myriad possibilities raised the ire of the FCC's complaining party.
Amusingly, NBC recently picked up a prize from the Family Friendly Programming Forum, which deemed the network's Olympics coverage to be television's most family-friendly special of 2004.
According to media reports, the Federal Communications Commission has requested a tape of the Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Summer Games from Athens. The multi-nation parade aired on tape delay in the United States on August 13.
While it's possible that FCC chief Michael Powell may just want to see a friend on the Sri Lankan delegation, it's more likely that Powell is examining the possibility of adding NBC to the list of recently fined major networks. Although the FCC won't confirm the exact nature of the investigation, The Hollywood Reporter claims that at least one indecency complaint was filed.
In honor of the Olympics' birth in Athens, the ceremony featured performers dressed as classic Greek statues and as ancient Gods. There was also an interpretive dance segment featuring a pregnant woman and her apparent mate. It's unclear which of the myriad possibilities raised the ire of the FCC's complaining party.
Amusingly, NBC recently picked up a prize from the Family Friendly Programming Forum, which deemed the network's Olympics coverage to be television's most family-friendly special of 2004.
When will this end?
#3
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I'm soooo tiiiiired of the fuckin' FCC.
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Originally Posted by Giantrobo
I'm soooo tiiiiired of the fuckin' FCC.
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Originally Posted by Giantrobo
I'm soooo tiiiiired of the fuckin' FCC.
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Originally Posted by BizRodian
Here's a hint guys... if you need to examine tapes, and no one is sure what you could be looking for, then it's nothing important.
#9
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when the number of people writing to the fcc to complain about the fcc outnumbers the number writing to complain about something they saw on tv
Originally Posted by MvRojo
When will this end?
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This was in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial page last week:
Editorial: TV morals / An activist group learns to work the FCC
Friday, December 10, 2004
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Complaints are the currency of the Federal Communications Commission, an agency that insists it does "not watch or listen to programs hoping to catch purveyors of dirty broadcasts." Instead, the FCC takes action against a television program only if it receives a complaint.
On its face, the policy makes sense: If the government patrolled television shows independently, it could be interpreted as government censorship.
But what if there were an independent group that aggressively monitored television with an eye toward catching "dirty" broadcasts? And what if that group conducted an organized campaign to complain to the FCC at the slightest hint of indecency? Would the complaint policy still make sense?
A recent estimate from the FCC's Enforcement Bureau suggests that is exactly what's going on: 99.8 percent of the 240,000 complaints in 2003 were filed by the Parents Television Council, a group founded specifically to restore television to being a socially responsible medium. According to the PTC's Web site, the group maintains a database of more than 89,000 hours of television. When it finds suggestive content on television shows, the PTC issues e-mail alerts and enables users to submit complaints directly from its Web site.
Some of those form-letter complaints were likely submitted against the Fox show "Married by America," which drew a fine of $1.2 million in October for showing partially blurred strippers. Although the FCC said at the time that there were 159 complaints against the show, it now says that only 23 were from different people. According to Fox Broadcasting, all but four were identical and only one person mentioned actually watching the show.
Certainly, much of what is shown on TV is tawdry and of debatable taste. But there has to be a better system to actually measure public intolerance. Otherwise, a whole nation of TV viewers will be forced to ride on the PTC's morality train.
Friday, December 10, 2004
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Complaints are the currency of the Federal Communications Commission, an agency that insists it does "not watch or listen to programs hoping to catch purveyors of dirty broadcasts." Instead, the FCC takes action against a television program only if it receives a complaint.
On its face, the policy makes sense: If the government patrolled television shows independently, it could be interpreted as government censorship.
But what if there were an independent group that aggressively monitored television with an eye toward catching "dirty" broadcasts? And what if that group conducted an organized campaign to complain to the FCC at the slightest hint of indecency? Would the complaint policy still make sense?
A recent estimate from the FCC's Enforcement Bureau suggests that is exactly what's going on: 99.8 percent of the 240,000 complaints in 2003 were filed by the Parents Television Council, a group founded specifically to restore television to being a socially responsible medium. According to the PTC's Web site, the group maintains a database of more than 89,000 hours of television. When it finds suggestive content on television shows, the PTC issues e-mail alerts and enables users to submit complaints directly from its Web site.
Some of those form-letter complaints were likely submitted against the Fox show "Married by America," which drew a fine of $1.2 million in October for showing partially blurred strippers. Although the FCC said at the time that there were 159 complaints against the show, it now says that only 23 were from different people. According to Fox Broadcasting, all but four were identical and only one person mentioned actually watching the show.
Certainly, much of what is shown on TV is tawdry and of debatable taste. But there has to be a better system to actually measure public intolerance. Otherwise, a whole nation of TV viewers will be forced to ride on the PTC's morality train.
#12
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I'm gonna complain about the religious channels and the golf channel... doubt they'll do anything, but I'm hoping they'll go away to make room for something cooler.
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Originally Posted by MvRojo
This is up at Zap2It:
http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271|92351|1|,00.html
When will this end?
http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271|92351|1|,00.html
When will this end?
People need to get a life and worry about more important matters. The complaint was more than likely filed by someone who sits around all day looking for things they deem inappropriate...not someone who actually sat down to watch the Olympics for the enjoyment factor.
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Originally Posted by NitroJMS
This was in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial page last week:
Some of those form-letter complaints were likely submitted against the Fox show "Married by America," which drew a fine of $1.2 million in October for showing partially blurred strippers. Although the FCC said at the time that there were 159 complaints against the show, it now says that only 23 were from different people. According to Fox Broadcasting, all but four were identical and only one person mentioned actually watching the show.
Some of those form-letter complaints were likely submitted against the Fox show "Married by America," which drew a fine of $1.2 million in October for showing partially blurred strippers. Although the FCC said at the time that there were 159 complaints against the show, it now says that only 23 were from different people. According to Fox Broadcasting, all but four were identical and only one person mentioned actually watching the show.
If you don't like what is on TV, change the channel or turn it off.
Or better yet, stop getting offended because you decide to let the TV babysit your children and they turn on what they want to watch or what is popular.
I'm sure these same people would be crying bloody murder if you wanted to censor or get rid of their favorite shows and 99% of the people complaining about the show didn't even watch it, they just emailed off a form letter written by 1 person that watched the show specifically for catching something they didn't like.
Granted, there would be nothing the FCC could do to enforce the people writing letters to state that they watched the show. But it is upsetting that people are complaining and getting networks and shows fined and they didn't even watch the program they are complaining about.
Trigger. I think someone should start a letter writing campaign to the FCC about the religious channels. All that preaching and talk of fire and brimstone, that would certainly be scary to small children.
#15
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The only time I can remember getting pissed at something on network television was when fox interupted their children's programming to show scenes from the Columbine shooting. I came into the family room 5 minutes after this started and my kids were watching scary news footage rather than a children's tv show (like the superbowl, which we missed, this was the kind of thing that would not show up on a v-chip; it bothered me more than the superbowl would have because it was real and violent). I complained to Fox, which was probably a waste of time, but it never occurred to me to complain to the FCC or any other agency--if I were that angry, I would have just quit watching Fox.
I can't imagine what was offensive in the Olympics, but if it was some statue's boobies, that's just embarassing. Maybe we will have to disallow children from going to art museums, or have pictures and statues of nudes put in a separate room, like they did with those Mapplethorp pictures. Of course, that always backfires. I waited in line for an hour or so to see those just because they'd caused so much fuss.
I can't imagine what was offensive in the Olympics, but if it was some statue's boobies, that's just embarassing. Maybe we will have to disallow children from going to art museums, or have pictures and statues of nudes put in a separate room, like they did with those Mapplethorp pictures. Of course, that always backfires. I waited in line for an hour or so to see those just because they'd caused so much fuss.
#16
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So let me get this straight. Some people were offended that it showed a pregnant woman and possibly her husband doing some sort of dance. I didn't see it so I'm guessing they were clothed and the right areas covered. The Olymics doesn't seem the place where similated sex act dances would take place. So I'm guessing that people freaked because it showed a pregnant woman. How is this offensive? How do the complainers think the human race keeps going? Do these loosers go up to pregnant women on the street and lecture them because they got pregnant?
Too bad we couldn't put all the compainers in the giant Olympic torch on the stadium.
Too bad we couldn't put all the compainers in the giant Olympic torch on the stadium.
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99.8 percent of the 240,000 complaints in 2003 were filed by the Parents Television Council
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Originally Posted by Morf
Would the FCC find offense to a TV program that showed me skull-fucking the Parents Television Council?
Skull-fucking? No - that is sexual - a big no-no.
Skull-bashing? OK - that is simply violent.
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The whole "if they don't like it, they should change the channel" doesn't work with the Parents Television Council folks. Their entire campaign is part of an effort to enforce their morality on society at large not to simply shield themselves (especially since, like has been mentioned, a great many of the people who write in complaints to the FCC didn't see the content that spurred the complaint in the first place).
In my opinion, the FCC, at least in terms of "objectionable content" enforcement, has outlived its usefulness (especially since they cover so little of the total content offered on television).
In my opinion, the FCC, at least in terms of "objectionable content" enforcement, has outlived its usefulness (especially since they cover so little of the total content offered on television).
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In reading this "story" it seems to be a non-story. Why in the world would they put this on their website as news and then speculate about it?? It seems like they are just trying to stir the pot and enrage people over nothing. Judging by this thread, it worked.
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If I recall correctly, there WERE penises (or is it "peni") on some of the statues during the Opening Ceremonies -- am I wrong? Maybe I'm just remembering peni where there were none?
Regardless, it IS going to get worse before it gets better....
Sort of off topic, but I don't really think so: just today, I received a receipt in the mail from a company that I had ordered printer supplies from and inside the folded receipt was a little pamphlet of the Gospel of St John. Why does a business assume that they can send those things to people because a business transaction has taken place??? Ugh!
Regardless, it IS going to get worse before it gets better....
Sort of off topic, but I don't really think so: just today, I received a receipt in the mail from a company that I had ordered printer supplies from and inside the folded receipt was a little pamphlet of the Gospel of St John. Why does a business assume that they can send those things to people because a business transaction has taken place??? Ugh!
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too bad the PTC is based in a blue state
http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/contactus/main.asp
http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/contactus/main.asp
Originally Posted by shawagg
Damn Red states!!!