Thanks to the 2004 Indecency Shakedown, the FCC's ever-wavering policy on fleeting instances of 'fuck', that expensive teen sex orgy on CBS, and finally the 10-fold indecency fine hike, broadcasters are on high alert to squelch just about anything that might classify as smut to someone. Many TV and radio stations are going beyond the call of duty to prevent nary a naughty thought from airing, just the beginning of this new era of self-censorship. WFMU is even broadcasting on a delay, with the addition of a bright red "delete" button which I have overcautiously employed to eliminate the song lyric "ship" far too many times to count.
While most of us small-fish community broadcasters fear that depriving listeners of seafaring nouns undermines the very core of our democracy, the big-fish TV networks are finding these first amendment concerns a convenient and compelling basis for a court battle with the FCC.
Unfortunately, the big-fish radio stations don't seem to get it. They are currently campaigning for the FCC to impose more indecency restrictions. Counterproductive? Seemingly.
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB, a trade organization representing over 8,000 radio and TV stations) is bent on extending indecency enforcement to satellite radio. NAB's CEO submitted an embittered letter to the FCC last week (you can read it here), frustrated with the fact that profanity aired on broadcast stations is now subject to a 6-digit fine, while 'fuck' flies freely on satellite radio. Cable and satellite TV and radio remain exempt from FCC indecency regs because consumers must willingly sign up and subscribe to these services; by doing so, they are welcoming the possibility of Howard Stern's poopy talk reaching their smut-loving ears. Broadcast stations, on the other hand, are subject to FCC indecency standards because they are freely accessible to everyone... and for god's sake, The Children might be listening!
Spiteful broadcasters dug up a few situations in which filthy
satellite radio might possibly reach the virgin ears of an innocent,
upstanding, smut-free individual: XM and Sirius receivers now come
pre-installed in many new and dealer-refurbished used car models
(sometimes with an automatic free trial subscription), the services are
also pre-loaded in many rental cars, and Sirius has recently offered
free internet streams of Howard Stern's program.
Whoa, whoa, WHOA! Back up the train, NAB! You might have a logical rationale for your argument with automatic satellite radio in cars (albeit in poor spirit), but now you want to censor the entire internet? Resentful, venomous, short-sighted, and simply desperate, fellahs. Why not see the problem for what it is? The FCC has provided broadcasters with an unclear definition of indecency and enforcement of these murky regulations has been applied inconsistently for years. Now indecency violation fines are through the roof, and fear of incurring such a financially debilitating blow is encouraging broadcasters to water down poignant documentaries, news stories, and artistic works. I hope the courts can help us bring "ship" back to the airwaves soon.
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