Ridiculous Tv censorship

[G-Lexington]

As pointied out, the FCC only governs the "over-the-air" networks. In fact, PBS has gotten away with more than the other networks have, presumably since they don't have any trouble showing that they're in the "best interests of the community", and they don't have any sponsors to scare away. I recall seeing human nudity and hearing the S-bomb on PBS way back in the 80s, when the networks were wondering if they could somehow say "condom". (Answer - no.)

The FCC has always been a conservative agency, no matter who's on the board. The only difference in recent years has been more aggressive investigations of complaints.

And despite all this, the biggest crime the FCC has ever committed was back in the Clinton years, when they loosened ownership guidelines for media outlets. The result was Clear Channel buying up every radio station under the sun, dismantling local news outlets, and generally destroying competition left and right. The end result was thousand of boring radio stations that everybody switched off the second another option was given. In essence, the FCC and Clear Channel have killed terrestrial radio. Oh, and they made a few billion bucks in the deal, as well.

Lex

 

[drhladnjak]

Actually, the FCC has the ability to regulate and censor cable as well. Generally though, the standard has been more lax because people have to request its installation it in their homes and it's not using public airwaves (but rather private cabling). Pay cable has an even more lax standard because viewers have to specifically request and pay extra for premium channels and consequently know what they're purchasing.

If anything, the standard between broadcast and non-premium cable has narrowed over the years since something like 80% of households have cable or satellite now.

 

[frankfrank]

And despite all this, the biggest crime the FCC has ever committed was back in the Clinton years, when they loosened ownership guidelines for media outlets. The result was Clear Channel buying up every radio station under the sun, dismantling local news outlets, and generally destroying competition left and right. The end result was thousand of boring radio stations that everybody switched off the second another option was given. In essence, the FCC and Clear Channel have killed terrestrial radio. Oh, and they made a few billion bucks in the deal, as well.
Lex

Actually, in this case, the FCC was "holding back" on it a little, but when Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the FCC was mandated to "enforce" (I use these quote-marks VERY loosely) the relaxed rules against consolidation. I believe that before the Telecommunications Act, a company could only own either 14 or 18 each of FM and AM radio stations.

At the time the Act was passed by a well-BRIBED Republican Congress (and signed by a megalo-corporate Bill Clinton), I was remarking at the time that it was probably the worst piece of legislastion passed in at least fifty years. (Well, 49 years, maybe...going back to Taft-Hartley in 1947, perhaps.)

I no longer remember whether the FCC was crusading for such a horrible law before the fact, but it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[gsdx]

I'm much more outraged about the abuse of those bottom of the screen animations. Some stations actually run those damned things OVER subtitles.

Oh, I hate those, especially when they're promoting a programme they just promoted 20 times in the last commercial break.

I've seen small commercials slipping in lately. I believe I saw one of those animations for Kibbles 'n Bits or something.

 

[handyman22]

I'm confused. So how do you Americans get to see a show like Queer As Folk. It must look like a very odd 10 minute promo.

 

[josher]

I'm confused. So how do you Americans get to see a show like Queer As Folk. It must look like a very odd 10 minute promo.

The FCC doesn't have the power to regulate "pay TV", i.e. cable and satellite programming. Queer As Folk and those kind of shows appear on premium networks like HBO and Showtime. Even some of the programs on "basic" cable or satellite are racier than those on our terrestrial networks.

Many of the right-wing moral police would like to give the FCC the power to regulate cable and satellite programming as well.

 

[prettyboysing]

I'm much more outraged about the abuse of those bottom of the screen animations. Some stations actually run those damned things OVER subtitles.

I could not agree with you more! They are extremely distracting. Lately, I've seen some that take up more of the screen than the show I'm trying to watch. My fear is that with the increased use of devices that let you skip through commercials (like TiVO and DVR's), we are going to see more and more of this.

 

[drhladnjak]

The FCC doesn't have the power to regulate "pay TV", i.e. cable and satellite programming.

From the FCC's own website:

Do the FCC's rules apply to cable and satellite programming? In the past, the FCC has enforced the indecency and profanity prohibitions only against conventional broadcast services, not against subscription programming services such as cable and satellite. However, the prohibition against obscene programming applies to subscription programming services at all times.

The FCC has never fined a cable operator but they do have the power to do so. Consequently, cable television gets away with more but is still cautious lest they piss the politicians or FCC commissioners off.