...looks harmless enough.
Posted on 07/19/2005 4:26:14 PM PDT by Asphalt
Live 8 may prove to have been a little too live for ABC.
The Alphabet net is under fire from the Parents Television Council, which claims ABC censors were asleep at the wheel (or is that button?) and failed to bleep an F-bomb from the Who's performance of "Who Are You" during the mega-concert.
The conservative media watchdog, whose complaints following Janet Jackson's infamous Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction sparked the government's crusade to clean up the airwaves, has asked political allies at the Federal Communications Commission to fine all ABC stations for the July 2 goof.
"The program was aired on a tape delay, which should have given ABC ample time to edit all obscenities from the concert prior to broadcast," the PTC's executive director Tim Winter said in a statement.
The PTC filed its complaint against the network's Washington, D.C., affiliate, WJLA, but wants the FCC to penalize all ABC stations that broadcast Who frontman Roger Daltrey singing the line "Who the f--k are you" during the legendary rockers' set at Hyde Park.
For their part, ABC and parent company Disney apologized for the profanity.
"Unfortunately, one inappropriate phrase sung by one performer was initially missed and made it into the East Coast network feed. It was subsequently edited out of the West Coast feed," the network said.
What the FCC will decide to do is another matter. While federal regulators have been partially successful under the Bush administration in stricter indecency enforcement, conservative advocacy groups, including the PTC, still don't think the agency has done enough to combat all the sex, violence and rotten language intruding on "family hour" and broadcasters are fighting all sorts of legislative proposals for tougher penalties.
Following Boobgate, the Parents Television Council lobbied the FCC to revoke the broadcast licenses of those CBS-owned stations that aired the errant breast to make a statement. Federal regulators subsequently levied a record $550,000 fine against the Eye network, but took no further action. In turn, CBS-owned stations launched a protest, saying the fine would have a "broad chilling effect" on broadcasters.
To some extent it already has. Pressure from the PTC and other so-called family-friendly groups caused several ABC affiliates to bail on an uncensored airing of Saving Private Ryan last Veteran's Day due to fears of possible fines. The FCC ultimately ruled that stations that did air the film would not be fined.
A bill titled the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005 was introduced in January, but is currently languishing in a Senate committee. If Congress passes the law, which would significantly hike fines for broadcasters as well as individual performers, President Bush has promised to sign it.
I hear Bono is going to deliver it. Last I heard, the bag of rice was in the backseat of Bono's limo. I'm sure it will get there eventually.
lol!
These sanctimonious busybodies at the PTC make the "Church Lady" look like Courtney Love.
;)
Who Cares ??? [shrug]
Them's the words to the song. Always have been.
"Them's the words to the song. Always have been"
Dead on, and hardly the first time it's gotten under the radar. I remember seeing on commercial TV, (Don Kirshner's Rock Concert or something) back in 1979 or 80 the Who's video of Who Are You, it got missed then too.
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