Angels
Posted on 11/20/2001 11:43:43 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
Groups ranging from Parents Television Council to National Organization for Women are furious at ABC for devoting a prime-time hour to models strutting in undies.
"This year, in particular, it seems like there's been a lot more crass and vulgar content on TV than I've seen in years past," said Melissa Caldwell, research director of Parents Television Council.
The low-rated network is making "a sad attempt to lift its ratings with Miracle Bras," griped NOW President Kim Gandy.
A Federal Communications Commission member has asked for an investigation into whether the Victoria's Secret fashion "special" violated indecency regulations, the Associated Press reported today.
The program attracted only 12.3 million viewers Thursday - finishing third in its time slot.
ABC is making no apologies for the skin show. It says it deleted the diciest footage.
"There has certainly been racier things on television than this," huffed Andrea Wong, the ABC executive in charge of "alternative programming," whatever that entails.
There is a "market" for every type of activity you can think of. The question we have to ask ourselves as a society is what price do we pay in allowing a niche to be filled on the supply side? To take an extreme example, there are some people in this country who are consumers of contraband child pornography ("contraband" because child pornography is illegal in the US). Does the fact that "Americans are buying" justify its selling? Should it then be legal because someone is willing to buy it? How far do we go and where do we draw the line? How do we handle the societal effects of the "anything goes" environment? (or even agree on what they are, for that matter).
ROTFL!
Go to the right hand margin, click "Victoria's sexy secrets!"
Wonder if they are going to sell the uncut version.
Apparently you missed the parts with Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum.
Next year they will air it uncut on HBO, screw network tv anyway.
I think you have it backwards, you have won, network TV is tame, just take a peak at what is on cable or satellite if you want to see the future of entertainment, problem is no one but you still watches network TV, keep buying.
Speaking of HBO, I wonder if NOW and PTC saw that Britney Spears concert on HBO Sunday? I officially became a dirty old man on that day
Tyra Banks at the Victoria's Secret fashion show.
Tuesday, November 20, 2001
NEW YORK — ABC is telling critics of its racy Victoria's Secret fashion special that they should see what hit the cutting-room floor.
The network, which is taking heat for devoting a prime-time hour to supermodels strutting in underwear, said it edited out camera shots that showed more skin.
"There has certainly been racier things on television than this," said Andrea Wong, the ABC executive in charge of alternative programming.
Groups with as divergent politically as the National Organization for Women and the Parents Television Council are criticizing ABC for airing the special, and a Federal Communications Commission member has asked for an investigation into whether it violated indecency regulations.
The special drew 12.3 million viewers Thursday, finishing third in its time slot and doing marginally better than the show it replaced. "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," which normally airs at that time, has an average audience of just under 11 million.
Michael Copps, an FCC commissioner, said he received dozens of complaints about the show and promotions for it that ran in advance.
"I would hope that television broadcasters would go the extra mile in exercising self-discipline when airing programming during the hours when children are likely to be in the audience," Copp said.
ABC pointed out that the program was clearly identified as being for mature viewers and that parents had the opportunity to tune it out.
Wong said ABC was assured that the fashion show would be no racier than the one Victoria's Secret sponsored as a Web cast last year. Still, ABC's standards division went over the show carefully before it was aired, she said.
"There are certain things that not everybody in the world is going to be happy with," she said. "It's impossible to please everyone."
ABC has pushed the standards envelope twice this month in different directions. Besides the Victoria's Secret show, it aired an uncut version of the movie, "Saving Private Ryan," with its violent opening scene of the D-Day invasion.
Broadcast standards in general have been in upheaval. The biggest broadcasters debate internally how far they can go in depicting violence, sexual content and strong language at a time cable networks have much more freedom.
Melissa Caldwell, research director of the Parents Television Council, said she doubted something like the Victoria's Secret special would have been on broadcast TV until recently.
"This year, in particular, it seems like there's been a lot more crass and vulgar content on TV than I've seen in years past," she said.
At the same time as the fashion show, CBS was airing an episode of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" that depicted a murder in a sadomasochistic sex club, and Fox was showing "Temptation Island," its titillating reality series about couples tested by swinging singles.
NOW complained about ABC's use of prime time to promote the sexual exploitation of women. NOW President Kim Gandy said ABC was making "a sad attempt to lift its ratings with Miracle Bras." ABC has been struggling mightily in the ratings this television season.
The fashion show was nothing but an infomercial for Victoria's Secret, Gandy said.
The lingerie maker, owned primarily by the Columbus, Ohio-based The Limited Inc., paid to produce the fashion show, Wong said. The company was also responsible for buying most of the commercial time on the hour, to either use itself or sell to others.
"We pass all the time on infomercials and time buys that we don't think are going to draw viewers or be entertaining," Wong said. "To us, this was pure, escapist entertainment."
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