If you or I told the IRS or some other federal agency to f**k off and that we will not do what they say, we would probably end up in jail. But what happens when a company or in this case a huge television network and film studio says f**k off to an arm of the federal government?
The reason for the outburst by FOX is the FCC fined 13 Fox-owned stations and affiliates $7,000 each for a 2003 episode of the now-defunct reality show Married by America that featured a bachelor party in which naked participants were shown with their breasts and asses blurred out by pixels. Although the commission held that the pixelation made the scene "less explicit and graphic," than it would have been otherwise, it nevertheless found that "the material is still sufficiently graphic and explicit to support an indecency finding."
What FOX said is that if you throw a pixel up, then there is nothing wrong with showing whatever you want. Look, I am the kind of guy who will watch anything and I really don't care what is shown on television. However, if I show you two people having full on sex but pixel out the privates, would you consider it indecent? I think it would be. I don't think using a pixel makes something automatically decent.
FOX however has refused to pay the fine. If it were some tiny television station, the FCC could threaten to pull their license and the station would probably back down. But there is no way that the FCC is going to pull the licenses of all those FOX owned stations. It isn't going to happen. They give way too much money and would make sure they kept them. BUT, if they don't pay them are they setting a bad precedent? What's to stop all the other huge media conglomerates from saying they won't pay? They then can show whatever the hell they want and tell the FCC to shove it. Then, it starts to trickle down and the CEO's of the companies start telling the IRS to shove it and don't pay taxes and it just goes on and on and on until you have anarchy.
All from one stupid reality show that no one watched. Just pay the fine. Take it out of Seacrest's pay. He should be fined anyway for all those damn shows he is putting on E! anyway.
I'm with Fox, but only because I hate the FCC. Amazes me that we have a government agency that we regularly pay to impede our free speech rights.
ReplyDeleteWow, I actually agree with Poopert Murdoch?!?!?!? Those people in hell must be quite chilly right about now.
ReplyDeleteI say fine the crap out of them. I'm so sick of seeing that kind of stuff on Network TV, it belongs on pay per view. I can't tell you how many times I've seen those disgusting GGW commercials play during prime time shows when my kids are watching TV. As these are G rated shows - with THOSE commercials. The broadcasters need a solid slap upside the head.
ReplyDeleteI say fine the crap out of them. I'm so sick of seeing that kind of stuff on Network TV, it belongs on pay per view. I can't tell you how many times I've seen those disgusting GGW commercials play during prime time shows when my kids are watching TV. As these are G rated shows - with THOSE commercials. The broadcasters need a solid slap upside the head.
ReplyDeleteHey, don't get all down on anarchy...it's a sound political philosophy that most people equate with 'chaos', which it is most certainly not.
ReplyDeleteSo the memeber of the FCC board spend all their time pondering old tv shows looking for naughty stuff to impose fines? I guess it keeps them from looking at the whole government thing where elected officials are banging hookers.
ReplyDeleteThe FCC usually responds to complaints about particular shows, audie - otherwise they'd end up hitting that awful public access stuff a lot more often.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Fox does much of anything that is age-appropriate for children, except maybe Fox News. That's TOTALLY age-appropriate.
I have to say, I find the US system of enforcing "decency" interesting. Pixelation of boobs is indecent, but watching people getting strangled passes. (Medium this week). Weird. I know that I have to explain a helluva lot more to my kid about the violent acts than the boobies that show up on our programming...during "family viewing" time.
ReplyDeleteElsiefire...
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I agree with you there. There are, like, 50 permutations of those "Whodunit?" shows, like the CSIs and the Law and Orders, and they simulate murders, corpses, rapes....but a little pixilated boob, and they start freaking.
Some of the ceepiest, most offensive stuff isn't even pixilated. The most disgusting thing I've seen on TV at this point, was the little 9 year old Kardashian sister dancing on a stripper's pole, all done up in high heels which actually fit her (they were hers, she wasn't playing dress-up with her Mom's or sisters' shoes). No pixels there, but easily the single most disgusting thing on TV.
I think if they DO pay it, it will set a bad precedent. The Hayes Office closed decades ago, and those doors need to remain shut. Bad analogy, Enty; the women weren't having sex. I hate Fox with a passion but I'll stand by them on this.
ReplyDeleteThe only fine fox should have to pay is damages to all of us who have been forced to see ryan seacrests face ever ten seconds
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