A total of 66 television stations refused to air “Saving Private Ryan” this past Veteran’s Day. They were running scared over possible sanctions from the FCC.

In a court case, the FCC is claiming its jurisdiction extends well beyond broadcast TV and radio, and includes cable TV, satellite broadcasts, and the internet.

Mediaweek reports that FCC Commissioner Michael Powell told a Senate committee in February that indecency complaints were rising sharply.

The number of indecency complaints had soared dramatically to more than 240,000 in the previous year, Powell said. The figure was up from roughly 14,000 in 2002, and from fewer than 350 in each of the two previous years. There was, Powell said, “a dramatic rise in public concern and outrage about what is being broadcast into their homes.”

What Powell did not reveal—apparently because he was unaware—was the source of the complaints. According to a new FCC estimate obtained by Mediaweek, nearly all indecency complaints in 2003—99.8 percent—were filed by the Parents Television Council, an activist group.

With the First Amendment under seige by a focused and determined enemy, “The First Amendment Project” seems well-timed. It’s a four-part TV series produced by Court TV and the Sundance Channel. The first two episodes air tonight.

I’ve had the experience, occasionally, of saying something that gave deep offense when I had no such intention. So maybe Clear Channel had only the best of intentions when they posted this billboard. (Found via Hetty Litjens, again.)

Innocent or not, it gives me the creeps.

My earlier link to the Followership Logo is no longer valid, but here’s the image:

4:51:53 PM  #  
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