FCC Complaint - Big Brother on CBS - Parents Television Council

FILE YOUR FORMAL INDECENCY COMPLAINT AGAINST THE SEPTEMBER 17, 2004 BROADCAST OF

CBS-TV's "BIG BROTHER" WITH THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (FCC) NOW!

TO: Federal Communications Commission, Washington, D.C.
Michael K. Powell, Chairman
Kathleen Q. Abernathy
Jonathan S. Adelstein
Michael J. Copps
Kevin J. Martin

RE: FCC TELEVISION INDECENCY COMPLAINT

Instruction: By completing this FCC INDECENCY COMPLAINT and clicking the "Sign and Submit" button, you will be registering a FORMAL COMPLAINT against "Big Brother ," providing the FCC with specific evidence needed to take regulatory action against the broadcasters of the program. Your COMPLAINT will be electronically forwarded to the FCC by the Parents Television Council.

This is a formal COMPLAINT of indecency on broadcast television. My complaint concerns the PROGRAM ON: (fields with * are required):

Network	CBS-TV
Program Title	Big Brother
Broadcast Date	September 17, 2004
Broadcast Time	8:00PM Eastern /Pacific, 7:00PM Central/Mountain

Title:
*First Name:
*Last Name:
Suffix:	Ex.: Jr., Sr., M.D.
*Address:
*City:
*State:
*Postal Code:
*Country:
*Your Email Address:
Your Local CBS Station's Call letters: (Leave blank if unknown)
Email Body Message:	Federal Communications Commission 445 12th St, S.W. Complaints and Political Programming Branch Enforcement Division, Mass Media Bureau Washington, DC 20554 This is a formal COMPLAINT of indecency on broadcast television. My complaint concerns the PROGRAM ON: NETWORK: CBS PROGRAM TITLE: 'Big Brother' which was broadcast on: BROADCAST DATE: September 17, 2004 BROADCAST TIME: 8:00PM Eastern /Pacific, 7:00PM Central/Mountain Documentation of the material on which my COMPLAINT is based is provided below. Video tapes of "Big Brother 5" are available from the Parents Television Council. COMPLAINANT believes that the excerpts cited from "Big Brother's" content are in context and fully representative of the show's overall tone and quality. COMPLAINANT also believes that such material is: (a.) Clearly offensive according to the standards of my community; and (b.) Especially offensive because it was broadcast at an hour when millions of children were watching. For the reasons above stated, COMPLAINANT urges the FCC to exercise its responsibility to enforce the existing law against indecency on broadcast TV between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. (Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 1464) by levying severe sanctions against the broadcasters of this program. Documentation -------------- EXCERPTS from the September 17, 2004 broadcast of "Big Brother" - The show began at 8 pm Eastern time. - The most offensive incident occurred at about 8:45. - The episode combined live material with flashbacks. The F word was spoken during the live portion. Transcript: Diane leaves the Big Brother house and Drew and Michael are in the hallway, reacting to her being voted out. Drew says: "Oh, [bleeped "shit"], [bleeped "shit"]." Michael passes Drew and goes into the kitchen. He puts his hands near his face and whispers aloud (he is miked): "Oh fuck" [not bleeped]. Documentation -------------- COMPLAINANT RESPECTFULLY REQUESTS THAT THE FCC ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF THIS COMPLAINT, AND THAT THE FCC KEEP ME INFORMED OF THE PROGRESS AND RESULTS OF YOUR INVESTIGATION INTO THIS MATTER. Sincerely,
	Keep me informed through PTC E-ALERTS about the progress of the Parents Television Council's campaign to clean up TV.

Documentation of the material on which my COMPLAINT is based is provided below. Video tapes of "Big Brother 5" are available from the Parents Television Council.

COMPLAINANT believes that the excerpts cited from "Big Brother's" content are in context and fully representative of the show's overall tone and quality.

COMPLAINANT also believes that such material is:

(a.) Clearly offensive according to the standards of my community; and

(b.) Especially offensive because it was broadcast at an hour when millions of children were watching.

For the reasons above stated, COMPLAINANT urges the FCC to exercise its responsibility to enforce the existing law against indecency on broadcast TV between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. (Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 1464) by levying severe sanctions against the broadcasters of this program.

COMPLAINANT RESPECTFULLY REQUESTS THAT THE FCC ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF THIS COMPLAINT, AND THAT THE FCC KEEP ME INFORMED OF THE PROGRESS AND RESULTS OF YOUR INVESTIGATION INTO THIS MATTER.

EXCERPTS from the September 17, 2004 broadcast of "Big Brother"

The show began at 8 pm Eastern time.

The most offensive incident occurred at about 8:45.

The episode combined live material with flashbacks. The F word was spoken during the live portion.

Transcript:

Diane leaves the Big Brother house and Drew and Michael are in the hallway, reacting to her being voted out. Drew says: "Oh, [bleeped "shit"], [bleeped "shit"]."

Michael passes Drew and goes into the kitchen. He puts his hands near his face and whispers aloud (he is miked): "Oh fuck" [not bleeped].

Such material is patently offensive, and should be found in violation of the law against broadcast TV indecency!

When you click the SUBMIT button below, the PTC will forward your INDECENCY COMPLAINT to all 5 Commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission.

A copy of your COMPLAINT will also be forwarded in your name to the CBS station in your area, which broadcast "Big Brother" to the homes in your community, with the following message:

I am outraged at the frightening increase in violence, sex, filth, smutty humor and coarse language on prime-time television. TV shows have been poisoned by a flood of offensive material that is helping destroy family values and seriously harming America's children and grandchildren...and YOUR STATION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SPREADING THE FILTH IN OUR COMMUNITY!

In particular, TV viewers in our area were slimed by the September 17, 2004 episode of "Big Brother" aired on CBS-TV in the "Family Hour" and BROADCAST TO OUR COMMUNITY BY YOUR STATION.

Because the CBS network's parent company is currently facing FCC fines of $550,000 over the Super Bowl halftime breast-baring incident, CBS should be highly conscious of the dangers of violating the federal law against broadcast indecency.

As such, they acted in reckless disregard of your station's ability to retain its broadcast license by feeding you the Sept. 17 episode of "Big Brother" with the "F-word" unbleeped.

I am taking part in this grassroots campaign organized by the Parents Television Council (PTC) to urge you and all CBS-affiliated TV stations to TAKE A STAND IN DEFENSE OF OUR COMMUNITY AND STOP UNQUESTIONINGLY PUMPING OUT TO OUR COMMUNITY ANY FILTH THAT THE NETWORK FEEDS YOU.

Federal law holds YOU responsible for what you broadcast, and SO DO I!

STOP FOULING OUR COMMUNITY AND ITS IMPRESSIONABLE YOUNGSTERS!

I hope and expect to hear from the PTC that your station has adopted a new and more responsible policy that will preclude broadcasting between the hours of 6 am and 10 pm any program containing material as indecent as that featured in "Big Brother."

IMPORTANT NOTE: CLICK BELOW TO SUBMIT YOUR COMPLAINT TO ALL 5 FCC COMMISSIONERS.