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Parents Television Council - Because Our Children Are Watching

Broadcast Indecency Campaign

Help Us Put an End to Broadcast Indecency


THE ISSUE

It is a violation of Federal law to broadcast obscene or indecent programming.  Obscene speech is not protected by the First Amendment and cannot be broadcast at any time.

 

 

 

The default setting for broadcast television used to be family-oriented, while those desiring edgier, more explicit fare were free to seek it out. Today's prime time television programming has become almost uniformly unsuitable for families, and often directly hostile to their values, making it very difficult for parents to shield their children and seek out alternative entertainment.

 

Shows airing on broadcast television use the public airwaves. Because broadcast channels are available free over the air, it is assumed that children of any age can access their programming, and during prime time, it is presumed that they are doing so. According to the Communications Act of 1934, which sets the guidelines for the use of this public property, programming must be in the "public interest," i.e., serve a common publicly recognized good. It has never been supposed by the Supreme Court that broadcasters have an absolute right to air whatever they wish with no responsibility to the public interest.


LATEST HIGHLIGHTS

PTC Calls NBC’s Family Hour Pledge Hypocritical

NBC Believes Expletives, “MILF” and Men Groping Women are Appropriate for Families

 

“We were the first to praise NBC for returning to the Family Hour, but we must now be the first to condemn their apparent abandonment of the previous week’s so-called commitment.  We repeat our request to NBC: please make the Family Hour truly family-friendly.  Responsible television programming is good business." more

 

TAKE ACTION! File a formal complaint with the FCC.


Parents Lodge Indecency Complaints Over Nudity on "Top Model"

 

The Parents Television Council filed an indecency complaint over CW’s "America’s Next Top Model" for showing a nude model and is encouraging its members to file complaints with the FCC.

 

The episode showed a model posing fully nude for photographs while lying on a bed. The nudity was partially blurred. The episode aired on March 26, 2008, during the so-called "Family Hour" at 8 pm ET/7 pm CT. more

 

TAKE ACTION! File a formal complaint with the FCC.


NBC Airs Female Nudity During Primetime

 

The Parents Television Council filed an indecency complaint over NBC’s broadcast of a graphic nude scene during Las Vegas on February 15, 2008.  The episode aired at 9 pm in the Central and Mountain Time zones. more

 

TAKE ACTION! If you live in the Central or Mountain time zones, file a formal complaint with the FCC.

 


NBC Assaults Families with Offensive Language on Today Show

The Parents Television Council called on NBC to change its broadcasting practices in response to NBC’s unedited airing of a four-letter word for female genitalia spoken by Jane Fonda during an interview on the Today show.
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TAKE ACTION! File a Complaint with the FCC!

 


Breaking News: FCC Fines ABC Affiliates for Airing Indecent Material

The Parents Television Council praised the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for issuing the maximum fine of $1.43 million against 52 ABC affiliates for airing indecent material in an episode of NYPD Blue. The broadcast at issue aired on February 25, 2003 at 9:00 p.m. in the Central and Mountain Time zones.
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To read the entire FCC order, please CLICK HERE.


PTC Demands Swift Action over “F-word” on ABC’s Morning Show

The Parents Television Council chastised ABC for allowing the “F-word” to air unedited during Good Morning America today.  Actress Diane Keaton used the expletive during her interview with Diane Sawyer during the 8:00 a.m. hour in the Eastern time zone. The PTC is calling on its members to file indecency complaints with the FCC regarding this inappropriate and offensive broadcast. more

 

TAKE ACTION! If you live in the Eastern Time Zone, file a formal complaint with the FCC.


PTC Member Activism Yields Results on Capitol Hill

Thanks to the coordinated efforts of the PTC and other family organizations last week, the once-stagnant "Fleeting Expletives" bill has finally been reported out of committee and has made it to the floor of the Senate for a vote, and today, Senator Stevens, vice chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, called on his colleagues to quickly pass the legislation, saying "I urge the Senate to take up and pass this important legislation because we must keep the airwaves clean… Children should not be exposed to indecent material by simply watching television or listening to the radio." This legislation is a response to the absurd conclusion reached by a federal court last summer that the F and S words should be OK to be broadcast on the public airwaves during the times that tens of millions of children are in the audience. This is a major development on the road toward a major victory for children and families, and it due solely to the thousands of calls placed last week from concerned parents and grandparents like you -- so thank you, and congratulations.


PTC Denounces CBS for Plans to Bring Explicit Showtime Programs to Broadcast TV

The Parents Television Council denounced CBS for its plans to bring series from premium cable network Showtime to its broadcast network, as CBS President and CEO Leslie Moonves said yesterday.  Potential shows that could make their way to CBS are Weeds, Dexter, and Brotherhood.  

"CBS' plan is purely based on corporate greed, not what's good for families or in the public interest. These Showtime programs contain some of the most explicit content on television, period. Yet CBS has no qualms about putting shows that make heroes of serial killers and revel in sick, graphic violence or those that condone drug use and glorify drug dealers in front of millions of children and families on broadcast television. These shows are better left on premium cable where children cannot have as easy access and where families are not forced to pay for them in order to get other basic cable networks," said PTC President Tim Winter.
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PTC: FCC Fumbles Public Interest Obligation

FCC Allows CBS to Flout Consent Decree; Places Corporate Interest Above Public Interest

 

“The FCC has failed its obligation by letting CBS off the hook – not once, but now a second time – for airing the same indecent content.  The FCC has chosen CBS’ corporate interest over the public interest, but the public, not CBS, is the true and rightful owner of the public airwaves.  And shamefully, the FCC announced its decision the day after Thanksgiving, trying to bury any public scrutiny.  What kind of signal does this send to broadcast licensees – and more importantly, what kind of signal does this send to the public?  The Commission has failed miserably to serve the public interest,” said PTC President Tim Winter. more


PTC Applauds U.S. House Efforts to Curb Indecent Content on TV

The Parents Television Council praised the leadership of U.S. Reps. Charles Pickering (R-Miss.), Joseph Pitts (R-Pa.), Jim Matheson (D-Utah) and Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) to protect children from instances of indecent content on broadcast television.  Congressman Pickering introduced legislation (H.R. 3559) similar to Sen. Jay Rockefeller’s (D-WV) that affirms the FCC’s ability to restrict the use of profanity and indecent images during times of day when children are most likely to be in the viewing audience.  Congressmen Pitts, Matheson and McIntyre are original co-sponsors of the legislation. more


PTC Condemns News Corp. for Reckless Programming Decision

Subsidiary MyNetworkTV Airs Adult Cable Program on Broadcast During Family Hour

 

The Parents Television Council denounced News Corp. and its broadcast television network, MyNetworkTV, for airing an adult-targeted, Mature-rated, cable program on broadcast television at the start of the so-called “Family Hour.”  On August 1, the first two episodes of the new FX drama Damages aired nationally on MyNetworkTV at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET/PT in place of a previously scheduled concert.  Neither the sexual content nor the violent content was edited from the MA-rated cable version of these programs when they re-aired on broadcast, though a few profanities were deleted. more


Parents Television Council Appointed to FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee

The Parents Television Council has accepted an invitation to join the Federal Communication Commission’s Consumer Advisory Committee.  Dan Isett, Director of Corporate and Government Affairs, will be serving on the committee as a representative for the PTC. more


PTC Praises Senate Commerce Committee for Protecting Children From Indecent TV

The Parents Television Council praised the Senate Commerce Committee for taking the necessary steps today towards protecting children from indecent content on television. The committee passed a bill introduced by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) that affirmed the FCC’s ability to restrict the use of profanity and indecent images during times of day when children are most likely to be in the viewing audience. more


PTC Condemns Attempts to Block Broadcast Decency Amendment

The Parents Television Council spoke out against all attempts to block a broadcast decency amendment to the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill. The amendment is slated to be introduced and voted on by the Senate Appropriations Committee today. PTC Advisory Board Member and Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) will offer an amendment that is designed to protect children from inappropriate content on broadcast television by reinstating the FCC’s ability to prohibit the use of profanity and indecent images during times of day when children are most likely to be in the viewing audience. more


PTC Denounces Ultra-Violent TV Content and Calls on Industry to Shape Up

Parents Television Council President Tim Winter testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on the issue of television violence and the “Impact of Media Violence on Children” hearing today. He provided graphic examples of how brutal and gruesome television violence has become and took the industry to task for not dealing with the problem responsibly.  more

 

To read Tim Winter's full testimony, Click Here.


PTC: Court OK’s F-Word In Front of Kids

PTC President Tim Winter said, “As we predicted several months ago, a court in New York City has cleared the way for television networks to use the F-word and S-word in front of children at any time of the day. By a mere 2-1 margin, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has, in essence, stolen the airwaves from the public and handed ownership over to the broadcast industry.   more

 

Click here to send a message about this ruling to your representatives.


CBS Assaults Families With Grotesque Violence on NCIS

A recent episode of CBS’ NCIS reviewed by the Parents Television Council showed a horrifically violent drug scene during an early evening hour when children are most often found in the viewing audience. Not only did this air at the earliest hour of primetime, but the episode did not carry the proper television rating descriptors to warn parents about the gruesome material or to allow them to block the program using V-chip technology.   more

 

Click here to send your warning to the sponsors of NCIS.


Fox Deliberately Displays the "F-Word" During Prime Time Football Game

During a cutaway shot to the stadium spectators, the camera focused directly on a woman wearing a t-shirt clearly inscribed with the words "F--k Da Eagles" (without the dashes). The shot stayed focused on the woman and her shirt for several seconds. There can be no doubt that this was an intentional airing of patently offensive language on the public airwaves.
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Click here to file a complaint with the FCC about this broadcast.


PTC Files Amicus Brief in Support of FCC Ruling

On Wednesday, December 13, the PTC filed an Amicus Brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York City in support of the FCC's rulings that two instances of profanity aired on the public airwaves prior to 10:00 PM were, in fact, indecent. Unwilling to abide by the law and accept additional guidance from the FCC about what would be found indecent, the major networks have taken those rulings to federal court and now hope to undermine the very existence of broadcast decency law.