PTC Calls for KREM-TV to Investigate How Porn Made it to Live Broadcast

LOS ANGELES (October 20, 2021) – The Parents Television and Media Council (PTC) has asked KREM-TV, Spokane, Wash., to investigate how pornographic material made it on air during a live news broadcast on Sunday, October 17.

In a letter to KREM President and General Manager RJ Merritt, PTC President Tim Winter wrote the following:

On behalf of the 1.4 million members of the Parents Television and Media Council across the nation – and especially the thousands of PTC members who live within the Spokane DMA – I am writing to you regarding the airing of pornographic material by KREM during Sunday’s 6:00 p.m. news broadcast.

I sincerely and urgently call on you to investigate how the pornographic material made it to your air, to immediately terminate the employment of those who are responsible, and to report back to the public what specific actions you took.

As I’m sure you are aware, it is illegal to air indecent material between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. over the publicly-owned airwaves. As a licensee of the broadcast spectrum, a violation of the congressionally-mandated and FCC-enforced indecency law can warrant financial sanctions up to $325,000 per incident. The FCC has levied fines for similar such violations as the one KREM appears to have committed.

We appreciate that station management cannot always control the actions taken by rogue employees. But station management can control the way in which it responds when its employees knowingly cause something like this to happen. And let there be no suggestion that the airing of the pornographic content might have been an “accident” or a “mistake.” Someone with the wherewithal to pass that content through the control room did so intentionally. If it were not aired by someone’s design, why is it always porn that gets aired “by accident” instead of innocuous content?

It is indeed unfortunate that this situation has arisen, as I’m sure it does not reflect the values of the TV station or its leadership. That is why it is vital for the station to levy swift and public accountability on the perpetrator[s]. The bold actions you take should serve to mitigate the potential financial penalties the station might face. We look forward to your response.