I guess I'm gonna have to tell 'em,
That I got no cerebellum:
U.S. regulators have proposed nearly $1.2 million in indecency fines against Fox for its reality program "Married By America," the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said Tuesday.
The FCC sought to fine 169 Fox television stations for violating decency standards when they aired an episode of the short-lived reality program, featuring scenes from Las Vegas bachelor and bachelorette parties.
The FCC said it proposed fining the stations $7,000 each for airing the episode on April 7, 2003 that showed sexually explicit and graphic scenes at a time when children were likely to be watching.
The agency voted 5-0 in favor of fining the stations after receiving 159 complaints. Not all Fox affiliates aired the show.
The FCC has been cracking down on television and radio stations for decency violations after singer Janet Jackson bared her breast during the televised Super Bowl game halftime show earlier this year.
159 whole complaints. 159 people were thick enough to watch something called Married by America - on FOX, no less - and then complain because it didn't feature candid home videos of groomsmen getting kicked in the crotch by the flower girl or the bride with her train tucked into her pantyhose. Or something. And so...rather than change the channel to Waltons reruns or simply turn the TV off and pick up the latest Chicken Soup for the Chump Ass Sucker with More Money than Brains' Soul, they complain to Michael Powell and company, who happily oblige by handing out a cool million in fines.
It's apparent now that the FCC is out for nothing less than the complete and utter elimination of free broadcast media. That can be the only explanation, right? Surely the FCC doesn't want something as asinine as returning our airwaves to those salad days of June Cleaver and the ethnic comedy stylings of Amos 'n Andy...does it? Can you broadcast obscene material in Morse? Howard Stern announced his move to satellite radio last week, thereby clearing out a key earner for the organization. Someone less lazy and/or more sober than me needs to check how much Time-Warner and Viacom stock reside in the portfolios of Powell, Abernathy, Copps, Martin, and Adelstein.
I get more than 159 visitors a day here. Do me a favor and send a complaint to the FCC about Seventh Heaven and Joan of Arcadia. I pointed out the "indecency" inherent in the disrespectful way the latter forces the Lord to dress like a goth, and complained about the "obscene" lack of Jessica Biel midriff-baring in the former.
Better yet, complain about the appalling lack of trash talk in last night's debate. Who wants a measured discussion of the issues with nary an, "You got SERVED, Bush!" or the President entering the auditorium to the strains of "Guess who's back? Dubya's back."
Just Michael? I thought it was a family problem.
159 complaints about whipped cream, and Fox gets fined.
18 Senators and more than 50,000 petitioners complain about Sinclair blatantly violating equal time provisions and trying to abuse the public airwaves to influence the election... no fine, no action.
Yeah. Okay. Michael Powell is George W's bitch.