Super Bowl Halftime Stunt Angers NFL, CBS, FCC

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Tuesday, February 3, 2004 | JOE FLINT and ANNE MARIE SQUEO

[TroutStalker]

Before the Super Bowl, MTV promised on its Web site that "regardless of the outcome," singer Janet Jackson and other halftime performers would ensure the football game "goes down in history." Mission accomplished.

Monday, the Bush administration, the National Football League and a host of others reacted harshly to Ms. Jackson's halftime duet with Justin Timberlake, who tugged at her black bustier during the song and exposed her right breast, bare except for a metal nipple ornament.

[Banjoguy]

Motivation? Simple....follow the money. All protagonists played a role and were guilty before the fact.

A lot of verbage has been heard. We'll see if there will be any real action. My solution? Turn it all off. It will not be playing in my house. They can sell their garbage to someone else.

[camle]

OK, she admitted that this was not what she was supposed to do. don't pay her. AND don't pay MTV.

I bet MTV stock hit the toilet when word got out that there would be no more seven figure halftime shows. hope the NFL sticks to their word.

[StatesEnemy]

The problem with CBS "not paying" MTV is that their BOTH owned by Viacom.

[StatesEnemy]

What needs to happen is a 7 figure FCC fine

[Conspiracy Guy]

Give it a rest. Per Janet, "The whole thing was a mistake. Justin was supposed to expose my left breast. It was intended to send a message that women are abused in the entertainment world and my brother Michael has never touched a boob. Please by my new CD and video."

CG

[TheGeezer]

Call your local CBS affiliate and tell them them you are writing the FCC, asking the FCC to reconsider renewal of the license, in view of their poor custodianship of the public airwaves. The affiliate, the local licensee, has the responsibility not to air dirt.

Get the affiliates into an uproar. They will hammer CBS.

Ultimately, I'm hoping for 6-figure fines for each of CBS's 500 or so affiliates. CBS will have to pay them back. MTV will be largely unscathed, perhaps, but the bottom line would be a big hit to Viacom as a whole.

[randita]

I heard the lyrics of several of the songs that were performed read on a radio show yesterday. Despicable--smattered with graphic sexual descriptions and profanity. I'm not sure they were cleaned up for the Super Bowl because I couldn't understand any of the words of the singers. It just sounded to me like they were screaming nonsense. But the young skulls full of mush that were the staged audience around the podiums were singing along as if they knew the words by heart. Pretty scary.

[StonyBurk]

Problems were NOT just with the Jackson/Timberlake Stunt.
I did not watch the halftime halfwits.Haven't watched
that sewage since the Broncos' went to the Superbowl playoffs the first time. But I did see some of the
commercials that were broadcast-- and I did see the
reactions of some of the players to the streaker--and
DO agree with an AM talk radio host the entire production
(aside from the great football game) was bathhouse production/humor.essentially what is to be expected from MTV/ sewage--not entertainment.

[Fenris6]

"The decision to have a costume reveal - "

How rich. They even have a name for it.

"Hey Brittany, its time for your costume reveal"

What a farce.

[Dante3]

The has-been Janet must have been in a jealous frenzy since everyone talking not about her but about Britney, Madonna's, the Super Bowl, WMD, Saddam, Kobe, Scott P, Kerry's Botox. She was determined to get everyone talking about her instead and to upstage the Patriots & Panthers. And then, of course, her false apology would mean still more publicity.

[White Eagle]

Keeping MTV off the production list doesn't mean much. Now, suspending CBS from any NFL broadcast rights for 10 years or so would send a serious message, especially for an organization whose sense of dignity is somewhere between horse flatulence and a naked breast.

[TUX]

It seems you cant escape the scum even while watching a great game.

The Communist Broadcasting System will go down in infamy for the attack on an otherwise great super bowl. Looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, hey its a duck.

Duh...but nobody knew.

[sgtbono2002]

If only her red bra was supposed to be shown how come she wore the pasty? She is lying, MTV is lying, and CBS is lying. The FCC is lying also because they wont do squat. Bring back the bands to Football we dont need pornographic shows at half time.

[Loyal Buckeye]

To CBS, I say balderdash.

[FormerACLUmember]

Janet and Justin were disoriented by the coke cans they drank actually being spiked and filled with wine.

[eeriegeno]

What needs to happen is a 7 figure FCC fine

And double that 7 figure fine to all who are lying about the event.

If Ms Jackson didn't plan to bare her breast in this performance, she would not have been wearing an ornamental nipple ring......

[Conspiracy Guy]

Exactly it was all an innocent mistake. Wine and Cocaine can really disorient you! Let's show our support by going out and buying their latest CD's.

CG

[Bobby Chang]

Good thoughts.

When CBS was sold to UPN in 1999, I predicted some of this would happen. Look at the closed offices in Charlotte and Nashville, and also the number of laid-off employees when MTV took over.

I saw it coming early. The least the NFL can do is if they keep the NFL, take their turn out. If USA beats ESPN for the cable rights, then CBS should be banned until 2010 (XLIV) for the Super Bowl. If the deal is status quo, then 2009. (The reason if USA beats ESPN for cable rights matters relates with the fact the NFL can award NBC, which owns USA, the game in 2009 if USA wins the rights to the NFL in the next bidding.)

UPN might just strip CBS and have UPN bid on the games instead.