FCC Is Investigating Super Bowl Show: Entire Halftime Performance Faces Indecency Standards Test

Washington Post ^ | February 3, 2004 | Frank Ahrens and Lisa de Moraes

[new cruelty]

The Federal Communications Commission launched an investigation into Sunday's controversial Super Bowl halftime show yesterday and FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell telephoned Mel Karmazin, president of CBS parent Viacom Inc., to express his outrage, saying the entertainment giant should have known what was going to transpire during the show.

The FCC probe will encompass the entire halftime program -- including the brief exposure of singer Janet Jackson's breast and the sexualized dance routine precipitating it -- to determine if it violates indecency standards set in law and enforced by the FCC.

If indecency violations are found, each of Viacom's 200 owned and affiliate stations could face a penalty of up to $27,500. FCC officials said the agency may also pursue penalties against CBS and the individual performers, Jackson and Justin Timberlake

[uvular]

If NFL consents to such half time shows in the future, then they better throw up the parental guide initial "R" at the top of the show to, at the very least, give parents and anyone else, the fair warning to turn the channel.

I'm not surprised if I see something like this on a cable channel, but sure don't expect it during a commercial network show in the early evening.

Also was ticked off at Pepsi's commercial featuring kids that had been caught downloading music. I'm glad FCC is investigating. If some folks don't, then it's time for them to rally and have their friendly congresscritter change the laws.

[JudgemAll]

Well well well, all I can say is that the attraction of attention through nudity is the real perversion, because good causes and not flesh should be the focus of TV. I agree with the FCC there, except that it is going after white colar type businesses ... it would not do that to blue colar types.

[Plutarch]

Americans are theological fools when it comes to nudity...What we need is an FCC that fosters civilized behavior.

There isn't anything particularly civilized about a guy ripping off a girl's top. Although, I suppose since he fostered some nudity, that makes it okay.

[new cruelty]

You left out... In 12 years...

President Johan Granholm's husband of 10 years, noted pedofile / abortionist Seth Blofield and their second husband, renown lawyer Joseph Siflbaum, who made his name in the landmark case winning reparations for the family members of the twin-tower 19, were spotted on national television sodomizing a number of farm animals. When asked to explain their actions, they offered no comment other than, "it just felt good".

[FITZ]

maybe you also owe an apology to your kids for not having the guts or the self control to turn the thing off!!!!

Sorry --- that doesn't cut it --- not in this case. If I paid for MTV and then complained about it, sure --- I have the right to not buy it --- and I don't buy it. If the Superbowl had advertised that there was going to be live nudity, then I could change the channel or forbid my kids to watch it. This was all about deception --- putting this kind of raunchy act into something that is advertised as wholesome --- football.

[RobbyS]

BTW. NFL.COM has nothing about the inciddnt on their website.

[Fenris6]

"Is everyone becomimg a sue happy ambulance chaser now?"

Nope, but its the only punishment these creeps will understand.

SOMETHING needs to be done - statements by Viacom & the NFL indicate they will just sweep this under the rug. America has a short attention span.

[Michael Barnes]

Nah, I'm not buying that. Your watching CBS, what did you expect? There's plenty of other channels you could watch. You could have tunred the channel during the half time show; it's not like you were not aware sean combs, nelly (stupid name BTW), Jackson and kid rock were going be on during half time.

Now, the streaker, Yeah, that was unexpected. But not alot the networks could have done with that.

Please, take your morals elsewhere. I'm not buying into what your trying to sell; "take back the airwaves" through "outrage". Next thing I know, Ashcroft will be covering up statues due to some boobs...;Ooops, that's already happened hasn't it?

Yeah, let's have a morality police...!!!!!!!!!!!

[new cruelty]

Next thing I know, Ashcroft will be covering up statues due to some boobs...;Ooops, that's already happened hasn't it?

I don't know if that actually happened or was just a joke.

[Fenris6]

"You could have tunred the channel during the half time show; it's not like you were not aware sean combs, nelly (stupid name BTW), Jackson and kid rock were going be on during half time."

Wrong again. For one, I have no clue who Combs and Nelly are. Secondly, I have a right to expect that CBS will uphold the FCC decency rules for a sports entertainment event they know is watched by children.

Parents have a hard enough time raising their kids in this culture without being ambushed by Viacom-slime.

[Dianna]

I don't know if that actually happened or was just a joke.

Yes, it did happen. The reason was that the juvenile photographers for the news outlets just couldn't resist shooting pictures that showed Ashcroft's head between two breasts. They also did it to people in the Reagan Administration.

[Michael Barnes]

Parents should be aware. If their not, maybe they shouldn't be parents?

Secondly, the whole "right" to not be offended thing..please. I go back and say, it's CBS. WHAT DID YOU EXPECT? Seriously? If you expected CBS to give you an honest shake, well, I'm laughing REALLY hard at you right now.

Hope ya learned your lesson.

I wonder what a "tit" being sucked by a newborn would do to you in a mall somewhere..You gonna call the cops? Gonna go and get offended?

I have an idea, let's put all women in burqa's, it's the only sure way to stem this type of problem!

It's YOUR HOUSE; YOU control what come's and goes in and out of it. Please, let's not give the gov't another reason to control something else...Our viewing habit's will dictate what is aired.

[NYCVirago]

I wonder what a "tit" being sucked by a newborn would do to you in a mall somewhere..You gonna call the cops? Gonna go and get offended? I have an idea, let's put all women in burqa's, it's the only sure way to stem this type of problem!

Straw man alert.

[Dianna]

Your watching CBS, what did you expect?

Please tell me which other CBS show has showed a man ripping a woman's clothes, the resulting nudity AND the woman's meek acceptance of it? Go ahead. They must do it all the time.

For some reason they were able to keep the camera off the streaker. They didn't show him at all.

[Dianna]

I wonder what a "tit" being sucked by a newborn would do to you in a mall somewhere..You gonna call the cops? Gonna go and get offended?

I have no problem at all with women breastfeeding in public. I have done it myself, and have never seen anyone wantonly waving their breasts around to be sexual in that situation.

Context is everything. Do I take my kids to art museums? Sure. That doesn't mean that Penthouse is ok.

[Timesink]

CBS had a seven second delay that they could have "cut away" from the Jackson breast revelation if they wanted to.

Seven-second delays are not SOP. The option is available, but it's rarely used unless the broadcaster has a reason to expect something bad is likely to occur (for example, during a car chase they'll turn on the delay so the public won't see the thief run over a pedestrian, or end up getting shot by the cops).

It's especially rare to have it used during sporting events, because a lot of people prefer to turn the sound off and use radio coverage as their audio while only watching the picture. If the radio broadcast and TV picture ended up being seven or eight seconds apart, the network would get tons of complaints.

[Michael Barnes]

Ripping a womans clothes...PLEASE..this was staged like there was no tomorrow.

[NYCVirago]

It's especially rare to have it used during sporting events, because a lot of people prefer to turn the sound off and use radio coverage as their audio while only watching the picture. If the radio broadcast and TV picture ended up being seven or eight seconds apart, the network would get tons of complaints.

I'm almost positive they had this delay for the World Series. I can't stand the Fox announcers, so I tried to listen to the radio ones and there was definitely a delay on the TV broadcast.

[Michael Barnes]

basis is still the same, breast showing. don't "strawman" me. At the time, almost all thought "pasty's" were used. Wasn't until drudge's links (and other's) that we knew different. House and TV are yours. It's up to the owner to make the decision of what to watch.

[NYCVirago]

Did you ever consider decaf?