Lone Activist Group Submits 99.8% of FCC Complaints 1373
andywebz writes "Mediaweek is reporting that complaints to the FCC are rising. Powell spoke before congress, detailing that the complaints are up from 14,000 in 2002, to nearly 240,000 in 2003. There were only 350 complaints during 2000 and 2001. Powell failed to mention however that 99.8% of those complaints came from PTC (Parents Television Council). The article does mention he may have been unaware of this fact. Jonathan Rintels (president of the Center for Creative Voices in Media) commented, 'It means that really a tiny minority with a very focused political agenda is trying to censor American television and radio.'"
Re:Somebody's gotta do it. (Score:2, Informative)
EVERYTHING offends these people, their jobs is to get people upset so they will donate money to them so they do not have to get real jobs.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, the fifth worst network TV show for families in this year's PTC's Top 10 Best and Worst Report, has licensed a line of toys for kids ages 8 and up. CSI features graphic scenes of blood, violence, and sex. Company Vice President and general manager of CBS Consumer Products, called it "the perfect addition to [a] successful licensing program."
Why is the PTC outraged that a highly-rated television show is creating a product for children? Because the CSI franchise often displays graphic images, including close-ups of corpses with gunshot wounds and other bloody injuries. Other graphic scenes have depicted cannibalism, a fully nude female corpse, and mutilated victims of a deranged killer. Sexual situations are extremely graphic. In the past, scenes included a brother and sister having sex, men receiving S&M beatings from a dominatrix in a sex club, pornographic snuff films, and a woman making a sex video for her 15-year-old stepson.
According to Broadcasting & Cable in a sweeps-season bid to boost ratings, CSI will enter what the CBS is describing as a fringe world of sex changes and transgenders. The show's 100th episode, which airs November 18 at 9/8 Central, is about a case of mistaken identity that begins with the murder of a transgender woman who's found brutally stabbed and mutilated. It will carry a parental advisory, "Due to adult content, viewer discretion is advised."
A CSI: Forensics Lab, which includes a microscope and fingerprinting kit, a CSI: DNA Laboratory and a CSI: Forensic Facial Reconstructive Kit (pictured above) is available now exclusively at Toys R Us. According to a CBS press release "the target age is 14 and up" but it clearly says "Ages 8 +" on the packaging.
The PTC doesn't think the recreation of blood, guts and gore should be under a child's Christmas tree this year. This so-called "toy" is a blatant attempt to market CSI and its adult-oriented content directly to children.
The PTC best/worst list of TV shows. (Score:2, Informative)
When emailed on this they refuse to respond.
They also hate Las Vegas because it has sexy women in it and Will and Grace because it has gay people in it.
They are about as far from main stream america as one can be.
Also 99% of those comments were the same (Score:3, Informative)
I think someone should start a form letter accusing Fox News of saying a bad word like "liberal" and we will just flood them with complaints till they get run out of business.
Credit where credit is due (Score:5, Informative)
Jarvis is a professional, but anyone can do this. Dig in and report. Many hands make for light work, and all that.
Michael Powell NYT Op-Ed (Score:2, Informative)
The quote I found interesting was, "Even so, there are important limits placed on the F.C.C. Our rules do not ban indecent content entirely; they merely restrict its broadcast during times in which children are likely to be in the audience, namely from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Courts have consistently held these rules constitutional, accepting that the government has a compelling interest in protecting children from inappropriate material."
If you think about it, all these fines and issues have basically been for "daytime" and "primetime" programming and not for "late night" shows.
Don't get me wrong -- this PTC group is ruining my bad television! Parents need to control what happens to their kids. JUST TURN OFF THE DAMN TV.
For what it's worth (Score:5, Informative)
I am all for showing sex and violence on TV but not when it is deviously smuggled inside shows billed "family entertainment".
And.. to those who say "change the channel", I have tried that as well. The sad fact is that there are hardly any alternatives because almost EVERY show is doing it. There are not many intellectually stimulating shows to watch - unless you want to watch PBS all the time.
I, for one, am glad that there is atleast someone holding the purveyors of dreck accountable - even if they go overboard sometimes.
Re:F the FCC... (Score:5, Informative)
They have [parentstv.org]:
Information about Broadcast Obscenity/Indecency Laws:
The Courts have said that obscene material is not protected by the First Amendment and cannot be broadcast at any time. To be considered obscene, material must meet a 3-prong test:
1. An average person, applying contemporary community standards, must find that the material, as a whole, appeals to the prurient (arousing lustful feelings) interest;
2. The material must depict or describe, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by applicable law; and
3. The material, taken as a whole, must lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.
Indecency is defined as language or material that, in context, describes or depicts, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community broadcast standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory organs or activities. Indecent programming contains patently offensive sexual or excretory references that do not rise to the level of obscenity. As such, the courts have held that indecent material is protected by the First Amendment and cannot be banned entirely. It may, however, be restricted in order to avoid its broadcast during times of the day when there is a reasonable risk that children may be in the audience. As such, broadcasts -- both on television and radio -- that fit within the indecency definition and that are aired between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. are subject to indecency enforcement action.
Re:What about Howard Stern (Score:5, Informative)
The Oprah Winfrey Show Transcript
Thursday, March 18, 2004
Clip One
Oprah: Lets talk about that secret language Michelle.
Michelle: Yes
Oprah: I didn't know any of this
Michelle: I have yea, I have gotten a whole new vocabulary let me tell ya
Oprah: I did not know any of this
Michelle: Salad tossing, cucumbers, lettuce tomatoes ok
Oprah: ok so so what is a salad toss?
Michelle: ok a tossed salad is, get ready hold on to your underwear for this one, oral anal sex, So oral sex with the anus is what that would be.
Clip Two
Michelle: a rainbow party is an oral sex party it's a gathering where oral sex is performed and rainbow comes from all of the girls put on lipstick and each one puts her mouth around the penis of the gentleman or gentlemen who are there to receive favors and makes a mark um in a different place on the penis hence the term rainbow
Re:What about Howard Stern (Score:2, Informative)
The only difference is Oprah was talking about it in a "this is so terrible, can you believe it" type of way, and Howard thought it was funny.
But, exact same context.
Tell them how you really feel (Score:2, Informative)
settled out of court (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Let's anti-protest! (Score:2, Informative)
You may file a written complaint and mail it to:
FCC
Enforcement Bureau, Investigations and Hearings Division
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554
or
You can file at fccinfo@fcc.gov
or
Toll Free:
1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice
1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) tty
Re:Let's anti-protest! (Score:2, Informative)
That's all the guidance they're given -- "patently offensive."
And when 99% of their mail comes from a group that finds bare shoulders "patently offensive," their so-called enforcement is going to be skewed.
Already this year, the FCC has levied over $2.1 million in fines because of the fringe groups' mobilization. The 2003 total was a mere $440,000.
If we mobilize, let them know that censorship isn't the political will of the people (or at least all people), then we at least stand a chance of not being drowned out.
For a larf, check out the PTC's letters of complaint, many of which can be found at http://thesmokinggun.com
And remeber SpeakSpeak!
Re:PTC (Score:5, Informative)
Re:PTC (Score:3, Informative)
Please keep in mind that we will not post letters that contain vulgar language and/or non-constructive comments.
Read: If we're going to censor things we disagree with, dammit, we're going all the way!
Re:Stupid parents... (Score:2, Informative)
Its nice to know that even when you try a back-handed apology, you only slap yourself.
Re:Powell not qualified (Score:4, Informative)
The guy's a political appointee (appointed by Clinton, initially, too). I'd say that he's there because somebody who likes him has political pull. That makes him perfectly qualified for this position, since that's the only qualification for these political appointee jobs.
He's taking an interest, and he's trying to get the bureaucracy to do what he thinks is right. That kind of tilting at windmills takes courage. It's more than a lot of political appointees do. M. Powell has been taking the technocrats' advice at least part of the time; in particular, I'm thinking about some of the bandwidth auctions, which were highly recommended by some economists. I'd say that he's not just mindlessly following a party line, neither the line of the Democrats who first put him there, nor the line of the Republicans who put him in nominal charge.
If you don't like what he's doing, well, that doesn't make him wrong, just as your approval wouldn't make him right.
Re:I don't think so. (Score:3, Informative)
Never attribute to malice....
Adelphia is run by greedy, largely ignorant assholes. These are the people who once cut my cable off because I wasn't sending them payments on the bills coming in marked "do not pay, this will be deducted automatically". When I confronted them, I was told it was my own fault because I wasn't explicitly looking at my bank statements for their autotmatic charges.
I imagine this has more to do with the fact that Adelphia - indeed, cable in general - is the worst, least customer-centric "service" on the planet. Be smart, go satellite if you can.
Re:PTC (Score:3, Informative)
It wouldn't be from Slashdot if it didn't contain a grammar error in the very first sentence, I suppose....
Congress were told...
FYI: "Congress" is a singular entity. 'Were' is the imperfect indicative plural of 'be'. You want 'was'.
Normally I wouldn't care, of course, but when you're sending things which you desire action on, it's best to be reasonably accurate when it comes to spelling and grammar.
Re:PTC (Score:1, Informative)
I often enjoy "Will & Grace" from NBC on Italian networks. I think it offers new, fresh perspectives on such topics as homosexuality, alternative sexual practices and free love, all in a funny and merry way. Important themes are delivered in a comprehensible, safe language which is fit for both anxious parents and their young kids.
It is always a good thing when such modern shows are from the United States, a country all too often unjustly berated of bigotry, religious extremism and obtusity. Shows like "Will & Grace" both improve our perception of modern-day living, and the image of your country to a foreigner's eyes.
Thank you, FCC Commissioners. Thank you, America.
N.B.: I did submit this crap with real data. Am I gonna get sued for this or what?
Re:Let's anti-protest! (Score:2, Informative)
Re:I don't think so. (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Small group... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:PTC (Score:1, Informative)
https://www.parentstv.org/ptc/action/lawki/main.a
scroll down and check out the synopsis, i didn't know there was such good stuff on tv! i'm going to stop reading slashdot a bit and find out what time this show's on
Required reading about the people touting "values" (Score:4, Informative)
Lastly, all this attention on the PTC [parentstv.org] should not divert attention away from the thoughtless actions of the American Family Association [afa.net], who according to an NPR report the night of Veteran's Day, were poised with thousands of people ready to lodge complaints to the FCC about stations that were going to air "Saving Private Ryan" [google.com] in commemoration of Veteran's Day.
It looses much of its impact... (Score:5, Informative)
That will get the letter put in the 'loony left' bucket quicker than anything.
Also, using the phrasing of "Until you discover that 99.8% of all complaints
Quickly rushing out a poorly worded email does nothing for the cause I'm afraid.
Responsibility (Score:3, Informative)
Damn right. We need more people willing to stand up and say "it's my responsibility." More power to you!
First Amendment (Score:2, Informative)
Comment removed (Score:3, Informative)
Percentages (Score:2, Informative)
Re:PTC (Score:3, Informative)
But that's how the tyranny of the "moral" works: If a network refuses, PTC launches a giant campaign about "What are they afraid of? What are they trying to hide?" as well as "They're picking on us, a right-minded fair group." News outlets would, hand-wringingly, report on the accusations because they are "news" (because other news outlets say they are). The network takes a real black eye, PR-wise. To avoid that, they'll pre-emptively knuckle under and grant the permission.
Re:I don't think so. (Score:3, Informative)
There are not a lot of democrats that are religious fundamentalists but he is one.
Re:Dear PTC activists (Score:3, Informative)
Re:They must be stopped. (Score:3, Informative)
If you are going to do ratings, at least be consistent.
"really a tiny minority" or "a million members"?? (Score:3, Informative)
As I scanned the posts here, I began to wonder why no one even checked the "About Us" page of the PTC. "Now nearly a million members strong and growing every day..." Then I remembered that most of you had already made up your minds that anyone complaining to the FCC must be evil.
These guys are submitting complaints because their members want them to, and have given them money to do exactly that, so they wouldn't have to do it themselves. This is what lobbying is about. Farming out your activism because you don't have the time and energy to do it yourself. It's not a "small minority." It's a really big organization.
Regardless of what you think about the substantive issues here, this looks like a group with broad support. And there is a vast group of people in this country that agree with their campaign... They re-elected Bush.