Spooked by recent indecency legislation and FCC fines, Sinclair B...
Spooked by recent indecency legislation and FCC fines, Sinclair Bcst. put off airing a documentary whose soundtrack includes cursing. Meanwhile, a TV watchdog group filed an FCC complaint over another show. Sinclair’s WGME-TV Portland, Me., and KGAN Cedar Rapids-Waterloo,…
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Ia., will air CBS’s 9/11 during the so-called FCC safe harbor period, later at night than originally scheduled. Sinclair wants to avoid the risk of fines now that Congress has hiked penalties tenfold, it said, citing “the refusal of the FCC to provide guidance in advance of this program” and rules that “promote censorship.” At least one other station is weighing similar action, a broadcast lawyer told us. CBS still plans to air the show at 8 p.m. Sept. 10 on stations it owns and still will offer it to affiliates at that time, a spokeswoman told us. “Given the current regulatory atmosphere, the decision by some stations to delay or preempt 9/11 even though it aired twice before in 2002 and will include appropriate audience warnings is regrettable yet understandable,” said CBS. Separately, Parents TV Council (PTC) said it filed an indecency complaint with the Commission over NBC’s Aug. 27 Emmy Awards show because it didn’t bleep 2 actresses saying “tits over ass.” An NBC Universal official didn’t immediately comment, and an FCC official declined comment. In related PTC news, PTC founder Brent Bozell will retire as pres. Jan. 1, to be replaced by Exec. Dir. Tim Winter.