This has gone too damned far! You can steal an election, blow up innocent civilians, spread genetically altered foods that cause pancreatic cancer, but by cracky you don't fuck with a man's tv violence!
That's one critter too much fer skinnin'! That means no more westerns, Star Trek, boxing? I expect a collapse of the U.S. government by mid next year.
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http://worldnetdaily.com/news/articl...TICLE_ID=37503
MEDIA MATTERS
$500,000 fines
for violent TV?
Senate committee OKs measure to punish broadcasters, cable for more than obscenity
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: March 9, 2004
5:00 p.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
A Senate panel approved legislation today that would ban "excessive or gratuitous violence" from all television programming between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. in order to protect children.
The unprecedented prohibition on violence ? affecting basic cable and satellite TV as well as broadcast channels ? was added in an amendment by Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., reported Television Week.
The bill, passed 23-0, would raise fines for indecent broadcasts to as much as $500,000.
It also would block Federal Communications Commission media-ownership deregulation from going into effect for up to a year in order to allow completion of a government study. The General Accounting Office survey seeks to find whether media ownership consolidation has spurred indecent programming.
Under the measure, the violence provisions would go into effect only if an FCC study first confirms V-chip technology and voluntary industry programming ratings are not effectively protecting children, Television Week said.
But Hollings insists the case already has been made.
"Monkey see, monkey do. Children will mimic what they see on TV," he said, according to Television Week. "I just couldn't stand by and do nothing."
The measure would subject basic cable and satellite TV programming to indecency oversight for the first time. But an amendment by Sen. John Breaux, D-La., to hold basic cable and satellite TV programming to the same indecency rules governing broadcast TV failed by a 12-11 vote.
As it stands, the bill would require a fine of up to $275,000 for a station's first indecent broadcast, $375,000 for a second and up to $500,000 for a third.
The FCC would have the option of doubling the fine if it determines "aggravating factors are present."
Any broadcaster violating the prohibitions three times also would be subject to proceedings by the FCC to have its license revoked.
Another amendment allows broadcasters to adopt a code establishing a two-hour period for family viewing in the evenings.
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association said it would oppose the anti-violence initiative.
"As the U.S. Supreme Court has found, the subscription nature of cable service and the ability of cable customers to block unwanted programming through the use of tools offered by local cable systems strongly differentiate cable from broadcasting, which is distributed free and unfiltered over the air," said Brian Dietz, an NCTA spokesman, in a statement.
Dietz said the cable industry is committed to increasing it efforts to educate customers about tools available to block unsuitable programming.
"From a First Amendment standpoint, we continue to believe that there are less intrusive means to accomplish the objectives sought by this amendment," he said.
That's one critter too much fer skinnin'! That means no more westerns, Star Trek, boxing? I expect a collapse of the U.S. government by mid next year.
--------
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/articl...TICLE_ID=37503
MEDIA MATTERS
$500,000 fines
for violent TV?
Senate committee OKs measure to punish broadcasters, cable for more than obscenity
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: March 9, 2004
5:00 p.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
A Senate panel approved legislation today that would ban "excessive or gratuitous violence" from all television programming between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. in order to protect children.
The unprecedented prohibition on violence ? affecting basic cable and satellite TV as well as broadcast channels ? was added in an amendment by Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., reported Television Week.
The bill, passed 23-0, would raise fines for indecent broadcasts to as much as $500,000.
It also would block Federal Communications Commission media-ownership deregulation from going into effect for up to a year in order to allow completion of a government study. The General Accounting Office survey seeks to find whether media ownership consolidation has spurred indecent programming.
Under the measure, the violence provisions would go into effect only if an FCC study first confirms V-chip technology and voluntary industry programming ratings are not effectively protecting children, Television Week said.
But Hollings insists the case already has been made.
"Monkey see, monkey do. Children will mimic what they see on TV," he said, according to Television Week. "I just couldn't stand by and do nothing."
The measure would subject basic cable and satellite TV programming to indecency oversight for the first time. But an amendment by Sen. John Breaux, D-La., to hold basic cable and satellite TV programming to the same indecency rules governing broadcast TV failed by a 12-11 vote.
As it stands, the bill would require a fine of up to $275,000 for a station's first indecent broadcast, $375,000 for a second and up to $500,000 for a third.
The FCC would have the option of doubling the fine if it determines "aggravating factors are present."
Any broadcaster violating the prohibitions three times also would be subject to proceedings by the FCC to have its license revoked.
Another amendment allows broadcasters to adopt a code establishing a two-hour period for family viewing in the evenings.
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association said it would oppose the anti-violence initiative.
"As the U.S. Supreme Court has found, the subscription nature of cable service and the ability of cable customers to block unwanted programming through the use of tools offered by local cable systems strongly differentiate cable from broadcasting, which is distributed free and unfiltered over the air," said Brian Dietz, an NCTA spokesman, in a statement.
Dietz said the cable industry is committed to increasing it efforts to educate customers about tools available to block unsuitable programming.
"From a First Amendment standpoint, we continue to believe that there are less intrusive means to accomplish the objectives sought by this amendment," he said.
Comment