Greg B

FCC Plans New Round of Indecency Fines Targeting Broadcasters, Stern
Fri Mar 5, 4:05 AM ET


NEW YORK -- Amid a widening and increasingly politicized campaign to clean up the nation's airwaves, regulators are proposing fines against many of the nation's major radio companies for carrying well-known "shock jocks," Federal Communications Commission (news - web sites) officials told The Wall Street Journal.




About a dozen cases are being finalized, these officials said, and one target is Howard Stern, one of the nation's most popular and controversial radio hosts. The FCC (news - web sites) is deciding on penalties against his employer, Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA - News)'s Infinity Broadcasting. Also facing further scrutiny are Emmis Communications Inc. and Clear Channel Communications Inc. (NYSE:CCU - News) , the nation's largest radio owner, which last week took Mr. Stern's show off six of its radio stations and fired a controversial -- and oft-fined -- Tampa, Fla., radio host, Todd Clem, known as "Bubba the Love Sponge."


Bowing to public pressure, the agency also plans to reverse its earlier finding that singer Bono's use of a vulgarity on live television during the 2003 Golden Globes broadcast wasn't indecent, possibly as soon as next week, officials said. However, it won't impose what could have been a multimillion- dollar fine against General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE - News)'s NBC network, which carried the event, or its affiliates.


The flurry of new cases is the latest sign of a sweeping federal crackdown on controversial content beamed over television and radio airwaves. Congress has held a spate of hearings in the last two months to decry what some legislators call a "race to the bottom" by broadcasters. While a move to act against questionable material had been under way before, it was ignited by this year's Super Bowl broadcast, in which entertainer Janet Jackson's breast was exposed during the halftime show to the embarrassment of broadcaster CBS, a Viacom unit, its affiliates and the FCC.


Feeding the push is an increasingly charged, and polarized, political atmosphere in which cultural issues such as obscenity and gay marriage have become hot topics as the general election campaign heats up. Lawmakers of both parties have been implicitly and in some cases openly threatening legislative action if regulators don't step up their enforcement of existing decency standards.


Wall Street Journal Staff Reporters Anne Marie Squeo and Joe Flint contributed to this report.

Mutt

i posted about this earlier, Howard received an anonymous phonecall yesterday telling him what's going down - he expects to be off the air shortly and says he doesn't expect his friend Mel Karmazin to fight for him, he realizes this is much bigger than Mel or CBS/Viacom.

sad day for Stern fans and sadder for anybody with a brain in their head who understands the importance of free speech.

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Joesho

WOW its like deja vu all over again....

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uvort

It really is...I think the whole thing is pretty fucked up...free speech yet they are trying to regulate it....fuck man...

I love Howard Stern listen to him every morning

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aflex

I'm glad Stern is going off on the Bush Administration. I think they are behind this 100% through Clear Channel. Someone posted a good article about that subject the other day.

His First Amendment as a broadcaster is being violated bigtime.

Vote Kerry

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hova

Sad day for Stern fans indeed

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Greg B

L.A. Performer Thrown Off the Air Over Obscenity
Thu Mar 4, 9:32 PM ET Add Entertainment - Reuters to My Yahoo!


By Gina Keating

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A popular Asian-American radio commentator has been thrown off a Los Angeles public radio station for using a four-letter word, becoming the latest casualty in the cultural war over obscenity on the airwaves.



Commentator Sandra Tsing Loh said her use of the f-word in a prerecorded segment was an editing error but what KCRW-FM's general manager Ruth Seymour said on Thursday was that Loh made calculated use of obscenity in a politically charged time.


"It is the equivalent of the Janet Jackson (news) performance piece and there is not a radio or TV programmer today who does not understand the seriousness involved to the station," Seymour said, referring to the now infamous breast-baring halftime show for the Feb. 1 Super Bowl.


She rejected Loh's contention that the station had been at fault. "It her responsibility to deliver a program that is ready for broadcast," Seymour said.


Loh, 42, learned on Monday from Seymour that her six-year run on KCRW-FM had abruptly ended a day after the station aired her three-minute riff on a Bette Midler (news) concert she attended and in which her musician husband played.


"My husband, my soul mate, my ROOMMATE of 15 years -- he sleeps LATE, doesn't LISTEN, moves my STUFF around. But he DOES play guitar for Bette Midler on her MASSIVE new STAGE show. There are times he STANDS within five FEET of her!," the script read. "So I guess I have to f&*k him."


Although the quirky, uneven cadence of Loh's delivery makes it appear that the segments materialize in her mind as she walks into the recording studio, they are carefully scripted, she told Reuters.


"We discussed it and (the engineer) said, 'Say it and I'll bleep it out," Loh said.


The irony of the incident is that she feared Midler would be angry about her commentary and fire her husband.


She finds equal irony in being mentioned with shock jocks like Howard Stern, who recently lost several stations over obscenity claims. She noted that she just completed a five-part series on knitting.


"It's shocking and I would never have toyed with saying that," Loh said. "Of course I shouldn't say that word on the air. It was never intended to be on the air."


Loh will remain an occasional commentator on Minnesota Public Radio's Marketplace, syndicated to about 300 U.S. stations, and as a reviewer for Atlantic Monthly.


"We don't see any reason why we would change our relationship with (Loh) because it wasn't on our air," Marketplace Executive Producer J.J. Yore said. "This is really an unfortunate situation and that it happened at a time of such heightened sensitivity."

benc

Kerry seems to have no problem with it. Be careful who you label folkheros. Look at Flynt's site, cleanest paysite in the industry.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...rn_3&printer=1

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Nysus

The HUGE problem with this which should worry all of us in the adult industry is that they are considering indecency the same as obcenity.

Indecency is allowed on TV but only after 10pm because children could be flipping by. Obcenity is not ever allowed.

The line of what content is obcene and indecent is always moving.

Yes, Howard Stern's show is indecent and all of his listeners know that. The problem I guess they could bring up is that minors could flip through the radio channels and start listening to inappropriote material for their age. Mind you, shouldn't parents be responsible for what their kids listen to.... of course that's impossible in total.. but they should be watching and listening for what their children listen to.. "at all times."

Cheers,
Matt

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Someone owes me $2,000 because they didn't do any work that was paid for *pointing at pr0 / William / UntouchedMarkets*

See https://gfy.com/fucking-around-and-business-discussion/948258-untouchedmarkets-pr0-refund-money-post16744521.html and for more detailed see https://gfy.com/fucking-around-and-business-discussion/948645-re-recent-bullshit-drama-explained-detail-pr0-untouched-markets.html

uvort

I dont like Bush or Kerry

There was a post yesterday "fuck voting stay at home and drink beer"

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CE_BigB

Nothing in life is free....



... even speech




BIG B

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Nysus

Kerry seems like the smartest and most level-headed person I have ever heard running for president. Fucking eh!

I think Kerry will help the US immensely and run for at least two terms.

Cheers,
Matt

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Someone owes me $2,000 because they didn't do any work that was paid for *pointing at pr0 / William / UntouchedMarkets*

See https://gfy.com/fucking-around-and-business-discussion/948258-untouchedmarkets-pr0-refund-money-post16744521.html and for more detailed see https://gfy.com/fucking-around-and-business-discussion/948645-re-recent-bullshit-drama-explained-detail-pr0-untouched-markets.html

Jimbo#1

I just don't get it. If howard is so damn horrible that they feel they have to get him off the airwaves why is is so popular. Can't they see that he is popular because thats what we WANT to hear, and if we don't we can just turn the channel

benc

Heh, good point, but cigarettes and booze are really popular too and they kill you.

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Greg B

I'm tellin' you guys, I worked in mainstream communications companies for 20+ years. I know these guys inside and out. That's what got me into the adult business because it was a way I could protest this shit.

I tell you now, that prior to the election, the FCC and Bush will go after the internet. Imposing fines for the most minimal shit as they see it as a cash cow. They're already gearing up for a big internet tax assault.

You mark my words, this will be their achilles heel. When all is said and done by the time the people and broadcasters and webmasters stand up and kick ass you wouldn't be able to melt down and pour a republican in the white house for decades at least.

This is war folks. An attempt by a control group using us as a means for suppression.

Better stand up now or expect to spend the rest of your days on your knees.

socalcash

I cant believe any of you would make a post about preffer to stay at home and drinking beer instead of voting....dont you all realize how important this election is...

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sperbonzo

It's going to really funny to watch how outraged all you Kerry supporters will be when.....if he wins.....nothing changes, the FCC keeps on doing what they are doing, the goverment keeps on cracking down on porn, etc, etc, etc

This stuff is coming from BOTH sides of the house and senate. Watch c-span sometime and see. This is a cultural shift in the US overall.

The people who think that this is all about Bush and that it will all stop if Kerry wins are being very naive. You are living in a fairyland

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socalcash

sperbonzo,

You are wrong.

Anyone want to break out the history book since the 70's.

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Mutt

oh i know it's not all about Bush. but that doesn't change anything, it's still an attack on free speech and the attack on so called 'shock radio' is going to look like child's play when compared to how they clean up the Internet from pornography.

The FCC is an anachronism, and its powers are dangerous when wielded by an overzealous president being urged on by religious fanatics who want to impose their view of the world on everybody else and restrict any other view from seeing the light of day.

Nobody but a nutbar religious looney can say this is good, even if you don't like Stern and his ilk.

Children shouldn't listen to the Howard Stern Show, they shouldn't be surfing Internet porn sites - but the answer isn't banning either of them. In Stern's case, children don't even listen
to talk radio of any kind, not even sure many kids listen to morning radio of any type much these days with MP3 players around.

This isn't about children, never was and never will be.

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jimmyf

What you and I want 2 hear main stream does not want 2 hear. They don't want there kids 2 hear it. Most are using Radio, TV, and the Internet as baby sitters. Times are changing.

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jimmyf

YEP you got it right on

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ibuydomains

Howard Stern: "I'm asking you to do one favor. Vote against Bush."

chrisp420

the government only does things when they make $$ off it, that should tell all you overly patriotic people something.

love your country, fear your government.

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sperbonzo

Think what you will, but if Kerry wins, I'll say "I told you so" next year, when things are going in the same direction and you are screaming that Kerry "betrayed" you.

sorry

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The Truth Hurts

been listening to him all week..
and the only conclusion I can make is that stern is a seriously uninformed hypocrite.

he's been bitching about free speech to no end, while bashing mel gibson for his movie to no end.

he's bashed o'reilly for keeping it a secret that he's in business with mel gibson, when o'reilly discloses that fact every time he mentions gibson.

he's he's equating michael powell with the bush admin.....
yet clinton is the one that nominated him for the job.

also, he seems to be one MAJOR drama queen.

he should stick to talking about tits, and chicks pussy farting along to enya.

Axeman

Can't believe the overreaction the FCC is having right now. Stern hasnt changed in 10 years, why start now?

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Keev

Howard stern will just turn to Internet Radio

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titmowse

"Michael K. Powell, a member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), was recently appointed by President Bush to serve as chairman of the commission."

http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m.../article.jhtml

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Mutt

there's not enough money in Internet radio - u can't reach 10 million people on the Internet from 6-10 AM.

if he gets fired he'll take on the challenge of satellite radio, both satellite radio companies went after him hard a few years ago, offered him more money than the 20 mil a year CBS is paying him.

but the government now wants to regulate satellite radio as well which is preposterous and it turns out Clear Channel has a major stake in one of the two big satellite radio companies.

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mackey

No he won't.

He has too much pride for that.

If he's kicked off the air, or when he retires in 2-3 years. He's done.

Foxe

Agree 100% - Finally someone gets it. Webmasters need to learn the legal difference between indecency and obcenity before a judge is explaining it to you. The legal definition of obcenity changes depending on what party is in power. It's been decades since it's gotten this bad.

I'm all for drinking a beer, but do it after Bush is out ;)

The Truth Hurts

Like I said... nominated by clinton.

Mr. Powell, a Republican, was nominated by President William J. Clinton on July 31, 1997, and confirmed by the United States Senate on October 28, 1997.

http://www.fcc.gov/commissioners/pow...biography.html

CamChicks

The difference is Stern is not imposing millions of dollars in fines against the people he disagrees with. Stern is not threatening to revoke anyone elses right to broadcast. Free speech is the right to express your opinion, talk as much shit as you want . . and if someone doesn't like it, they have the right to respond. WITH WORDS. nothing more severe.

When the government starts punishing people for what they say.. either directly or thru this smoke and mirrors proxy, whereby they extort the press (radio/tv stations) to remove the (popular) offender .. then the population of that country cannot be called "home of the free".

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titmowse

nominated as a commissioner. bush made him chairman.

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Cyborg69

anything new?

stev0

That's rediculous... Censorship is such bullshit. You guys need to get off your ass's and vote that christian nut of a president out of power.

Mutt

what she said

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The Truth Hurts

in favor of another one?

Furious_Male

Well said. It is important to note that this crack down just so happens to be occuring around election time as well. Its not all Bush but he has a huge part in this.

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baddog

yeah, brilliant . . . that is why Bush won last time, and will win again this time

sperbonzo

I'll say this one last time.....though I know you guys don't want to beleive it

IF KERRY WINS IT WILL BE EXACTLY THE SAME.....THIS IS COMING FROM BOTH PARTIES. WHEN THE DEMOCRATS CONTINUE THIS, THEY WILL CLOAK IT IN ANOTHER FORM, BUT THIS WILL CONTINUE. I BEG YOU GUYS TO WATCH CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS SOMETIME.....IT IS COMING FROM BOTH PARTIES.



never mind.......but you guys are in for a HORRIBLE disappointment if Kerry wins.

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axelcat

That sucks howard is the man

baddog

so, what are you saying? that it is inevitable and nothing can stop it?

ibuydomains

Kerry is the lesser of two evils