More FCC Crackdowns: 'Retroactive Fines' ???? Bono of U2???
 

FCC Cites Stern, Bono for Indecency
Thu Mar 18, 7:30 PM ET Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!


By JONATHAN D. SALANT, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Federal regulators continued their crackdown on indecency Thursday, issuing a fine for a broadcast of the Howard Stern radio show and ruling that an expletive uttered by rock singer Bono on NBC violated broadcast standards.



The Federal Communications Commission (news - web sites) proposed fining Infinity Broadcasting the maximum $27,500 for a Stern show broadcast on WKRK-FM in Detroit.


The FCC (news - web sites) also overruled its staff and said that Bono's expletive during the 2003 Golden Globe Awards (news - web sites) program was indecent and profane, but issued no fine.


FCC Chairman Michael Powell had asked his fellow commissioners to overturn the FCC enforcement bureau's finding.


The FCC also proposed fining a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications $55,000 for a broadcast on two Florida radio stations where the host conducted an interview with a couple allegedly having sex.


The fines are the latest in a stepped-up campaign by the FCC to crack down on indecency. Critics have said the commission failed to aggressively enforce rules, leading to a coarsening of the airwaves.


Federal law bars radio stations and over-the-air television channels from airing references to sexual and excretory functions between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., when children may be tuning in. The rules do not apply to cable and satellite channels or satellite radio.


The FCC received hundreds of complaints about the Golden Globes broadcast after Bono, the lead singer of the Irish rock group U2, said, "This is really, really, f------ brilliant."


The enforcement bureau said last October that Bono's comment was not indecent or obscene because he did not use the word to describe a sexual act. "The performer used the word ... as an adjective or expletive to emphasize an exclamation," the bureau said.


To avoid a repeat incident, NBC aired this year's Golden Globes broadcast on a 10-second delay. ABC did the same with its telecast of the Academy Awards (news - web sites) show.

Bono will tell them to fuck off...either way he can afford it ;)

this is getting reallll serious

The FCC said today any use of Fuck on TV or Radio will get fined.

I'll take Kerry's higher taxes on the wealthy over this Gestapo regime anyday.

heehee.

goobers at the fcc taking on bono. this should be fun! :thumbsup

For the sake of freedom, somebody call Bush so he can send a few soldiers to remove those FCC opressors.

DONT HATE ME

BURN A FUCKING CHURCH AND GIVE THEM SOMETHING ELSE TO FEAR.

:glugglug

Bono isn't being fined; nobody is 'taking him on'.

Howard stern: lol:helpme

wanna guess what stern will be talking about for yet another 3 hours tomorrow?

it's getting scary...when the govt. does shit like this, the crazies think it's ok to come out of their caves, and we'll see all sorts of extremist activity.

you say tomato...

It's real bad or good depending on how you look at it.

I listened to an LA rap station and all the songs were like watered down.

Normally you get lots of bleeps and shit, now it sounds like suburban kids are doing all the rap music.

What gets me is how bitch-assed the other celebrities are about all this. They don't stick together. So now they're getting fucked raw in the sunshine.

All the musicians and broadcasters should team up and dogpile the FCC and Bush admin but they won't because they're all pussied out.

This is funny watching these assholes get just what they deserve for not standing up in the first place.

You know how bad things are getting when KFI 640am in Los Angeles starts bitching and complaining about the FCC and Bush. They were the biggest supporters of Bush. They're a Clear Channel station too. Now KFI is scared to do anything anymore and are ragging on Bush and the FCC. Fuck em'! They sucked his ass when he was running for president because they thought having a Republican president meant they could run roughshod over minorities but that all backfired on their dumb asses.

Like the old saying goes,

"You lay down with Ferengi and you'll wake up with tube-grubs."