.
I received this reply
to my message (above) from Commissioner Michael J. Copps of the FCC:
Thank you for your message
concerning indecency on the public airwaves. I appreciate having the
benefit of your views. I recently wrote an op-ed piece on the "Race
to the Bottom" expressing my great concern about programming and
its effects on our children and families. It is attached and I hope you
will have a chance to look it over. I am also forwarding your e-mail to
the appropriate enforcement authorities within the FCC. Again, thanks
for getting in touch
"A Race to the Bottom"
A race to the bottom is
never pretty, but it seems especially ugly when it involves broadcasters
saying they must push the limits on decency in order to compete against
the often prurient offerings of other channels. Is cable running liquor
ads? Then claim you must do the same in prime time, as NBC did. Need
higher ratings for Sweeps Week? Just roll out a lingerie show, as ABC
did in November. Forced to compete against the Super Bowl? Parade
Playboy playmates on Fear Factor, as NBC just did. Concerned about
declining ad revenues at your radio station? Unleash your drive-time
shock jock to troll the depths of decadence.
That shock-jock mentality
once was restricted to a few late night talk shows. Now it is
commandeering broadcasting's corporate suites, where the question is not
whether to tolerate an occasional indecency, but how to push the
envelope to fatten shareholder return - notwithstanding the statutory
obligation every broadcaster has to serve the public interest. Congress
could enact new laws that protect both our kids and the First Amendment.
But those who oppose such new statutes often tie them up in court for
years.
The good news is that there
are laws on the books now that, if enforced, could reduce the need for
far-reaching new ones. These laws, already upheld by the courts,
prohibit broadcasting of indecent programming when children are likely
to be tuned in.
The Federal Communications
Commission (FCC), of which I am a member, is supposed to enforce these
laws. Unfortunately we have a dismal record of going after offenders.
Our standard operating procedure for radio indecency complaints is to
place the burden on the offended listener to provide tapes or
transcripts of allegedly indecent shows. But most of us don't keep tape
recorders running as we listen to the radio.
The best approach would be
for those using the public spectrum to do what is right in the first
place. Rather than pursuing the usual Washington route of legislation,
regulation and adjudication, let's ask the people who could fix it best
to fix it now - voluntarily.
Most radio stations do not
keep tapes or transcripts of their programs. Let's ask them to do so
voluntarily. If stations kept these tapes for several weeks after
broadcast, the commission, upon complaint, could access those records
and relieve complaining citizens of an unnecessary burden. Individual
companies and station groups are beginning to act. The Walt Disney
Company, for example, recently promised to retain tapes of its radio
stations' programming for 60 days after broadcast.. This isn't the
result of
legislation or of government
regulation. It is enlightened self-regulation - and responsible
citizenship.
For years, the broadcast
industry practiced responsible citizenship using a voluntary code of
conduct. The code clamped effective restrictions on the presentation of
sexual material, violence, liquor and drug use, even on excessive
advertising. The code also affirmed broadcaster responsibilities toward
children, community issues and public affairs.
It didn't always work
perfectly, but it was a serious effort based on the idea that we can be
well entertained at levels several cuts above the lowest common
denominator that now dictates so much programming. Sadly the code was
abandoned by the industry in 1983 after narrow parts of it dealing with
ad restrictions were struck down on antitrust grounds.
I call upon our radio, TV
and cable chieftains to announce by Easter that they will craft a new
code this year. Wouldn't that be Springtime in America for millions of
concerned families?
I hear daily from Americans
fed up with the patently offensive programming invading their homes. I
hear from parents frustrated with the lack of choices available for
their children. I even hear from broadcast station owners that something
needs to be done.
The industry's power brokers
would be well advised to heed these calls now lest continued
intransigence reaps them more drastic remedies in the future. Industry
can fix the problem voluntarily. If it won't, government may have to
halt the race to the bottom.
Michael J. Copps became a
member of the Federal Communications Commission in May 2001.
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Our entertainment and
It's effect on our society.
I have long been
troubled by the trend of the entertainment media to disregard high moral
values and to promote instant gratification and selfish behavior as the
norm.
This page reflects my views and the views of others on the subject. |
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"A Race to the Bottom"
Michael J. Copps
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The
World of Grandpa Don
www.plefka.net |
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