As The Wardrobe Malfunction Turns...
In case you've forgotten the most memorable event of the 2004 Super Bowl (and no, we're not talking about Adam Vinatieri's last-second field goal), a federal appeals court today threw out a $550,000 indecency fine for Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" during the halftime show. The court said the fine levied on CBS violated the FCC's longstanding practice of not sanctioning broadcasters for "fleeting" incidents of profanity or obscenity.
With luck, this may be the last time this episode is in the news, so let's put it in context. We've done a lot of survey research on parents and we've found they have a difficult relationship with television. TV seems to be both inescapable and uncomfortable for most parents. Seven in 10 told researchers they'd been "shocked" by something they'd seen on television in the past year, and nearly half said they worry their child watches too much TV.
Banning television entirely did not seem practical to the parents we surveyed. Parents tell us they have to act on a long and difficult agenda as they try to ensure their child is safe, does well in school, and grows into a self-reliant adult. Given those challenges, it's no surprise that 85 percent said you have to "pick your battles – you can't fight our child over everything." With so many worries, many parents don't like what they see on TV, but also see television as a place to compromise – and perhaps not their most pressing concern.
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I'm one of those who is embarrassed and appalled by our TV media, whose managers' insatiable desire to push envelopes and further degrade offerings has seemingly been reined in mainly by the FCC. I'm now concerned that the Bush Administration's own ethical obliviousness in other areas (Justice Department appontments, Atty General Gonzalez, attempts to muzzle or censor professional agency employees, etc.) will create prejudices against any action by Bush appointees - in this case what I regard as justified penalties. It takes a lot to get hundreds of thousands of people to call in to stations! So I would not be surprised if the appeals court judges' action against the CBS fines might have been influenced by prejudice of this type.
Spokesmen for the networks always claim that they are providing what the audience wants, but there are more than suggestions that the media brass's inclination to sleaze, tastelessness, and exploitation of gross behavior is stronger than the public's. E.g. CBS held onto Howard Stern's TV program long after early advertisers bailed out and audience ratings sank to low levels.
nnamelet