Perhaps the most defining moment in TV in the past year occurred
during the Super Bowl halftime show, but Janet Jackson was nowhere
in sight.
Following the complaints, fines and media circus that
accompanied her breast-baring 2004 performance, CBS played it safe
this year with an aging Paul McCartney leading the crowd in a
sing-along of “Hey Jude.” He did take off his jacket,
but that was just to give to a fan, and he had a shirt on
underneath.
The performance reflected the ongoing decency debate that has
continued to surround television broadcasting. Television networks
were slapped with a record $7.9 million in regulatory fines this
year, and Congress recently passed legislation that would increase
the fine for broadcast indecency. A three-strikes policy was also
instituted that would lift the license of any company with multiple
violations. In an election year in which the rising political
influence of conservatives was attributed in part to “values
voters,” the fight over standards of violence, language and
sexual content proved especially visible.
Some feel the line was crossed when several affiliates of ABC,
fearful of repercussions by the Federal Communications Commission,
refused to air “Saving Private Ryan” in November due to
the extreme violence and language in the film.
“I believe that it was obscene to censor (Saving Private
Ryan),” said Robert Israel, a Design | Media Arts professor.
“People need to understand that war isn’t pleasant. We
don’t see the coffins coming back from Iraq and we should see
(them).”
Several other controversies over television content were well
publicized, including a racy “Desperate Housewives”
tie-in that ran during Monday Night Football, and more recently, a
Carl’s Jr. ad featuring Paris Hilton. It has also become
standard practice for major live events to be broadcast on delay to
avoid any indecent mishaps.
The rules of what is allowed on television, however, are
somewhat vague. Profane and indecent broadcasts can only air
between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Obscene material, however is not
protected by the First Amendment (Miller v. California, 1973) and
is illegal to broadcast at any time.
According to the FCC Web site, for something to be considered
obscene, “an average person … must find that the material,
as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest; the material must
depict or describe, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct
specifically defined by applicable law; and the material, taken as
a whole, must lack serious literary, artistic, political, or
scientific value.”
Still, network television continues to profit from mature
programming. One of the biggest new shows this year, ABC’s
“Desperate Housewives,” received a red light rating
from the Parents Television Council. On the PTC’s Web site,
online forms are available to file complaints with the FCC;
according to Mediaweek online magazine 99.8 percent of all
indecency complaints filed with the FCC in 2003 were through the
PTC. Shows are given traffic light colors in order to indicate
their appropriateness for children. Other shows rated as suitable
only for adults are “CSI,” “One Tree Hill,”
Lost” and “Arrested Development,” to name a few.
“The Simpsons” comes in with a yellow light. Yet many
of the red light shows receive the highest ratings.
“They are bringing in a lot of money. The studios are
going to think, “˜If it’s not broke, don’t fix
it,'” said second-year mechanical engineering student
Yen Nguyen. “I don’t know how much more shocking
(television) can get. But if (studios) could get away with it, they
would.”
Adult content may draw high ratings, but some college students
are concerned that some viewers may be too young. As the age gap
widens between them and children, the attitude of students may
change to become protective of younger viewers.
“The content is for adults but the people who end up
watching are 12-year-olds. Preteens think they are supposed to be
older than they are. Then they have problems fitting into society;
they get a message from society that tells them to act more mature
than they actually are,” said Julia Hicks, a third-year
geography student. “Then they think that they’re held
to different standards, that they’re supposed to look like
they’re 25. They grow up too fast.”
As a result, some feel the responsibility lies in regulating
content by target audience.
“In the middle of the day, shows should try to make their
content relatively innocuous,” said Patrick Jones, a
fourth-year linguistics student. “Later in the evening I have
no problem (with mature content).
As culture evolves, so do decency standards. Nguyen stated that
what is considered entertainment today, such as Paris Hilton and
sex tapes, would shock older generations.
“The media has become much more liberal and what we
consider taboo has changed,” Nguyen said.