The Blues Bothers

So, last week, the FCC made some news reports with its upholding of its $550,000 fine against CBS and 20 affiliates for the Nipple-that-shall-never-be-seen-again as well as a proposed $3.6 million against CBS and its affiliates for the "Pool Party" episode of Without a Trace (which showed a "sexually charged" high school orgy; see more at EarthTimes).

But lost in these more sensationalist headlines was the fact that the FCC also proposed fines against the PBS documentary series, The Blues, for uttering the F-word--yet, it declined to fine ABC or its affiliates for airing the non-edited version of Saving Private Ryan. Here's some more background from an editorial from today's WaPo:

One particularly disturbing aspect of the ruling involved a Martin Scorsese-produced documentary, "The Blues: Godfathers and Sons," broadcast by a community college public television station in San Mateo, Calif. The documentary included scenes in which musicians and a producer used numerous profanities. The FCC, citing a previous decision that profanity in "Saving Private Ryan" would not subject broadcasters to indecency fines, noted that "in rare contexts, language that is presumptively profane" will still be allowed "where it is demonstrably essential to the nature of an artistic or educational work or essential to informing viewers on a matter of public importance."

But the commissioners didn't find that standard was satisfied in the case of the documentary, whose educational purpose, it said, "could have been fulfilled and all viewpoints expressed without the repeated broadcast of expletives." Really? How do they know better than, say, Mr. Scorsese? As commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein, a Democrat, wrote in dissenting, "It is certain to strike fear into the hearts of news and documentary makers, and broadcasters that air them, which could chill the future expression of constitutionally protected speech." This is a dangerous kind of line-drawing -- one better left to filmmakers, or even television executives, than government bureaucrats.

And some more from today's Studio Briefing (at IMDB) about this controversy:

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said Friday that the agency's decision to fine broadcasters for airing indecent language depends in part on "context." Asked at a news conference why the FCC allowed broadcasters to air Saving Private Ryan, which has numerous uses of the f-word throughout, but fined PBS stations for airing the documentary The Blues, which also does so, Martin replied, "We look at how integral the words are, how easy it could've been to have the same effect without using those words." Martin also indicated that the commission looked into programs about which it had received "thousands of complaints." However, critics of its decision-making process pointed out that virtually all of those complaints were generated by a single group, the conservative Parents Television Council. In a statement on Friday concerning the FCC's actions, Tim Winter, PTC executive director, said, "The airwaves must remain safe for families when children are likely to be in the audience. Those who violate the public trust are breaking the law and must be punished accordingly."

All I can say is, this is fucking ludicrous. Use your V-chip, a bit some common sense, and a touch of familial conversation to let the kids know that what Muddy Waters just uttered isn't necessarily respected in polite society and that they shouldn't follow his lead. Or, just throw away your TV and rent Veggie Tales videos and keep your kids in the dark about the nuances of the world.