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Poynter Online - Thursday Edition: 'Saving Private Ryan' Controversy
ABC-affiliated TV stations across the country, concerned about FCC rules on indecency, are interrupting their November ratings period to dump "Saving Private Ryan" on Veterans Day. The concern is that somebody will file a complaint with the FCC over the movie's graphic content. It is not the extremely violent war scenes at the opening of the film that worries stations. It is the repeated use of the F-word that has TV stations backing off airing it. Station groups tell me that they estimate the F-word is used more than a dozen times in the movie.
And there's a lot of stations choosing not to air it, some opting for a different way to honor America's vets:
Instead of showing the film, the three Citadel stations will show a music program from 7 to 8 p.m. and the TV movie "Return to Mayberry" from 8 to 10 p.m.
I'm sure Dad would love that. My brother and nephew, though, may not be as touched.
I think it's a nice gesture by ABC to air the film, but in the post-Janet-Jackson media environment, just stupid to air it uncut. If CBS gets fined half a million bucks for a PG-13 moment, I hate to see what the FCC wants to inflict for twelve F-bombs. Though I do foresee some slack being cut for the sake of this movie. Easier to empathize with than Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson.
ABC-affiliated TV stations across the country, concerned about FCC rules on indecency, are interrupting their November ratings period to dump "Saving Private Ryan" on Veterans Day. The concern is that somebody will file a complaint with the FCC over the movie's graphic content. It is not the extremely violent war scenes at the opening of the film that worries stations. It is the repeated use of the F-word that has TV stations backing off airing it. Station groups tell me that they estimate the F-word is used more than a dozen times in the movie.
And there's a lot of stations choosing not to air it, some opting for a different way to honor America's vets:
Instead of showing the film, the three Citadel stations will show a music program from 7 to 8 p.m. and the TV movie "Return to Mayberry" from 8 to 10 p.m.
I'm sure Dad would love that. My brother and nephew, though, may not be as touched.
I think it's a nice gesture by ABC to air the film, but in the post-Janet-Jackson media environment, just stupid to air it uncut. If CBS gets fined half a million bucks for a PG-13 moment, I hate to see what the FCC wants to inflict for twelve F-bombs. Though I do foresee some slack being cut for the sake of this movie. Easier to empathize with than Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson.
