ABC fear FCC fines if they air "Private Ryan"

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Maybe it is because they fear actally showing the US audience what war 
is actually like. djf

ABC affiliates pulling 'Private Ryan'
Stations in 8 states will pre-empt broadcast of award-winning film due 
to concerns about indecency.
November 11, 2004: 12:21 PM EST


NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - ABC affiliates in at least eight states will not 
televise the network's broadcast of the World War II film "Saving 
Private Ryan" because they fear repercussions from U.S. regulators.

 Affiliates in Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, North Carolina, 
Ohio, South Carolina and West Virginia said they were worried about 
running afoul of the Federal Communications Commission in Washington.

WOI-TV in Des Moines, Iowa, for example, said it decided to pre-empt 
the Academy Award winning film, which depicts several violent battle 
scenes and contains foul language, over concerns about possible fines 
by the FCC.

"Would the FCC conclude that the movie has sufficient social, artistic, 
literary, historical or other kinds of value that would protect us from 
breaking the law?" WOI-TV President Raymond Cole said in a statement 
appearing on its Web site. "With the current FCC, we just don't know."

Janice Wise, spokeswoman for the FCC's enforcement bureau, told Reuters 
it had received calls from broadcasters asking if the film would run 
afoul of the agency's indecency rules. Wise said the commission was 
barred from making a decision before the broadcast "because that would 
be censorship."

"If we get a complaint, we'll act on it," she said.

But at least one watchgroup group that has urged the FCC to levy 
harsher fines for questionable programming said the broadcast should go 
ahead.

The group, the Parents Television Council, said in a statement on its 
Web site that "context is everything."

"We agreed with the FCC on its ruling that the airing of "Schindler's 
List" on television was not indecent and we feel that "Saving Private 
Ryan" is in the same category," it said. "In both films, the content is 
not meant to shock, nor is it gratuitous."

WOI-TV's Cole noted that the station is still concerned even though it 
has shown "Saving Private Ryan" in prime time on two previous 
occasions.

Since those broadcasts, however, the FCC has taken a strong stand 
recently against obscenity and profanity -- especially after the 
raunchy half-time show during the last Super Bowl telecast. Fines also 
have been levied for radio shows hosted by "shock jocks."

Another affiliate, WSB-TV in Atlanta, said it asked ABC for permission 
to air the film after 10 p.m. and to have the option to edit some of 
the scenes.

"ABC would not allow that, nor would it give permission for us to edit 
out the graphic language," said WSB-TV General Manager Greg Stone in a 
statement.

"With no options available regarding the preparation of the movie or 
altering the start time, we decided to pre-empt the network on this 
night," he added.

Instead, WSB-TV will air several programs produced by its staff.

A fellow affiliate, South Carolina's WSOC-TV, said in a statement on 
its Web site that ABC's contract with Steven Spielberg prohibits 
stations carrying the film to edit its content.

WSOC-TV said it made its decision to withdraw "Saving Private Ryan" 
amid the war in Iraq and concerns about FCC penalties.

In addition, Sinclair Broadcasting Corp.'s six ABC affiliates will not 
air the program, according to a spokeswoman for affiliate WGGB-TV in 
Springfield, Mass. Sinclair affiliates in North Carolina, West 
Virginia, Ohio, Alabama and Massachusetts were also affected.

ABC, a unit of Walt Disney Co. (Research), has said it is proud to air 
the 1999 film again.

"As in the past, this broadcast will contain appropriate and clear 
advisories and parental guidelines, and, as customary, we will provide 
advance screenings for ABC affiliates and advertisers," the network 
said in a statement.  

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http://money.cnn.com/2004/11/11/news/fortune500/savingpvt_ryan/ 
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