FCC Plans Maximum Fine Against WDBJ For Broadcasting Indecent Programming Material During Evening Newscast

The Federal Communications Commission intends to fine WDBJ Television (Roanoke, VA) $325,000 for broadcasting graphic and sexually explicit material during the station’s evening newscast.

The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau investigated viewers’ complaints that WDBJ aired a news report that included graphic sexual images taken from an adult film website in the report. This enforcement action would be the highest fine the FCC has ever taken for a single indecent broadcast on one station. The Enforcement Bureau investigated complaints surrounding a WDBJ news story about a former adult film star who had joined a local volunteer rescue squad. The investigation found that station staff obtained a sexually explicit video clip from an adult film website and broadcast those explicit images in the news report that aired at approximately 6 p.m. on July 12, 2012. The Commission’s enforcement action alleges that the broadcast of such explicit sexual content violated federal laws prohibiting the broadcast of indecent programming. The Commission plans to fine WDBJ $325,000, the maximum available penalty.