FCC Upholds Viacom Indecency Settlement

FCC UPHOLDS VIACOM INDECENCY SETTLEMENT
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
The FCC has rejected a challenge to its 2004 consent decree with Viacom that settled a host of radio and TV indecency complaints and about a dozen proposed fines against Infinity radio stations. In denying the challenge, the FCC said that despite those indecency findings, it had no "substantial and material questions" about Viacom's fitness as a licensee. Indecency fines are levied against individual stations, not radio or TV networks. As part of the settlement, Viacom admitted some of the material was indecent, paid $3.5 million to the treasury, and adopted a company-wide compliance policy to prevent a repeat of the "indecent" broadcasts, including putting a delay on live radio and TV programming. For its part, the FCC agreed to dismiss all proposed radio fines and complaints against radio and TV -- with the exception of the Janet Jackson complaint--and not to use any of the dismissed complaints, or complaints about other past shows, against the company in the future. In essence, Viacom got a clean slate. The two groups, the Right to Decency and the American Decency Association, had challenged the decree, arguing that the FCC was allowing Viacom to buy basic character qualifications to hold its TV and radio licenses. The Commission disagreed, saying that if it did not think Viacom was still qualified to hold its licenses, it would not have struck the deal.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6382130.html?display=Breaking+News

* FCC Denies Petition Regarding Viacom and Infinity Radio
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-06-153A1.doc

See also --

* FCC Denies Application for Review of Radio X Broadcasting
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-06-151A1.doc

* FCC Denies Petition Regarding Emmis Communications
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-06-152A1.doc

* FCC rejects Christian group's challenge to Viacom indecency settlement
http://lasarletter.com/freepage.php?id=200610171