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Feb 2, 2004  •  Post A Comment

CBS Affils Denounce Halftime Antics

Reactions from CBS affiliates and Washington advocacy groups started pouring in soon after the Federal Communications Commission announced Monday it will investigate the baring of Janet Jackson’s breast during the live Super Bowl halftime show.

“I think we have a real brouhaha brewing,” said Bob Lee, chairman of the CBS affiliates advisory board, who had been hearing from unhappy CBS affiliates all morning.

Mr. Lee said he expects the affiliates board to decide during a previously scheduled conference call Tuesday morning what action to take and “whether it’s more appropriate to discuss it privately [with the network] or go public.”

He said it is clear the affiliates will need some kind of guarantee from CBS that no inappropriate incidents will be broadcast during the Grammys at 8 p.m. Sunday, “otherwise stations are going to have to do it themselves.” To delay and bleep, if necessary, at the local level “is a little complicated, but it can be done,” Mr. Lee said.

“I’m just keenly aware that you couldn’t pick a worse time for something like this,” he said, referring to the confluence of regulatory and legislative heat caused by a rash of obscenities getting past network censors and on the air during live broadcasts and the networks’ battle for the right to own more local stations.

Among the watchdog groups expressing outrage was the Parents Television Council, which said it has asked the FCC to wallop every CBS affiliate that aired the halftime program with a “hefty” fine.

“Despite promises from MTV that the live halftime show would feature something outlandish, CBS took no steps to prevent Justin Timberlake from exposing the breast of mega-pop star Janet Jackson during the live performance,” said PTC President L. Brent Bozell III, who also urged Super Bowl advertisers to demand refunds from CBS. “The performance, including the offensive material, was obviously scripted,” Mr. Bozell said.

Focus on the Family spokesman Daniel Weiss said the FCC deserves some of the blame because of its controversial staff decision last year that U2 rocker Bono’s use of the F-word on NBC during the 2003 Golden Globes did not run afoul of indecency prohibitions.

“After the FCC ruled in October that Bono’s use of the F-word was not indecent, we have seen a steady torrent of coarse, degrading and indecent material on broadcast television,” Mr. Weiss said. “It’s not surprising that the FCC has opened an investigation, considering that this gross display is the direct result of decades of institutional malaise at the agency.”

Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Recipients Named: Ten daytime drama actors will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) during the 31st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, which will be broadcast live on NBC Friday, May 21, from Radio City Music Hall in New York.

Rachel Ames (“General Hospital”), John Clarke (“Days of Our Lives”), Jeanne Cooper (“The Young and the Restless”), Eileen Fulton (“As the World Turns”), Don Hastings (“As the World Turns”), Anna Lee (“General Hospital”), Ray MacDonnell (“All My Children”), Frances Reid (“Days of Our Lives”), Helen Wagner (“As the World Turns”) and Ruth Warrick (“All My Children”) will be honored this year in a break from the tradition of paying tribute to one individual.

Cho Named CNN Correspondent: CNN has hired Alina Cho, who most recently anchored and served as correspondent for “ABC News Live” online, as a New York-based general assignment correspondent for weekends. Ms. Cho was an anchor at CNBC before joining ABC News as a correspondent for NewsOne, the ABC affiliates news service. She also substituted as anchor on “World News Now” and “World News This Morning.”

Washington Reacts to Super Bowl Halftime Show: Soon after the Federal Communications Commission announced this morning that it will investigate the baring of Janet Jackson’s breast during the live Super Bowl halftime show, reactions in Washington started pouring in.

Among the watchdog groups expressing outrage was the Parents Television Council, which said it has asked the FCC to wallop every CBS affiliate that aired the halftime program with a “hefty” fine.

“Despite promises from MTV that the live halftime show would feature something outlandish, CBS took no steps to prevent Justin Timberlake from exposing the breast of mega-pop star Janet Jackson during the live performance,” said L. Brent Bozell III, PTC’s president, who also urged Super Bowl advertisers to demand refunds from CBS. “The performance, including the offensive material, was obviously scripted,” Mr. Bozell said.

Daniel Weiss, a spokesman for Focus on the Family, said the FCC deserves some of the blame because of its controversial staff decision last year holding that U2 rocker Bono’s use of the F-word on NBC during the 2003 Golden Globe Awards did not run afoul of indecency prohibitions.

“After the FCC ruled in October that Bono’s use of the F-word was not indecent, we have seen a steady torrent of coarse, degrading and indecent material on broadcast television,” Mr. Weiss said. “It’s not surprising that the FCC has opened an investigation considering that this gross display is the direct result of decades of institutional malaise at the agency.”

FCC Launches Jackson Performance Investigation: The Federal Communications Commission has launched an investigation into the exposure of Janet Jackson’s breast during CBS’s live coverage of the Super Bowl halftime show Sunday night.

By Sunday night, CBS and MTV, the producer of the halftime show, had issued statements of apology.

In a statement issued Monday morning, FCC Chairman Michael Powell said he was outraged. “Like millions of Americans, my family and I gathered around the television for a celebration,” Mr. Powell said. “Instead, that celebration was tainted by a classless, crass and deplorable stunt. Our nation’s children, parents and citizens deserve better.”

Mr. Powell said he has ordered an immediate FCC inquiry. “Our investigation will be thorough and swift,” he said.

CBS Television and Viacom’s MTV apologized for the incident.

“CBS deeply regrets the incident that occurred during the Super Bowl halftime show,” the network said in a statement, which went out in the name of CBS Sports spokeswoman Leslie Anne Wade. “We attended all rehearsals throughout the week and there was no indication that any such thing would happen,” CBS said. “The moment did not conform to CBS broadcast standards and we would like to apologize to anyone who was offended.”

Added MTV in its unsigned statement: “The tearing of Janet Jackson’s costume was unrehearsed, unplanned, completely unintentional and was inconsistent with assurances we had about the content of the performance. MTV regrets this incident occurred and we apologize to anyone who was offended by it.”

Some published accounts cited sources claiming CBS executives knew the Jackson-Timberlake duet would end with Mr. Timberlake tearing off the leather bra cup to reveal Ms. Jackson’s breast and bejeweled nipple.

A story had been posted Sunday afternoon on MTV’s Web site that had promised “some shocking moments” during the halftime performance. By mid-afternoon Monday, that story could no longer be found, but there was a story headlined “Janet, Justin, MTV Apologize for Super Bowl Flash.”

The story quoted earlier statements of apology from MTV, CBS and Mr. Timberlake, and added, “Ms. Jackson did not release an official statement after the game, but her representatives told MTV News that she apologizes for the incident.”

An enlarged photo of Ms. Jackson’s bare breast showed snaps that were positioned to enable the leather bra-style cup to break away when tugged.

Mr. Timberlake released a statement saying: “I am sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl. It was not intentional and is regrettable.”

A spokesman for AOL, the sponsor of the halftime show, said he was unaware that any statement would be coming from the maiden Super Bowl advertiser, since “we had no role o
n the production or choreography.”

Critics were still chiming in Monday, and the switchboard at CBS headquarters in New York was still under siege at midday.

FCC Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy cheered the call for investigation in a statement: “I am shocked and dismayed about what occurred during the halftime show of the Super Bowl. Particularly during an event that families and children watch together, Americans should not have to tolerate such a gratuitous display of nudity. Broadcasters should have more respect for their viewers and exercise a greater degree of social responsibility than what was shown last night.”

“I am pleased that this commission is opening an immediate investigation into last night’s broadcast,” the statement said. “I hope that we can be responsive to the concerns raised by the American people by addressing this matter expeditiously.”

Super Bowl Gets Record Ratings: Super Bowl XXXVIII on CBS seems headed into the ratings record books as the most watched ever.

Preliminary Nielsen Media Research data indicates the Super Bowl was seen by more than 140 million viewers, registering a 44.2 rating/63 share in the 55-market overnight ratings.

It appears that the game, in which the New England Patriots beat the Carolina Panthers by a field goal, will register as the highest-rated since 1998 (44.4/65).

The postgame show ratings dropped to a 35.0/50 and “Survivor: All-Stars,” which did not start until nearly 11 p.m. (ET), registered a 20.2/33, the best post-Super Bowl numbers since 2001, when “Survivor: The Australian Outback” racked up a 25.3/38.

MTV ‘Unlikely’ to Produce Halftime Show Again: The NFL has distanced itself from the Super Bowl antics that have resulted in an FCC investigation, issuing a statement Monday suggesting MTV has blown its chance to work again on the halftime show.

“We were extremely disappointed by elements of the MTV-produced halftime show. They were totally inconsistent with assurances our office was given about the show,” Executive VP Joe Browne said in the statement. “It’s unlikely that MTV will produce another Super Bowl halftime.”

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue added in a statement later Monday: “The show was offensive, inappropriate and embarrassing to us and our fans. We will change our policy, our people and our processes for managing the halftime entertainment in the future in order to deal far more effectively with the quality of this aspect of the Super Bowl.”

During the halftime performance by Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, Ms. Jackson’s right breast was exposed after Mr. Timberlake tugged on her costume.

O’Neal Apologizes for Obscene Comments: As if to prove that it never rains but it pours, Los Angeles’ KCAL-TV, which is owned by CBS and MTV parent Viacom, on Sunday carried a Los Angeles Lakers-Toronto Raptors game that was followed by an obscenity-laden tirade by Shaquille O’Neal. When the interviewer protested that the Lakers star could not speak like that on live TV, Mr. O’Neal uttered another curse word in dismissal of the interviewer’s concern.

Because the same interview was heard by ESPN viewers, some observers Monday noted that while KCAL-TV, as a local broadcast station subject to content regulation by the FCC, could be fined, ESPN, as a cable channel free of FCC regulation, could not be fined.

Mr. O’Neal joined the list of people issuing statements of apology Monday. “I would like to apologize to anyone who was offended by my interview on KCAL-TV at the conclusion of yesterday’s game,” he said. “My comments were made out of frustration in the heat of the moment, but I realize that my choice of words was inappropriate and again, I would like to apologize.”

President Bush Proposes Spectrum Fees for Federal Budget: President Bush has resurrected a proposal to hit TV stations with $500 million in annual spectrum fees in his federal budget for fiscal 2005. Under the plan, commercial stations would have to start paying the fees in 2007, then continue paying them every year thereafter, until they return their analog TV channels to the federal government.

The president has included similar proposals in previous budgets. But in the wake of opposition from broadcasters, Congress has refused to enact them. The fees are supposed to serve as an incentive to encourage broadcasters to make the switch to their digital channels. Also in his budget, the president proposed to give the Federal Communications Commission new authority to assess additional “user fees on unauctioned spectrum licenses based on public-interest and spectrum-management principles” starting next year.

Gannett Reports Q4 Profit Increase: Gannett, the newspaper giant that also owns 22 television stations, said Monday that it recorded a 3 percent increase in fourth-quarter profit to $358 million, or $1.32 a share, from a year-earlier profit of $347 million, or $1.30 a share, driven by robust gains in advertising revenue, which offset a drop in TV revenue. Revenue for the McLean, Va.-based company rose 6 percent.

For the year, Gannett’s profit rose 4 percent to $1.21 billion, or $4.49 a share, from $1.16 billion, or $4.31 a share, on a 4 percent revenue increase to $6.7 billion.

The company’s television operation saw its revenue tumble 14 percent to $196.7 million in the fourth quarter, and 7 percent for the year to$719.9 million-the result of a sharp drop-off in political advertising spending, particularly in the fourth quarter.

Charter ITV Reaching 1 Million Subs: Doing its part to prove that interactive television is a profitable proposition, ITV provider Digeo said its service now reaches more than 1 million Charter cable subscribers. The ITV service has also reduced churn in the markets where it’s deployed. More than 67 percent of customers use the ITV service overall, while 20 percent use it at least 13 times per week, Digeo said. Charter offers Digeo’s ITV service in 22 markets, including the most recently launched markets: St. Louis and Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.

Cable Center Completes Campaign, Launches Another: Seven years after kicking off its initial $52.6 million capital campaign, the Cable Center has completed that fund-raising effort to the tune of more than $60 million and has launched a second capital campaign. This one, with a goal of $65.5 million, is earmarked for ongoing educational programs and activities.

During the past few months, the center has accepted pledges for more than $15.7 million toward its new $65.5 million goal.

The center should raise the additional $50 million to complete this round within the next three to six years, said Robert Russo, president and CEO of the Cable Center. The bulk of the money, about $40 million, will be used to create a general operating endowment for the center. “All the education programs will be funded in perpetuity through that,” Mr. Russo said.

The new campaign money will also fund staffing, additional building and construction and technology upgrades. More than 1,400 donors have contributed to the Cable Center since the first capital campaign in 1997, he said.

INHD Plans Aggressive February HD Lineup: iN Demand’s high-definition channel, INHD, announced a number of new programming initiatives today, including E!’s foray into high-definition programming for the first time with HD coverage of the pre-Oscar festivities. “Live Countdown to the Academy Awards,” from noon to 6 p.m. (ET), and “Live From the Red Carpet: Academy Awards,” from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (ET) Feb. 29, will be carried in standard definition on E! and in high definition on INHD.

Other INHD programming in February includes live and taped HD coverage of portions of the PGA Tour’s Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Tournament later this week, doggies in HD with live coverage by USA Network of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Feb. 9 and 10, and HD coverage of TNT’s NBA All-Star Game Feb. 15.