Personal rant here... In the statement by commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate she seems to threaten that the fine would be worse if the show aired today. (So the stations should be thankful?) She also says that "(t)he law is simple(.)" and that "(t)his is neither difficult to understand nor burdensome to implement." I don't know about the difficult to understand part (is it really just a time issue?) and I don't want to hide behind a technicality, but it is not easy to make sure that content that airs after 10 PM on both coasts does so in all the other time zones. "American families continue to be concerned about protecting children..." by monitoring what their children watch! Broadcasters put in parental advisories and "V-chip" triggers to do what *they* can to help. Actually, I am surprised how often my set-top box blocks a program, even during the day, on all kinds of channels. I also wish there was a way to determine if these complaints were made by people who actually saw the event and were offended by it. There is a back story about how a group may have orchestrated a letter-writing campaign against programs such as this in general, and this episode in particular. Do commissioners actually read these complaints or just weigh them on a scale? End of rant. Ken Hunold -----Original Message----- From: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of John Shutt Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 11:37 AM To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [opendtv] Re: NYPD Blue commotion ----- Original Message ----- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx> > My question is, especially in view of the last quote above, how come > only the OTA affiliates and OEOs are socked with this fine? How come > each MVPD net that aired it between 6 PM and 10 PM isn't also being fined? From the Notice: "Although we are informed that other stations not mentioned in any complaint also broadcast the complained-of episode of "NYPD Blue," we propose forfeitures against only those licensees whose broadcasts of the material between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. were actually the subject of viewer complaints to the Commission." NYPD Blue aired from 10-11 PM Eastern and Pacific time. Hence only the Central and Mountain references. As for Dennis Franz, again from the Notice: "Three principal factors are significant to this contextual analysis: (1) the explicitness or graphic nature of the material; (2) whether the material dwells on or repeats at length depictions or descriptions of sexual or excretory organs or activities; and (3) whether the material panders to, titillates, or shocks the audience." Apparently Denis droping his towel in the locker room wasn't sexy. John ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways: - Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org - By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line. ----------------------------------------- This message (including any attachments) may contain confidential information intended for a specific individual and purpose. If you are not the intended recipient, delete this message. If you are not the intended recipient, disclosing, copying, distributing, or taking any action based on this message is strictly prohibited. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways: - Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org - By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.