Media Firms, Artists Back Bono Over FCC

[ASUmusicMAN]

Media Firms, Artists Back Bono Over FCC

April 19, 2004, 5:12 PM EDT

NEW YORK -- Media companies, artists and civil rights activists joined together Monday to protest a ruling last month by the Federal Communications Commissions against the musician Bono of the group U2 for his use of an expletive on last year's Golden Globes broadcast.

CBS owner Viacom Inc. participated in the challenge, as did Fox Entertainment Group Inc., the American Civil Liberties Union, the Screen Actors Guild, the comedians Penn & Teller and Margaret Cho, and others.

Last month the FCC commissioners overruled their staff and declared that Bono's use of an expletive while accepting an award on television was indecent and profane. However, they did not impose a fine since they had never before said that practically any use of the expletive violated its rules.

That ruling came on the same day that the commission also announced three fines for what it deemed indecent radio broadcasts, two against Infinity Broadcasting, including one for a Howard Stern show, and one against a unit of Clear Channel Communications. Infinity is a subsidiary of Viacom.

The group said in a statement that the FCC's ruling against Bono was "chilling free speech across the broadcast landscape," prompting broadcasters to abandon live programming and to drop or heavily edit classic rock songs such as "Who Are You" by The Who and "Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou Reed.

FCC spokesman David Fiske declined to comment on the group's filing, which is called a petition for reconsideration.

The FCC did not immediately return a call for comment.

The incident in question occurred at last year's Golden Globe awards, when Bono said "This is really, really, f------ brilliant." The FCC received hundreds of complaints afterward.

In its ruling, the FCC rejected earlier findings that occasional use of that word was acceptable. The FCC's own enforcement bureau had ruled last October that Bono's remarks weren't obscene because they didn't describe a sexual act.

Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/...opentertainment

[DudeAsInCool]

Media companies, artists and civil rights activists joined together Monday to protest a ruling last month by the Federal Communications Commissions against the musician Bono of the group U2 for his use of an expletive on last year's Golden Globes broadcast. CBS owner Viacom Inc. participated in the challenge, as did Fox Entertainment Group Inc., the American Civil Liberties Union, the Screen Actors Guild, the comedians Penn & Teller and Margaret Cho, and others.

About time someone stood up to these sanctimonious jerks :good job:

[Kooperman]

CBS owner Viacom Inc. participated in the challenge, as did Fox Entertainment Group Inc., the American Civil Liberties Union, the Screen Actors Guild, the comedians Penn & Teller and Margaret Cho, and others.

I hope they don't ask Teller to testify....

[Redneck4sure]

CBS owner Viacom Inc. participated in the challenge, as did Fox Entertainment Group Inc., the American Civil Liberties Union, the Screen Actors Guild, the comedians Penn & Teller and Margaret Cho, and others.

I hope they don't ask Teller to testify....

Or George Carlin.

[Ken]

Media companies are whores.

Don't be fooled by their brief, 10 second defiance.

They only do, what increases their cash flow (popularity with the "rebels" = sell to them), and that is it. They're a business.

Oh, and fuck them, all of them.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck shit ass?

yepFU alternatingFU countdown2FU [2finga'salute] :horny: :poop: :shootin: :duck hunt:

Edited April 20, 2004 by Ken

[Redneck4sure]

I think I agree with ken but he wasn't very clear on how he felt.