Further to Tuesday’s discussion of the nature of “buttocks” on television (remember, that word needs to be read in the style of Forest Gump), it would seem churlish not to at least draw attention to further developments in the row between the FCC and ABC over said anatomy appearing in an episode of NYPD Blue from 2003. Let’s just read that again, shall we? Yes, that was an episode of NYPD Blue from 2003…
It seems that by drawing attention to this particular example of indecency on US network television so far after the fact, it seems that some wag has posted the offending clip on Youtube, resulting in it being accessed some 1.3 million times in two days, as reported by the venerable IMDB yesterday. That works out at about a dollar per person in relation to the $1.4m fine said to have been levied against ABC and the network’s affiliate stations.
So by slapping a fine on ABC five years down the line, all the FCC has done is lead lots of people to access a clip, out of context. And it’s still there for more people in the Youtube demographic to come and view. Again and again. Oops!
Even more insane, as reported here, is that the Parents Television Council, the body that generates most of the complaints about TV in the US, has actually posted the offending clip on its very own website, with the very helpful:
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT!
in large, friendly letters. Talk about red rag to a bull. They might as well have just written “FREE PORN” and had done with it.
This has to be my favourte story of broadcasting insanity so far this year. And good lord, we’ve barely started!
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