Focus on the Family is teaming with TiVo, the maker of the popular digital video recorder, to protect children from harmful television programming. The ministry is dedicated to meeting the needs of parents, and that includes helping them make wise media choices.
Traditionally known as the Family Hour, the first hour of prime time was once a place for programming the whole family could enjoy. A new study by Parents Television Council has found that in recent years, however, the broadcast networks have pushed more and more adult-oriented programming to the early hours of the evening.
Three-and-a-half years after an ill-advised Super Bowl halftime stunt in 2004 gave America a nine-sixteenths second view of Janet Jackson's right breast, the regulatory and legal fight over the Federal Communications Commission's record indecency fine has arrived at the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
A Nielsen Media Research study reveals that an average cable subscriber pays for 85 channels, but only watches 16. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said that needs to change.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is increasing obscenity prosecutions. In recent months, four major charges have been handed down, meaning peddlers of some of the most explicit material out there will finally see their day in court.
An effort by Senator Brownback to grant the Federal Communications Commission more authority to regulate indecency on the airwaves has been derailed in the Senate. Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), the chairman of the Commerce Committee, has promised to take up the issue of broadcast decency in his committee next week.
Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, a contender for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination, will make an effort to explicitly grant the Federal Communications Commission authority over fleeting expletives on the broadcast airwaves -- authority a federal appellate court recently said the agency does not have.
Two congressmen will be joined by FCC chairman Kevin Martin today at a Capitol Hill press conference to announce the introduction of the "Family Choice Act." The bill is designed to help parents protect their children from indecent and violent material on television through those programming options.
A U.S. appeals court recently struck down a key pillar of the federal government's crackdown on indecency on broadcast TV, ruling that regulators' tough new ban against even fleeting vulgarities is "arbitrary and capricious."
Parents Television Council has recently released a new report indicating violence on television has risen 75% since 1998, making it even more important for parents to monitor their kids' TV viewing habits. And while filtering devices such as the V-chip are good precautionary measures to take, they do not filter out all violence and objectionable material.
The Senate Commerce Committee recently struck down a bill that would require cable companies to offer customers a la carte cable packages. Senator John McCain (R - Ariz.) proposed the the amendment to give cable consumers more choice in what content enters their home and to allow them to only pay for the channels they choose to watch. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin supports the a la carte initiative but cable companies believe it would dramatically hurt the industry.
Four television networks and their affiliates have filed an appeal, challenging the Federal Communications Commission's indecency rulings. ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox are opposed to the recent federal indecency fines levied against the networks for objectionable language. The networks are hoping to prove the FCC's ruling is unconstitutional and reduce government control over the airwaves.
Cable a la carte programming is gaining more momentum as studies reveal consumers would save about 13% on their monthly cable bill. Endorsed by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin, a la carte programming would allow consumers to purchase only the cable channels they watch in their homes, unlike the current bundled packages that include a variety of stations, many of which contain racy content like MTV and FX.
The Federal Communications Commission announced it will indeed levy its $550,000 fine to CBS in response to Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction during the 2004 Super Bowl half time show. Under the leadership of Chairman Kevin Martin, the FCC is expected to place more pressure and tougher penalties on television stations who violate decency standards.
The Federal Communications Commission released a report in favor of cable choice, or a la carte programming, which would allow consumers to only pay for the channels they watch in their home. After a recent study of 28 million cable subscribers, the FCC found the average household only watches 17 channels. If cable choice is offered to subscribers, the study shows consumers would be saving as much as 13% on their cable bill.
Howard Stern has debuted his sexually explicit talk radio program on Sirius Satellite Radio, moving from the FCC censored airwaves he had previously occupied. Although Stern says he will not use foul language, Sirius is not under the same regulations and restrictions as broadcast radio, allowing Stern to push the envelope even further in offering crude commentary that previously warranted indecency fines.
America's two largest cable companies are considering offering a family-friendly cable package. Although it's not finalized, Comcast and Time Warner have indicated their intention to offer customers a family-tier option which would include channels such as Disney and Discovery. Both companies are attempting to appease the FCC after Kevin Martin, Chairman of the FCC, recommended a la carte television pricing to give consumers more say in the content entering their home.
Kevin Martin, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, defended a la carte cable television pricing at a recent meeting which may influence Congress' decision on new indecency legislation. Instead of the current bundled cable package which includes racy programs such as MTV, Martin suggests giving parents more control over the content coming into their homes and the ability to pay only for the channels they watch.
The Federal Communications Commission has recently launched a new website to educate the public on obscenity, indecency and profanity. The website, http://www.fcc.gov/eb/oip/, not only provides relevant information on indecency issues but also allows visitors to file a complaint through the site. You can also surf the website to find information on TV ratings, channel blocking and v-chip technology
Kevin Martin, chairman of the FCC, has added a pro-family advocate as a special advisor in the FCC's Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis. Penny Nance, a former board member of Concerned Women for America, will advise the commission on broadcast and cable-related consumer and social issues. Nance has called for stricter enforcement of indecency laws in the past and asked for a family-friendly hour to protect children from racy programming.
MTV has launched its gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender network named Logo one year after MTV first announced its plans. Read the National Coalition's comments on this gay entertainment network that is broadcasted on basic cable television packages.
President Bush tapped current FCC commissioner Kevin Martin to be the chairman replacing the outgoing Michael Powell in that position. The President will now have to appoint a person to take Martin’s seat on the 5 member panel. Pundits are speculating that Martin will be tougher than Powell on the enforcement of the FCC indecency regulations – and might even favor expanding those regulations to cable and satellite programming.
The National Coalition's Vice President for Legal and Public Policy Dan Panetti is quoted in the following article about the expansion of government regulation over cable and satellite programming.
Adelphia Reverses Decision to Distribute XXX Porn!
Adelphia: Carlsbad subscribers won't get XXX-rated movies An Adelphia company spokesman said Wednesday that Adelphia Communications Corp. will not be releasing sexually graphic, XXX-rated movies to Carlsbad this month, if ever.
Read the letter that Rick Schatz, president and CEO of the National Coalition, sent to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales regarding the Adelphia Communications' decision to offer hard-core pornography.
It is illegal to distribute hardcore pornography via cable TV. But Adelphia Communications Corp. has become the nation's only leading cable operator to offer the most explicit category of hard-core porn. As of Feb. 4, triple-X-rated programming will be available on cable for the first time in a major media market: Southern California.
