Thursday, November 17, 2005

What Exactly is the PTC's Issue with Nip/Tuck?

My last post in regards to Toyota pulling ads based on the persistence of the PTC really got under my skin. I wanted to do some digging and find out what the purpose of the PTC. Note the bold/ital line extracted right from the group's frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Via PTC's FAQ:

Isn't the PTC acting as a self-appointed moral guardian by trying to make viewing decisions for adults?

The PTC does not seek to prevent those adults who wish to view "edgy" programming from doing so. Our concern relates to the time and the venue in which such programming is broadcast. A show permeated with continuous acts of savage assault with deadly weapons, explicit sexual scenes and themes, or punctuated with obscene or profane language, whether the characters are scripted or not, may be suitable for pay-per-view, but it does not have a place on prime time broadcast television, particularly during the family hour. Because broadcast television and expanded basic cable are so widely available, they are supposed to maintain standards that make them suitable for all ages.

Definition of Prime Time:
With the addition of newer networks such as the FOX Network, The WB, and UPN, there now is considered a common prime separate from traditional prime. Common prime is 8:00pm to 10:00pm Eastern and Pacific and 7:00pm to 9:00pm Central and Mountain Monday–Saturday with the same hour extension on Sundays.


Nip/Tuck airs new episodes each Tues at 10PM EST and re-airs Fridays and Sundays at 10PM EST as well. So what exactly is the PTC's issue with the show and why have they started a campaign against them? I've emailed the editors of the PTC to get an answer and will keep everyone posted.

One last mod to this post....

Via the FCC.GOV website: Consumer Facts
  • "Consistent with a federal statute and federal court decisions interpreting the indecency statute, the Commission adopted a rule pursuant to which broadcasts -- both on television and radio -- that fit within the indecency definition and that are aired between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. are subject to indecency enforcement action. "
  • "Like indecency, profane speech is prohibited on broadcast radio and television between the hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. "
  • "Indecent or profane speech that is broadcast between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. is not actionable. "

Note the FCC has hired a Conservative Indecency Critic, Penny Nance who sentout the News release regarding this above cited FCC website on Oct 7, 2005

FCC Obscenity, Indecency, and Profanity Home Page

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

They can just apply parental control to the show and stop complaining!

Anonymous said...

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the show, but it is on at 7 p.m. on the west coast.