Fox Refuses To Pay FCC Fine For 2003 Reality Show Sex Scenes

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fox Broadcasting said on Monday that it would not pay fines totaling $91,000 for broadcasting a reality show episode that included graphic sexual scenes at a bachelor party.

Fox is also asking the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider the fines on the 13 owned and affiliated stations that broadcast the "Married by America" episode.

"Fox believes that the F.C.C.'s decision in this case was arbitrary and capricious, inconsistent with precedent and patently unconstitutional," Scott Grogin, the company's senior vice president for corporate communications, said in a statement.

The F.C.C. fined the Fox stations $7,000 each for the hourlong episode of "Married by America" that included strippers and other scenes from bachelor and bachelorette parties. The agency had initially proposed a $1.2 million fine against 169 affiliates of Fox, a division of the News Corporation, that broadcast the reality show, which has been canceled. But, under a relatively recent policy, the agency said it would fine stations only in markets where viewers complained.

In its Feb. 22 ruling, the F.C.C. wrote that "by any reasonable definition" many of the activities at the parties constitute sexual activities.

Mr. Grogin would not comment on whether Fox would take the F.C.C. to court if the companies lost the appeal.

In response to Fox's refusal to pay, an F.C.C. spokeswoman, Mary Diamond, said, "We believe in enforcing indecency standards especially when children are watching."

Related: Read Jeff Jarvis' 2004 post about the FCC complaint, where he investigated through the Freedom of Information Act and found that the FCC greatly exaggerated the number of complaints it received here.

Comments

[protagonia]

Amazing, that this is the same outfit that produces the Simpsons.

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

They know all they have to do is call uncle darth - he'll put the kabosh on any FCC action.

[CheneysACoward]

For those who don't understand that....I'd rather my kid see two people making love than a wild bird dying from oil spiled by Exon.

[bogananda666]

Why aren't the parents of the offended children fined for not changing the station so that they wouldn't be offended or did they just have to watch the offending program to determine how offended they should be. This reminds me of a case in San Francisco where a guy who lived across the street from a park which served as a acts gay pick up location and he observed the homosexual acts going on in the park with his telescope and was offended by the homosexual acts there, so offended that he had been contacting the police department for several years complaining about what he had been observing with his telescope for several years.

[CheneysACoward]

These so called "parents" groups get to ride shot gun over what is seen on TV and have fines applied. Yet The USG does not collect of fines/damages ordered by the Court's on Exon to The State Of Alaska. Don't let you kids see an ass on TV....But let then know it's okay to dump oil, kill part of the fishing industry, screw up the shore line, kill wild life and fall asleep DRUNK at the helm.....sure that's just fine.....No making love on the tube....just good old killing.

[nice2blucky]

FOX Television should not be allowed to renew their broadcast license; they should be punished as much as humanly possible for being a blight on the U.S. culture.

They are a corrupting force against our society and have worn out graces within the 1st Amendment.

This particular issue is miniscule, as compared to their overall offenses.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two other points: Where did this policy come from, in regard to levying fines against stations only in markets where people complain?

This being the case, if ever there is a "liberal" station -- not that one exists -- or a station whose offense revolved around "liberal themes," right-wing groups would organize a complaint campaign to encompass all effected markets to maximize the punishment.

[desthmoneses]

The FCC should not exist, period.

[Boboday555]

FOX:
Owned by an Aussie immigrant who has no respect for America.

Lou Dobbs; If you want to preach about how immigrants are ruining America...look no further than Rupert Murdoch.

[Boboday555]

Show a boob for a fraction of a second during the Super Bowl and the Traditional Republican Christian Values folks at the FCC lose their tiny little minds hand out multi-million dollar fines like they were War Time Tax Cuts for billionaires.
Air a show that is masquerading as soft-core porn every week and the FCC barely bats an eye.
Of course a four year old would see the hypocrisy there but, this kind of crapolla makes perfect sense in the defective mind of the ‘below’ average Loyal Bushies.
The neo-con children who continue to try to practice their unique brand of hillbilly hypocrisy is why America is now a global laughingstock!

[Boboday555]

The FCC is owned by the Bush regime.
FOX is the Republican Party's 24 hour a day, 7 day a week 527 PAC ad!
Not only will FOX not pay the fines for their prime time soft-core TV shows, I wouldn't be surprised if the GOP doesn't donate a bunch of cash to that cesspool of a TV channel for daring to hold Rupert Murdoch to the same standards as the rest of us!

No wonder FOX hired Sean NEO-NAZI Hannity to be one of their 'news' 'men'.

[Acebass]

So sayeth FOX, so be it...screw everyone else...There has to be intelligent life somewhere in the universe because it's hard to find here.

[armadillious2002]

Hey - they're rethugs - they are above the law - remember? Laws and rules are for Democrats.

[LivingStardust]

Then FOX should not be allowed to do business in this country until they pay the fines. 'Nuff said.

[geobushono]

1. seize the corporate assete.
2. sell the whole thing to Democracy Now for $1.00

[incontempt]

I like this idea.;-)

[Bobaloo]

the mining companies don't have to pay fines and its OK with little king george-this is just biz as usual for the ruling class.

[rektruax]

If FOX has the resources and time to fight this, it could lead to a very good legal precedent. Try bagging your personal feelings for shrub (feelings I share) enough to consider the long term effects. The FCC has been running amok long before Bush was around. Trying to left/right politicize this faceless (big government) juggernaut is pointless.

No matter how petty it seems, censorship serves no one. All the FCC does in these matters is censor via intimidation. If enough big companies take them on legally, perhaps they can be knocked back down to their proper "civil servant" status.

Unless you're one of those who believe they deserve free speech while those you oppose deserve censorship, we need more defiance of this modern-day "league of decency".

[rcampbell]

Aren't these the guardians of right wing virtue?

The ugly truth is that, like the GOP thugs that they are, they don't believe the rules apply to them. When you see your idols and benefactors in the WH consistantly stomp on the Constitution, show contempt and disregard for Congress (regardless of who had/has the majority), and ignore the basix needs of the citizeny, you can easily surmise that just doing whatever you wish, despite any lousy written laws to the contrary, is part of the Bush legacy and can be done by anyone.