Will FCC Fine NBC?

With a Republican in charge of FCC, there are no rules for media businesses in terms of anti-trust or buying/selling/making money. They do not regulate what the FCC was created to regulate in the slightest. However, they DO regulate speech, especially bad words. And there might be a big network in trouble in that regard. From this morning's NOW column...

Does NBC have a fleeting-expletive problem from the Olympics? The first U.S. competitor to win gold was also the first to unleash both the F-word and the S-word, while being interviewed as his scores were flashing on the screen. Gold medal-winning Red Gerard dropped both a “WTF” reaction and an unholy S-word, says Vanity Fair. Probably not an unusual reaction for 17-year-old on the world stage, but no doubt NBC producers and interviewers will be cautioning athletes for the next two weeks. And no doubt FCC Chair Ajit Pai will have some filed comments to look at, this morning. The Parents Television Council not only makes it easy for offended audience members to file complaints at the FCC, it also tells you what the organization itself has complained about. And mostly, over the last couple of years, it’s the Fox TV “Family Guy” show. Though the site does run this lead item – “Thanks, Justin! Overall, the Super Bowl was pretty safe for families.” We’ll see what they think about the Olympics. Knock on wood – the FCC’s hasn’t issued an actual indecency fine against a radio station since 2004. It’s held up a couple of station sales until a settlement was made. But it hasn’t laid down an outright fine. (Of course the FCC doesn’t regulate cable channels, so no enforcement action possible on NBC Sports Net or USA.)