[BC] FCC & 9/11

[Dave Dunsmoor]

> >Any of you here have any experience with your local TV station dropping
(or
> >running much later) the 9/11 special last night? Any comments
> >subsequently sent
> >to station or to the FCC regarding this? Any replies (yet)?
> >Comments, opinions?
> >
> >And yes, I did. To the local station and to the FCC. My opinion is
> >that the FCC
> >has overstepped it's responsibility and authority, and is edging ever so
> >slightly closer to government censorship. Censorship of what enters
> >my house is
> >my responsibility, not anyone else's.
>
> This is a little confusing. Has the FCC notified any station that
> moved or didn't run any of the specials that they were in violation?
> Are you suggesting that stations shouldn't run them?

> Rich


No, they did not. I called to ask, and was told that the station manager had
decided to
run it at around 11pm or so, due specifically to the FCC's stance on such
utterances.

And I am certainly not suggesting thay do not run such programming. quite to
the contrary.

> I was 1/2 mile away and saw it all close up. I don't need any TV show
> or movie to relive the experience. In fact, I've avoided all news,
> specials or articles about it. I don't need to relive it.

I certainly don't find any fault with this. I'm very certain I'd feel the
same way. And having
seen the show (as much as I did last night) I don't see any need to see it
again. But, I
did think it was important to get an "accidental, inside the event" view
once, a view not
tainted by news reporting (as much as that could happen). I'm certain it was
edited with
some bias, everything is, but I saw this particular show more as an event
recorder,  not
as a "point of view steering" medium.


> What's the issue? I agree that 9/11 was the most violent and obscene
> event I've ever seen. Where it's a legitimate, accurate, documentary
> I don't see where the FCC would step in. How many hundreds of
> thousands of kids saw the actual event unfold?


That was essentially my point in my comments to the FCC. I see this kind of
broadcast as needing the
guidance of each household, and to not have the TV stations be coerced into
when it can or cannot be shown by the
perceived threat of an FCC fine.

Dave Dunsmoor