NYPD BLUE - FCC FINES ABC $1.43 MILLION OVER BLUE SCENE

FCC FINES ABC $1.43 MILLION OVER BLUE SCENE

A scene in a 2003 episode of NYPD Blue in which an actress's bare backside was visible could subject ABC to a $1.43-million fine. In its notice to the network, the FCC said that the program, which aired at 9:00 p.m. in the Central and Mountain time zones, violated the commission's rules against airing indecent programming between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. when children are likely to be watching. "We find that the programming at issue is within the scope of our indecency definition because it depicts sexual organs and excretory organs -- specifically an adult woman's buttocks," the FCC said on Friday. "Although ABC argues, without citing any authority, that the buttocks are not a sexual organ, we reject this argument, which runs counter to both case law and common sense." ABC said immediately that it would appeal the ruling, saying that when the episode was broadcast, NYPD Blue "had been on the air for a decade and the realistic nature of its storylines was well known to the viewing public." Moreover, it said, the program was also broadcast with parental warnings and was "V-chip enabled." Dennis Franz, whose own backside was shown on an NYPD Blue episode in the series' second season, told the Hollywood Today website, "I loved the way they approached it. A little embarrassing to watch it with my daughter, but nevertheless it was one of the most memorable things on the show."

28/01/2008