Businesses that allow public nudity and swearing? According tho the US Government, Not Broadcast TV.

In a recent debate between TV Execs and their Lawyers with the Supreme Court – it ends with exactly the refrain one would expect: "All we are asking for, what the government is asking for, is a few channels where you are not going to hear the 'S-word,' the 'F-word.'” According to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., "There are 800 channels where they can go for that."

A bit of an exaggeration, I would say, but in a sense he is correct. With cable, satellite and the internet, there are exurbanite sources where one could see nudity or hear swearing. “Decent programming” does not require such perverted measures to be entertaining or informative. But then again, is it the Supreme Courts decision to make on what we can or can not see and hear?

Well, between the hours of 6:00 am and 10:00 pm the answer was an emphatic, yes.

What’s frustrating as an artist is being told what to do or what to say; there is no outline or agenda to creativity - hence the government believes they can inject one? What’s frustrating to the TV execs is limiting the type of programming they offer and they see these old policies as archaic, some date back to the 1930’s.

"These are public airwaves. The government is entitled to insist upon a certain modicum of decency," said Justice Antonin Scalia.

Okay, the last I checked PBS is “public airway,” just because something is broadcast terrestrially does not necessarily make it public broadcast, right?

Wrong.

Also, once again the government having their hands not only in the business of the citizens, but also in the back pockets of the major networks. The FCC will continue to force stiff penalties and fines for any offense to the set “decency rules”.

It certainly is a hope that the members of the court were not held up by these precessions so they can make their 4:00 dinner reservation. Or even worse, force them to miss an episode of The Walton’s or My 3 sons before that racy Match Game 77 comes on the air.

Here’s an idea, police your television with your children. If you have such “family values” - including families of your own Mr. Roberts and Mrs. Scalia – then shouldn’t you know what they are watching on television? Seems simple enough some would say, but the government once again knows better.

With the average American household having some form of cable television, nearly 90%, this skews the ratio of “Over the Air” Networks to cable – blows it away actually – and the Supreme Court wants to keep it as their own.

"We have had this for decades and decades that broadcast is treated differently," said Justice Elena Kagan. "It seems to work, and it seems to be a good thing that there is some safe haven."

Apparently it is not time for the decency police to rethink their priorities, or at least loosen up their stance. Sorry Network Television, you can’t get what you want this time, because it’s been made rather obvious that it was never yours to have in the first place.

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