Just as Howard Beale screamed in the 1976 movie, Network, so too are network execs, today, screaming “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore” in reaction to the FCC’s piling on the final straw that broke the camel’s back. After the FCC levied $3 million in fines last month for various indiscretions including a sexually charged Without A Trace scene, ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX have banded together to sue the FCC claiming, “The FCC rulings underscore the inherent problem of government involvement in deciding what viewers should and shouldn’t see on television.” Broadcasters claim those concerned about television content have plenty of means at their disposal to block content they individually deem inappropriate and the government need not involve itself as it does.
