The television stations in NH and Boston did not air Saving Private Ryan last night. They were concerned about breaking FCC rules (especially after the JJ fiasco during the Super Bowl). People seem to be up in arms over this because (pick one): it was Veteran’s Day and SPR was a great movies so they should show it; the religious right is running the FCC - they should just relax the rules; it’s not like there was any sex in the movie, just some violence and swearing; and, other stations are airing it, they’re just wimping out.
Let’s take the first one, well, first: just because you thought it was a great movie, doesn’t mean the station has the obligation to show it. Plus, I’m sure there are other movies that could equally honor veterans out there. What the heck did they show before SPR came out?
I’ll address the second and third one at the same time: The FCC is run by the Religious Right – yeah, they are talking about the same body that has allowed network TV to show everything on the human body, except a woman’s nipples (but the aureole is okay) and a man’s “package”. I must admit that at least scenes like that are relegated to late night TV. They do have rules about swear words (remember those? Or are they so common place that they are now just everyday words?). This aired at a time that children are prone to be watching TV. I personally, do not think the F-word is appropriate for children to be exposed to (I hear the movie had its fair share of those words). Oh, I heard one person say “but they aren’t gratuitous swear words – they are integral to the realism of the movie”. I don’t care if they are gratuitous or not, children do not have to hear this on a network station when at any other time they would be bleeped out (or overdubbed with a gentler word). But Mr. S decided he is too important and grand to allow anyone to mess with his precious movie just to protect the children (and he belongs to the side that normally uses “but it’s for the children” as their main appeal for just about anything).
About that fourth one, they are wimping out; no they are being very courageous. Because it’s the FCC that will wimp out and not fine any of the stations for running a movie that blatantly violates the rules of network television. The stations that didn’t run the movie are following the rules even though it would be easier and more lucrative to follow the crowd. Not only that, but they did it during SWEEPS. That means they lost almost every share they would have garnered that night (and I’m sure that it would have been a large share). You think it takes a “wimp” to do that? You think It takes a “wimp” to intentionally not play a movie that would have brought in massive advertising revenue?
In a day and age when cable TV is widely available (so those that wish can get their fill of violence, sex and swears easily), there are some people that only have regular network TV (I know some of them). They don’t have to worry about what their children are watching while they are out working in the yard. They don’t have to worry that the neighbor kids who come over (and their house is always full of those) are going to get an eyeful or earful of something that their parents will find objectionable.
To those that have a hard time with the stations not “honoring” veterans. Why don’t you go out and honor veterans instead of staying home and watching TV? Go help out at a VA hospital, serve in a soup kitchen, give disabled vets a ride to appointments or go to fund raisers for the local VFW instead of sitting home. How your watching a movie is considered honoring veterans when you do that every night anyway is beyond me. If you really believe that is the way to honor veterans, go spend the 2 bucks it will cost to rent the movie – then you can watch it (and honor veterans) two or more times before it is due back at the store. Hell, you can buy the movie for $15 and honor veterans once a week for the rest of your life.
Well, I don't know what went into the thinking that placed the movie in prime time; but, I'd still like to see it. I didn't know it was on until the next day. [If worse comes to worst, the parents might actually use the "Off" position on the television controller--LOL.]
Posted by: Cop Car | November 13, 2004 at 09:08 AM