What "obscenity" did the FCC charge Sarah Jones with?

[bwguyhottie]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 2:22pm

I have heard of this case many times...but never seen exactly what it was she was "charged" with.

Anyone?

[bwguyhottie]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 7:24pm

anyone?

[TVBoy]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 7:27pm

just wondering... are you referring to yourself as a "hottie?"

[zbigner]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 9:56pm

Just go to Google, type sarah jones fcc, and you'll get plenty of information. From the 5 seconds of skimming I did, it looks like a station that played a Sarah Jones song got fined. The FCC does not fine artists. It oversees broadcasters.

Hope this helps.

[sweetiedarlinmia]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 10:30pm

Wow, this seems like a very interesting case. Nothing like Good Ole' Michael Powell and his boys to work hard to strip away the 1st amendment rights due to an inability to recognize satire.

Here's the site with the merits of the case: http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=3082

And her site with the actual piece that was deemed "indecent": http://www.sarahjonesonline.com/press/MS_FCC.html Updated On: 2/3/05 at 10:30 PM

[TVBoy]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 10:31pm

Sometimes, depending upon the case, the FCC fine is passed onto the artist/performer. In the case of a radio station playing a pre-recorded song, under current FCC rules, the fine would go to the station's ownership. Remember the Sinead O'Conner/"Saturday Night Live" incident? Due to that, SNL and most broadcast networks now have performers sign a waiver before air saying they assume liability for any FCC fine during their segment.

A side note... currently there is legislation on the table that would make it easier for the FCC to fine artists and performers, and not just broadcast entities. Final legislation would have to pass both the House and Senate.

Updated On: 2/3/05 at 10:31 PM

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 11:58pm

Sinead O'Conner got fined for what she did?

[commasplice]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 12:01am

NBC was fined $2.5 million for it (the first time they were fined for something on SNL).

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 12:02am

But she didn't say anything....she ripped a picture...I don't get it.

[commasplice]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 12:07am

A lot of people were upset by it and complained to the network. Right before she ripped up the picture she also yelled out "Fight the real enemy" (which I never knew, but being the Google whore I am, I found this and have been reading about it - http://www.notbored.org/sinead.html).

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 12:09am

I'm sure that I'm in the VAST minority in this but I love what she did and couldn't have said it better myself. Brilliant.

But I understand why she got fined.

[Ellie3]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 12:14am

I love Sinead O'Connor!

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 12:15am

Mmmmmm...yes...

[Ellie3]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 12:19am

Indeed. Am I Not Still Your Girl? Fantastic! I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got? Fabulous! Faith and Courage? Woot!

[lesserworm]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 1:11am

Message to the politically corrupt FCC:
Lighten up, grow some balls, and develop a sense of humor. Stop persecuting artists for doing their job!

Anyone remember the George Carlin incident? He was arrested for performing his, now infamous, Seven Dirty Words bit. He spent a night in prison just for saying seven words, and mocking the absurdity of people's attitude towards them. He pleaded the first ammendment, and was let out.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 1:13am

It really is rediculous - completely absurd.

[Sunfish]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 1:39am

Thank you, commaspice! I was only vaguely aware of that incident, what a "bizarre" episode, and life. Fascinating reading. :)

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 11:13am

Commasplice, the link you posted has one "error" or at least raises a question I can answer. They end by saying that in re-airings of that episode NBC has substituted a picture of a "Little Black Boy" for the picture of the pope and accuse NBC of altering O'Conner's intent. That scene is taken from the "Dress rehearsal" and shows what O'Connor told SNL she would be doing on air: Holding up a picture of one of the 'victims'.

I won't get into O'Connor's politics but I think any performer or producer who reads this board will agree: For her to go out and perform an act so radically different from what she had promised the network & SNL was (and should have been) career suicide...

[TVBoy]

Posted: 2/4/05 at 5:19pm

I agree with you 100%, Joe. That brings me back to the reason I brought up the Sinead O'Conner/SNL incident in the first place. It's not right to levy a fine against NBC for O'Conner's actions. (Thus the legislation on the table.) She cannot claim her right to "free speech" in this situation because she was a performer on a nationally televised comedy show -- on the public airwaves -- the same airwaves regulated and monitored by the FCC.