Shock Jocks

The post-Janet Jackson, pseudo-moralistic FCC is now fining Clear Channel Communications some $500,000 for carrying the Howard Stern show, on grounds of indecency. Clear Channel Appeases Radical Right [morons.org]. This is such crap. We're not talking even George Carlin's "Seven Dirty Words" here, which in the late 1970s was the basis on which the Supreme Court upheld indecency regulation in broadcasting, grounded in fear of exposure to children.

But today, with hundreds of cable and radio channels, kids are all hooked on Nickelodeon and all a listener has to do is use the remote to never be offended.

There's no reason today even for public airwaves to be regulated to the lowest (or highest) common demoninator of decency. If you don't like Howard Stern -- and I personally can't stand his schtick -- don't tune in!!

 Posted by glenn