I really don't like the PTC. And I'm not talking in that, "I don't like brussel sprouts" kind of way. (Actually, I kinda like brussel sprouts, but that's neither here nor there.) I'm talking in the "I don't like genocide" kind of way. For years they were the bane of the WWF/E's existence, waging a war on Smackdown and what they perceived as the evils of professional wrestling. Of course, sports entertainment wasn't their only target. They've also gone after shows like Family Guy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and a veritable plethora of other shows that offended their self-defined sense of "family values."
(Former US vice-presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman (and probably former Democratic Senator of Connecticut) was once on the PTC advisory board. I must admit that I was torn during the 2000 federal election, as I feared Lieberman's impact on the FCC had he achieved the vice-presidency. But in a concession to the greater good, I was rooting for Gore. Then Jeb Bush and Katherine Harris took the issue out of the hands of the voters.)
Bozell, and the PTC's, obsession with the deleterious effects of professional wrestling came to a head with the Lionel Tate murder case. Tate, then 12, was accused of killing a 6 year old girl. It was alleged, as part of Tate's defense, that his imitation of a professional wrestling move led to her death. This was disproved in court, and Tate was found guilty. But the specious association with professional wrestling stuck to the Tate case, to the point that even today, any reference to the case often mentions professional wrestling. The PTC assisted with this, making claims about the effects of professional wrestling on young people.
The WWE rightfully took offense, and filed suit against the PTC. They won, forcing Bozell to publish a retraction of the allegations, which, amongst other things, said "that it was wrong for MRC [Media Research Center], PTC, their spokespersons and myself to have said anything that could be construed as blaming WWE or any of its programs for the deaths of the children." Also included in the retraction was the admission that "I want to be clear that WWE was correct in pointing out that various statements made by MRC, PTC and me were inaccurate concerning the identity and number of WWE Smackdown! advertisers who withdrew support from the program. Many of the companies we stated had “withdrawn” or pulled their support had never, in fact, advertised on Smackdown! nor had any plan to advertise on Smackdown!" Of course, WWE's victory was somewhat hollow, as the Tate taint remains. But after this happened, the PTC went to great lengths not to mention professional wrestling much anymore. In fact, if you go to their site, you will find a link to their "ratings" of television programs. Smackdown does not appear on that list. If you go to their Friday television listings, they have UPN listed as showing Major League Baseball on Friday nights. So PTC is staying away from wrestling, likely as a result of the lawsuit.
But it doesn't mean that the PTC has stopped trying to tell people what they are allowed to watch on television. The "Nipplegate" incident at the Superbowl provided the PTC with a new target to attack, that being the declining moral values of American broadcasters. The ludicrous fines imposed by the FCC on CBS for the appearance of the offending nipple (which, of course, is attached to that most offensive breast) were likely influenced by the hyperbolic response of the PTC. And, of course, the new more conservative American church state that has been reinforced by men like George W. Bush, John Ashcroft and his ilk.
But the PTC is a dangerous, dangerous organization. I am all in favour of people voicing their opinions. I write letters to companies that piss me off. If I'm ever offended by something I see on television, I exercise my right to choose, and change the channel. (Unless its The O'Reilly Factor, then I keep watching. That guy is funnier than Stephen Colbert. Nobody could honestly say those things and mean them.) But the PTC goes too far. In 2004, FCC chairman Michael Powell said that complaints to the FCC had increased 14,000 to 240,000. For some, this was proof that the people of America were standing up against the obscenity-spewing, nipple-exposing, violence-causing, homosexual monster that is the American broadcast media.
However, it was later revealed that 99.8%, or 239,520, of those complaints came from the PTC. Essentially, the PTC uses their website to encourage people to write letters of complaint to the FCC and advertisers, even providing a web form for people to do so. Actual viewing of the program is not required. Neither is actually being offended by the program. The PTC website provides people with all the tools they need to file a complaint with either the FCC, a sponsor, or the network.
The problem here is a complex one. Should these people be denied their right to complain? Of course not. But should a few people be able to dictate what people are able to watch? Absolutely not. My dad hates plenty of things on television. When I go visit him, and he's feeling particularly evangelistic, he'll tell me about something he saw on Showcase or Bravo that he didn't approve of. But I don't let his opinions change mine. I like what I like, and he likes what he likes. And he's smart enough to know that if there's something on television he doesn't like, he can change the channel. And if he gets really offended, he can call his satellite provider and change the channels he subscribes to, thus affecting the station financially, without exerting unfair pressure.
As much as I hate the Nielsen ratings system, aren't they the most accurate measurement of what people want to watch? The PTC likes to target Desperate Housewives, but that show is highly rated. So if 100,000 people complain about the show, but 12.8 million people were watching, what does that say about the country's opinion of the show? Sure there might not be enough programming aimed at a younger audience on television. But is taking the programming that is better suited for a mature consumer the way to go?
The question now remains. What will Tim Winter do with the PTC? Will he continue in Bozell's footsteps, trying to tell America what to watch? Or will he take the group in a more constructive direction, encouraging a more democratic media, and working WITH broadcasters to create media designed with the public interest in mind? Because I'm not saying there aren't offensive things on television. But the key to changing the media lies in education, not oppression.
I'm on the left, and that's my right.
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