Schurz Communications station WDRJ-TV, in the Roanoke-Lynchburg VA DMA, has been hit with the maximum FCC fine for graphically indecent material broadcast during a 2012 newscast.
To RBR+TVBR’s knowledge, this marks the first time that the FCC has used the six-digit maximum fine since it was put in place in the wake of the Janet Jackson Super Bowl fiasco back in 2004.
NAB’s Dennis Wharton responded with a message of disapproval. He said, “NAB is disappointed with today’s remarkably punitive indecency fine proposed against WDBJ. Schurz Communications apologized for the fleeting image, which was clearly unintended. This unprecedented fine against a family-owned broadcaster with a demonstrated commitment to serving communities is wholly unwarranted.”
