“$#*! My Dad Says” is coming to CBS this fall, at 8:30 PM ET/PT, and the Parents Television Council is up in arms. In fact, it is promising a license challenge to any station that airs the program any earlier than safe harbor at 10 PM.
William Shatner is slated to star in the series as a politically-incorrect dad who inspires Twitter posts from his son.
PTC President Tim Winter went on the attack: “CBS intentionally chose to insert an expletive into the actual name of a show, and, despite its claim that the word will be bleeped, it is just CBS’ latest demonstration of its contempt for families and the public. There are an infinite number of alternatives that CBS could have chosen but its desire to shock and offend is crystal clear in this decision.”
Winter continued, “I ask the defenders of indecency on the public airwaves: How does the v-chip block this one? Where does this figure into the absurd defense of ‘fleeting’ profanity? The title of this show is the opposite of fleeting – it is bold, shameless, and in-your-face. There is incredible irony that CBS made this announcement the same day that it submitted its legal brief before the Third Circuit Court declaring that there was no mens rea to air an indecent Super Bowl broadcast.”
Winter promised that companies who advertise on the program would also be targeted, both national and local.
RBR-TVBR observation: We sometimes get tired of defending sophomoric programming decisions. “Wow – CBS is implying a bad word – ho ho ho.” But we do not tire of defending the First Amendment, and we oppose yet another assault on it from PTC. It’s not a bad word, PTC, it’s a string of symbols.
That said, we’ll add this: Sorry, CBS, we at least do not find it funny. We have to believe there are better ways of getting the attention of the American viewer other than adding another plank to the Newt Minow “vast wasteland” indictment of television. Perhaps the show will be great. Then it should be able to survive on its merits, not this sort of adolescent language stunt.
But get used to it, PTC. You could keep adding to the banned words list, but no matter how large it gets, creative types who wish to get around it will find a way.
You know what, PTC? Go after the advertisers. Get ‘em. They may make a program possible that you object to, and you are completely within your rights to stop patronizing their businesses, and to encourage the same from others.
But please, leave the Constitution alone. And BTW, while we’re on the subject, your license threat is laughable.
