PTC Denounces CBS For Plans to Air Showtime Shows
Winter: ‘CBS’ Plan Purely Based on Corporate Greed’
By Linda Moss -- Multichannel News, 12/5/2007 9:52:00 AM
The Parents Television Council Wednesday slammed CBS for its plans to air shows from its sister service, Showtime, as fill-in programming if the TV writers’ strike continues.
During a conference Tuesday, CBS President and CEO Leslie Moonves said his broadcast network might use series from Showtime as replacement programming if its supply of scripted shows runs out due to the strike.
The potential shows that could make their way to CBS are Weeds, Dexter, and Brotherhood.
“CBS’ plan is purely based on corporate greed, not what’s good for families or in the public interest,” PTC president Tim Winter said in a statement. “These Showtime programs contain some of the most explicit content on television, period. Yet CBS has no qualms about putting shows that make heroes of serial killers and revel in sick, graphic violence or those that condone drug use and glorify drug dealers in front of millions of children and families on broadcast television. These shows are better left on premium cable where children cannot have as easy access and where families are not forced to pay for them in order to get other basic cable networks.”
CBS executives said the network would edit the content to meet stricter content standards on broadcast TV.
"The Showtime programming will be edited to comply with all network television broadcast standards. In fact, Showtime already produces free TV versions for all or most of its original episodic programming," spokesman Chris Ender said in an email. "Editing for broadcast would be similar to the way theatrical movies have been edited for broadcast for many years."
In its comments, the PTC also incorrectly stated that Showtime was owned by Viacom, but it is actually part of CBS Corp. It corrected the mistake late Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the PTC also threatened to contact CBS sponsors.
“If indecent content appears over the public airwaves anywhere in the country prior to 10 p.m., we will urge the public to let their voices be heard at the FCC,” Winter said. “We hope that CBS will reconsider this act of corporate desperation and put families first.”
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The PTC should go home and start supervising their own children and leave the rest of us alone. If they would do their jobs as parents they wouldn't have to worry about what everyone else is watching. CBS has not crossed the line so the PTC is obviously making much ado about nothing.
Harry P - 12/7/2007 5:55:00 AM EST
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