Through the Wire

Chernin, Roberts Agree on Something

They’ve probably poached more than a few subscribers from each other, but Peter Chernin, president and chief operating officer of News Corp., which owns DirecTV, and Brian Roberts, CEO of Comcast Corp., share some common ground when it comes to over-the-top video services.

Chernin told a Bear Stearns & Co. analyst conference last week that he was dining with Roberts several weeks ago and they both agreed the outside world “underestimates how valuable having the customer relationship is” with their respective subscribers.

“We have a box in their house where they look at it as the primary place they consume entertainment,” he said. “Everyone thinks we’re going to be disintermediated by [Internet protocol] television. From a content-company perspective, we’re in no hurry to change that model. We’re very happy putting our content in consumer subscription services where we are getting anywhere from 10 cents to $1.20 per month per channel. That’s a really good model for us. We’re in no more hurry to disintermediate the cable companies than we are the satellite companies.”

News Corp. has placed content on video-on-demand systems but isn’t selling content on iTunes or Google Video.

Bash SpongeBob, But Don’t Put Foul Words in His Mouth

The Parents Television Council’s press release, touting a study on violence in children’s-television programming, rankled folks over at Nickelodeon more than the results of the study itself.

The press release, which claims that child-targeted programming on broadcast and cable channels contains more violence than primetime, adult-oriented television, cited an episode of Nick’s SpongeBob SquarePants as an example a children’s show featuring profane language. But while the “Sailor Mouth” episode in question — in which SpongeBob and starfish buddy Patrick innocently utter foul language that Nick bleeps out — the PTC release actually fills in the bleeps for readers by printing certain four-letter words the conservative group felt the two characters were actually saying.

Nickelodeon said “it’s sad and a little desperate that they stooped to literally putting profane language in the mouths of our characters to make a point. Has the FCC looked at this?”

The Wire has often wondered when the FCC might start regulating offensive (or at least annoying) press releases.

McSlarrow: TV Control Is Easier Than Cell Phone

The push to get cable-television programming to adhere to some kind of decency standards might never go away, National Cable and Telecommunications Association Kyle McSlarrow said last week at a press conference. Is legislation the only answer? No, he says.

Not if you can operate a cell phone.

The blocking mechanisms on a TV screen, which can take four or five steps to complete, should not be too cumbersome for the average parent. And most can handle a phone.

“We got hundreds of millions of cell-phone users. All of these people are dealing with more complicated procedures. Getting your cell phone started, putting in your contacts. All that stuff. This is easy stuff by comparison. Real easy,’’ he said. “This is cultural. People probably just truly don’t want to use it, is really what it comes down to.’’

Despite ’05 Vote, Boucher Is a First Amendment Fan

Brainy and articulate, Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) has a reputation for being a policy polymath in the highly technical world of communications law and regulation.

Addressing hundreds of state delegates of the National Association of Broadcasters last Tuesday in Washington, D.C., Boucher drew thunderous applause after endorsing several NAB political objectives. Asked about broadcast indecency regulation, Boucher declared, “I am really pretty much a First Amendment purist.” Later, he added, “Frankly, I don’t think we ought to have indecency rules.”

After noting that he declines to use the House floor as a platform to rail against the latest indecency outrage, Boucher said the whole issue is subjective with imprecise boundaries. “It’s an inexact science at best, and it is in my view a deep intrusion on your freedom of speech, and I think we should not have those rules for over-the-air broadcasters,” he said.

As they say in sports, let’s go to the videotape.

In the wake of Janet Jackson’s infamous Super Bowl breast flash in front of a national CBS audience, the House passed last February (more than a year after the incident) a bill to raise indecency fines from $32,500 to $500,000 per offense. The bill, now stalled in the Senate, had bipartisan support, passing 389-38 with the support of … one Rep. Rick Boucher, First Amendment purist.

We put in a call to Boucher’s office to offer an explanation-response-clarification opportunity, but we were unable to make contact.