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| Wednesday, February 25, 2004 | (No comments posted.)
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Radio giant Clear Channel Communications on Wednesday announced a "zero-tolerance" policy designed to keep indecent material out of broadcasts on its 1,200 or so radio stations.
The policy comes the day after the San Antonio company announced the firing of a Florida DJ whose sexually explicit morning show antics prompted a proposed $755,000 fine from the Federal Communications Commission last month.
"Clear Channel is serious about helping address the rising tide of indecency on the airwaves," Mark Mays, president and chief operating officer, said in a statement. "As broadcast licensees, we are fully responsible for what our stations air, and we intend to make sure all our DJs and programmers understand what is and what is not appropriate."
The policy will include companywide training, possible fines against DJs, and automatic suspensions for anyone accused by the FCC of violating indecency rules on the air, company officials said.
"If the FCC accuses us of wrongdoing by issuing a proposed fine, we will take immediate action," Mays said. "We will suspend the DJ in question, and perform a swift investigation. If we or the government ultimately determine the offending broadcast is indecent, the DJ will be terminated without delay."
On Tuesday, Clear Channel announced that it agreed to fire a popular Tampa, Fla., radio talk show host known as Bubba the Love Sponge after deciding his raunchy show didn't fit its standards.
The company said contracts with on-air performers are being modified to ensure that DJs share financial responsibility if they broadcast indecent material.
"From now on, every contract that Clear Channel enters into with on-air talent will include this provision," said chief executive officer John Hogan. "While that won't relieve Clear Channel from our responsibility as a broadcast licensee, we believe it will have a significant deterrent effect."
The Clear Channel statement didn't say whether it would appeal the proposed FCC fine or pay it; spokesman Joel Lobello said he didn't know.
The Bubba segments cited by the FCC ran 26 times on four Florida stations, and the commission proposed fining Clear Channel the maximum $27,500 for each airing, or $715,000. The company also was being fined $40,000 for record-keeping violations.
The segments included graphic discussions about sex and drugs that were "designed to pander to, titillate and shock listeners," the FCC said. One segment featured the cartoon characters such as George Jetson and Scooby Doo discussing sexual activities.
Messages left for the fired disc jockey with friends were not returned Tuesday.
The company's action comes three weeks after the uproar created by the raunchy Super Bowl halftime show on CBS Feb. 1, which ended with singer Justin Timberlake tearing off part of Janet Jackson's top and exposing her breast. The two performers said it was an accident. The incident touched off calls for stricter regulation by the FCC and larger fines.
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