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FCC Saves Private Ryan from Indecency Fines
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio The Mahoning Valley's ABC affiliate got it right in broadcasting the movie Saving Private Ryan on Veterans Day 2004. ABC stations in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus did not. The Federal Communications Commission yesterday ruled that the violent and profane content of the D-Day movie does not violate the Federal Communications Commission's decency standards, which is precisely how the general manager of WYTV expected the agency to rule. In November, Dave Trabert said WYTV would not join other ABC affiliates in refusing to broadcast the movie to commemorate Veterans Day. At the time, the managers of some 20 ABC stations including the three stations in Ohio yanked the movie from their schedules. Their decisions followed stiff FCC fines for certain radio and TV broadcasts found in violation of agency standards, most notably Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show.The FCC ruling noted that Saving Private Ryan contains numerous expletives and other offensive language as part of the soldiers' dialogue but in the overall context, its content is not indecent or profane. "Context remains vital to any consideration of whether profanity or sexual content constitutes legally actionable indecency," said Michael Powell, chairman of the FCC. "This film is a critically acclaimed artwork that tells a gritty story -- one of bloody battles and supreme heroism," the FCC chairman continued. "The horror of war and the enormous personal sacrifice it draws on cannot be painted in airy pastels. The true colors are muddy brown and fire red and any accurate depiction of this significant historical tale could not be told properly without bringing that sense to the screen."Visit the Federal Communications Commission at www.fcc.gov"