Surprise, Surprise: FCC Not a Fan of A la Carte

No one in DC’s cable circles was shaking in his/her boots Thurs as the FCC report to Congress released last night was widely expected to insinuate that a la carte isn’t the answer to rising cable rates. Plus, Congress won’t be able to act on it in the last few days of its lame-duck session. There was a minor irritant for cable, however. As the FCC was readying its report to House Commerce members, Parents TV Council was delivering a study that touts a la carte. "It is unconscionable for the cable industry to force families to subscribe to this kind of filth in order to access the wholesome, educational and family-friendly programming available on a handful of basic cable channels," PTC pres L. Brent Bozell said. PTC’s report looks at original series that ran during all times of the day on 7 channels: MTV, Spike TV, Comedy Central, TBS, E!, FX and ESPN. It cited examples of obscene language, explicit language, oral/anal sex references and masturbation on shows such as FX’s "Rescue Me," MTV’s "Laguna Beach" and Comedy’s "South Park" over the past 4 years. Comedy evp Tony Fox said the net almost never gets complaints from viewers-the complaints it receives usually come as a result of letter-writing campaigns from watchdog groups. "Our core viewers know what to expect from Comedy Central," he said. Comedy generally reserves racier programming for after 10pm, he said. "We have an adult audience and we should have the right to serve that adult audience."