When the Federal Communications Commission approved a report July 12 urging the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington to reverse itself and permit a 24-hour ban on ”indecent” programming on radio and TV, it also sent a clear signal to broadcasters of the commission`s commitment to the indecency issue. Led by its chairman, Alfred Sikes, the FCC says that the currently enforced ”safe harbor” between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. is still prone to unsupervised viewing or listening by audiences 17 and under.
While no self-respecting broadcaster wants his station`s programming to be labeled indecent, the FCC`s crackdown and its broad definition of what`s indecent has Chicago radio stations grappling with the issue.
”We don`t have a 24-hour censor sitting here with his hand on the delay button, but I think all broadcasters are listening to what goes out over their air with a closer ear these days,” said Kevin O`Grady, WYTZ-FM 94.7 general manager.
Both WYTZ and its chief competitor, WBBM-FM 96.3, have large teenage audiences. While WBBM-FM general manager Tom Matheson says that 6 to 10 p.m. jock George McFly is especially sensitive to the large numbers of teens who tune in at night, he believes the FCC`s clampdown may be backfiring.
”It`s probably done the opposite of what the FCC intended,” he said.
”It`s gotten broadcasters to say: `Hey, wait a second! Just because someone in Washington or at a community meeting thinks something is bad, that doesn`t mean that the rest of the listening audience should be denied access to it.` ”
The station hit hardest by the prevailing mood on indecency is adult-oriented WLUP-AM 1000. The station was fined $6,000 last December for three allegedly indecent segments on Steve Dahl and Garry Meier`s afternoon shows in August 1987 and March 1989.
Since levying the fines, which are under appeal by WLUP, the FCC has raised its maximum per-incident penalty from $2,000 to $25,000.
WLUP-AM/FM general manager Larry Wert points out that less than 2 percent of WLUP-AM`s audience is 17 and under. He says that FCC`s ”vague” definition of indecency is a more important issue than the proposed ban.
”That`s what we`re challenging in our appeal,” Wert said. ”Not whether what was said or was not said was indecent, but that the FCC`s definition become more specific, so everyone can understand the rules and follow them.” One supporter of Dahl and Meier, who some believe have been vilified in some quarters of the press, is Chuck Hillier, general manager of WKQX-FM 101.1. His morning man, Robert Murphy, also specializes in adult humor.
”I`ve got a real healthy respect for what Steve and Garry do,” he said. ”I think there`s been a lot made of a few instances of `shock` or
`outrage` on their show, and there`s been an attempt made by some people to lead people to believe that that`s the kind of programming they do all day long.”
In an era when the stickering of record albums grabs headlines, expect radio broadcasters who continue to test the increasingly conservative tenor of the FCC to remain in the news as well.
