Broadcast? Cable? It’s all the same.
“The typical viewer now has got equal access to all of this stuff and the distinguishing feature is a technological one that they could care less about,” says Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University. He adds that even if broadcast television could regain its 1950s innocence, “You will only have solved the problem for 20 percent of homes.”
While some consumers vocally protest the sex and violence on TV, it’s unclear whether there is widespread support for increased regulation. As part of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, broadcast and cable networks included ratings warning of potentially offensive content.
Today, more than 85 percent of U.S. homes subscribe to cable, satellite or wireless-cable TV, according to an FCC report issued in January. Cable has surpassed broadcast TV as the video provider of choice.
The allure of editorial freedom has drawn producers to cable from broadcast television. David Chase, the creator of HBO’s “The Sopranos” worked on the old NBC detective series “The Rockford Files” during the 1970s. David Milch, a co-creator of ABC’s long-running “NYPD Blue” has a new Western on HBO called “Deadwood” that–if initial clips are to be believed–makes “The Sopranos” look like “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
Although free of regulatory scrutiny, cable networks have not been immune to content complaints. Years ago, MTV’s “Beavis & Butt-head” was toned down after a young child imitated one of the characters on the show and set his house on fire. Last week, MTV said it would move racier videos to a late-night time slot.
The law has so far been on cable’s side. In May 2000, the Supreme Court struck down a federal law requiring cable operators to “fully scramble” programming on adult channels when children may be watching as a violation of free-speech.
