Category: News and Views
BUFFALO, N.Y. - "Shock radio" may be the last way the Niagara
Frontier Radio Reading Service for the Blind would define itself.
Nevertheless, the service finds itself cast in the broadcast
indecency debate, alongside Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction"
and Howard Stern.
Buffalo television station WKBW-TV recently stopped broadcasting the
reading service's audio signal after a listener complained about an
offensive word - apparently contained in the Tom Wolfe novel I Am
Charlotte Simmons.
"As I understand it, they took one call from an 89-year-old woman
from Lewiston," said reading-service director Bob Sikorski.
Sikorski attributes the television station's response to the
indecency storm that has gathered steam since Jackson's overexposure
during last year's Super Bowl halftime show.
Last month, the fed-up House overwhelmingly passed a bill
authorizing unprecedented fines for indecency: up to $500,000 for a
company. A similar bill is pending in the Senate. The Federal
Communications Commission, meanwhile, has stepped up enforcement of
the indecency statute, making radio personality Stern a frequent target.
All have left broadcasters jittery and more apt to self-censor than
risk FCC wrath, authorities said.
"Many broadcasters are very anxious right now and are going to err
on the side of restricting speech, which is obviously very unfortunate,"
said Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president of the Media Access Project,
a Washington law firm that represents small broadcasters.
Sikorski, a former FCC lawyer, said that while he understands
broadcasters'
concerns, "we hope there won't be a panic mentality."
The reading service uses volunteers for its around-the-clock reading
of newspapers, magazines, obituaries, movie listings and books,
reaching thousands of visually impaired listeners via the WKBW SAP
channel or specially equipped radio receivers, Sikorski said.
Since WKBW pulled the voluntary broadcast about three weeks ago
after a 14-year run, Sikorski said he has been inundated with calls.
"We've literally had a run on radio reading receivers," he said.
"We're virtually out of them."
After weeks of talks, the television station has agreed to put the
service back on the air, but not overnight when material containing
adult content may be read, Sikorski said.
WKBW general manager Bill Ransom did not return calls seeking comment.
He told The Buffalo News that the station's parent company, Granite
Broadcasting Corp., had referred the matter to its attorneys.
"They need to clarify things," he said.
And although the station is pleased to resume airing the service,
Ransom said, canceling the overnight programming would also cancel
out worries about FCC fines.
Schwartzman said those worries were unfounded in the reading service
case, which involved a word read in the context of a novel after 10
p.m.
"That would not come close to the kind of indecency that would merit
sanction from the FCC," the lawyer said. "There is a question of
whether reading services for the blind are even subject to
regulation in this regard."
Yet, in light of the actions by Congress and the FCC, "we're seeing
this kind of chilling effect all over the country," Schwartzman said.
Sikorski said the reading service broadcasts best sellers with adult
content, such as the Wolfe novel, after 10 p.m. and includes a
content warning. The practice is in line with FCC guidelines which
allow adult programming after 10 p.m.