Howard’s Private War

In Howard’s Private War, Joe Hagan of the New York Observer writes in an excellent piece about Howard Stern's "radioactivity" to media executives, regulators, and politicians:

"So far, Viacom president Mel Karmazin has been alone among powerful media figures in defending Mr. Stern. Said Mr. Buchwald (Stern's manager), "There are a lot of industry people who I have been in contact with, and important people in the entertainment community, who have said, ‘Gee, you guys are really fighting the good fight for all the rest of us. I really wish we could do more, but politically it isn’t to our advantage at this moment.’ Privately, people are in great support."

But the chieftains of heavily consolidated media empires like Viacom and NBC are wary of taking on the federal government, which they depend on for keeping their industry deregulated. With fewer companies controlling most of the media, regulating morality becomes easier for the FCC—and a bigger risk for media moguls to confront."

Demonstrating how fatuous the FCC's "case by case" review of indecency complaints is sure to become, The New York Post reports here that 1900 complaints have been filed with the Commission over an Oprah Winfrey show. Wrote some of the complainers, many of whom are Howard Stern fans:

"How can you allow Oprah Winfrey to discuss [anal sex] on a nationally televised show at 4 p.m. when children are home from school, and then persecute Howard Stern for doing no worse at 8 in the morning?"

Another writer fumes: "My twin 9-year-old boys . . . heard a description of how to best please a man orally. Get on the ball and fine Oprah. This show was obscene."

The number of complaints against Oprah are about the same as the number of complaints against Bono uttering the F-word at the Golden Globes. So what will the Commission do about Oprah?