Get Used To The Outrage

Call it lewd, call it overblown, but the fact remains that “stunt TV” seems to be here to stay. Janet Jackson’s bosom-bearing moment at the Super Bowl is only the latest indication that TV networks are ready to do almost anything to get viewers to tune in for a few minutes. The idea, of course, is to convince your audience that your programming is so wild and unpredictable that, if they make the mistake of switching channels, they could miss something memorable. And for all the bluster coming out of the FCC over the Super Bowl flap, some experts believe that it was the FCC’s own rulings allowing media consolidation that led to the explosion of shock programming.