It’s Cable Vs. Broadcast In Jackson Flap

The furor over the Janet Jackson Superbowl incident contrasts differences between how broadcast and cable networks are treated by the FCC. “What you’re seeing now is an effect of intense competition from cable. Because of the fact that there isn’t a regulatory regime that impacts their content, they have these award-winning shows that are very — let’s call them `edgy.’ And what it’s done is force networks to try to have edgier programming, but up to a line, and I think that tension is increasing very rapidly. The inequitable regulatory regime is causing that to happen. There’s concern that if you’re trying to get at the four broadcast networks, you have to get at the 104 other channels too. Because they’re all just clicks on a clicker right now for the vast majority of the public.”