Broadcasters fined over sex contest
The Federal Communications Commission proposed the fine after ruling that 13 stations owned by a Viacom Inc unit violated federal indecency standards when they aired on August 15, 2002, on the Opie and Anthony Show, which ran the contest. The show was cancelled almost immediately after the contest aired, which included broadcasts of five couples purportedly having sex and descriptions of other sexually-explicit activity in famous New York locales like St Patrick’s Cathedral and Rockefeller Centre.
“The premeditated nature of the decision to encourage sexual activity in locations that would surprise and shock passers-by ... was plainly reflective of a transparent effort to pander and titillate for marketing purposes,” the FCC said.
