Dec 1, 2004
By Erin Curry
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--VIACOM AGREES TO PAY FCC FINES -- Viacom, which owns CBS and MTV, has agreed to pay a record fine of $3.5 million to settle numerous federal investigations into alleged indecency on TV and the radio dating back to 2001, according to the Associated Press.
The company also agreed to implement a company-wide compliance plan to prevent future violations and agreed to install audio delay equipment at radio stations that broadcast live programming.
"This consent decree allows us to move forward and to focus our efforts in this area by serving our viewers and listeners with techniques to safeguard live broadcasts, such as cutaways and video and audio delays," Viacom said in a statement, according to the AP.
Not included in the $3.5 million is the $550,000 fine imposed by the Federal Communications Commission for the Super Bowl incident involving Janet Jackson, which Viacom is contesting.
The $3.5 million fine stems from antics by shock jock Howard Stern and radio personalities Opie and Anthony, who lost their Viacom-owned New York show after featuring a couple supposedly having sex at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Baptist Press 12-1-04