The Parent’s Television Council is asking its members to file indecency complaints with the Federal Communications Commission over Sunday’s episode of Fox Broadcasting’s animated series “Family Guy,” which featured a stripper.
PTC says that based on Nielsen numbers the program is “one of the most-watched” programs by children from 6 to 11 years old because of its early Sunday night air time, and the episode was inappropriate for their viewing.
In the episode, Peter takes a group to a strip club, where he asks a stripper to perform a lap dance on his father-in-law.
PTC describes what happened next as including a request to give “this old bastard the ride of his life” and the stripper rubbing up against the father-in-law’s crotch.
“Families who watch television together on Sunday night shouldn’t be bombarded by content like this that would be more appropriate for the Playboy Channel,” said PTC President Tim Winter in a statement. “Is this how Fox upholds its obligation to use the people’s airwaves ‘in the public interest?’”
“Fox hides behind satire and animation as an ‘excuse’ to air the foulest material imaginable,” Winter added.
A Fox spokesman declined comment.
After the Janet Jackson Super Bowl half time show incident on CBS, Congress increased the penalties the FCC can assess TV stations for violations of indecency from $32,500 per incident to $325,000, per TV station, with a maximum of $3 million fine per broadcast incident.
Broadcasters have challenged the legality of the FCC’s indecency fines imposed under former FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, and a decision is due from a Philadelphia appellate court on one of their challenges.
