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Taking Out the Trash
Aired January 13, 2004 - 13:27 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: When the FCC decided not to fine stations for airing the swearing, that was enough to send California Congressman Doug Ose over the edge. He wrote down his own list of seven words that he never wants to hear on network TV, and we can't repeat them, even on cable. But we can talk about it with him, and his bill to ban offensive words.
Representative Ose joins me now live from Sacramento.
Sir, I promise we won't curse, no foul language, we'll keep it clean, OK?
REP. DOUG OSE (R), CALIFORNIA: Thank you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Why don't you tell me why you introduced this bill?
OSE: We got a lot of input from our viewers and the like about this person's performance at that award ceremony. People reacted very negatively, and they wanted to know if anything could be done. We checked it out. There is something that can be done under existing FCC rules and this legislation attempts to make that happen.
PHILLIPS: All right, I'm going to be the typical devil's advocate here. Why not -- I mean, the issue of freedom of speech, and why not say to parents, look, just you be the censors of television, you know, tell your kids what they can watch and what can't watch and have more control.
OSE: Well, the existing FCC rules says that you cannot use obscene or profane language. All we're doing is defining by statute seven or eight words that are profane. And so the rules aren't changing, it's just you can't use this.
Now obviously, every parent in the country has the right to exercise control over what their kids watch, and I encourage them to do so.
PHILLIPS: Now I thought that when we talked about standards with regard to the FCC, that you can use profanity, it just can't have any sort of sexual connotation.
OSE: The definition is obscene or profane, and then they use it in terms of -- I think it's sexual or excretory, or some such word, that's more syllables than I can pronounce, function. So what the FCC did was say, well, he used it as an adjective, so that's OK. If he used it as a verb or a noun, it wouldn't have been OK. Well, I mean, come on, we're splitting hairs here. That's ridiculous. We just don't want this language on television.
PHILLIPS: All right. Now, how much of a reality -- do you really think you're going to be able to push this and get through with this bill? I mean, if you look just at television in general, you look at the soap operas, you look at the HBO, you look at really regular programming, I mean, the sex is pretty evident. I mean, it's pretty harry stuff, aside from just profanity.
OSE: Well, we're talking -- this legislation speaks only about what is or is not profane. And that's what we're trying to address. I'm not talking about the story lines or anything, we're talking about the script, what is or isn't profane. Our legislation would clarify what is profane, and make it subject to FCC sanction.
PHILLIPS: We're seeing on the screen exactly how you do define it in your bill. You make it sound very...
OSE: We cover it all.
PHILLIPS: Yes, you sure do. You hit every part there.
OSE: That's right.
PHILLIPS: Now what about -- could you see a backlash of rebellion. Think about our culture now. Think of pop culture. They're going to find out about you pushing this bill, and they'll say, boy, let's think of more ways to get the curse words in there, the shock value, and then you know, we'll be cool for getting fined, we'll be cool for being a rebel.
OSE: Well, the sanction actually would be put on the broadcast network, not on the artist, or the actor or whomever says it. And the point there is stations or broadcast networks have the ability to put in place technology that they can delete such word as might otherwise be profane. We don't -- I don't have any objection to that. I just don't want to see it come over the public airwaves.
PHILLIPS: So how do you handle things with your kids? When you're at home, the TV is on, you want to go to a movie? I'm curious about your standards.
OSE: The only show we watch, Kyra, is yours.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Oh. Now if that was -- that's a pretty good answer, wasn't expecting that one. All right, be serious with me now.
OSE: We watch very little TV. I mean, I'm serious. Maybe two hours a week. The kids typically like to watch the Saturday cartoons very early in the morning, and there's very little foul or profane language on those.
PHILLIPS: Well, are you by chance in the Nielsen family? Will you affect our ratings? Because if you want to turn all the TVs on to CNN, that's great. OSE: My kids have a lot of activities, so that's just the way it is.
PHILLIPS: There you go, it's better than TV anyway.
Congressman Ose, thank you so much for your time.
OSE: Thank you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: I hope you'll keep us updated.
OSE: You bet.
PHILLIPS: We want to follow every word.
OSE: All right.
PHILLIPS: All right, take care.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
9
Aired January 13, 2004 - 13:27 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: When the FCC decided not to fine stations for airing the swearing, that was enough to send California Congressman Doug Ose over the edge. He wrote down his own list of seven words that he never wants to hear on network TV, and we can't repeat them, even on cable. But we can talk about it with him, and his bill to ban offensive words.
Representative Ose joins me now live from Sacramento.
Sir, I promise we won't curse, no foul language, we'll keep it clean, OK?
REP. DOUG OSE (R), CALIFORNIA: Thank you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Why don't you tell me why you introduced this bill?
OSE: We got a lot of input from our viewers and the like about this person's performance at that award ceremony. People reacted very negatively, and they wanted to know if anything could be done. We checked it out. There is something that can be done under existing FCC rules and this legislation attempts to make that happen.
PHILLIPS: All right, I'm going to be the typical devil's advocate here. Why not -- I mean, the issue of freedom of speech, and why not say to parents, look, just you be the censors of television, you know, tell your kids what they can watch and what can't watch and have more control.
OSE: Well, the existing FCC rules says that you cannot use obscene or profane language. All we're doing is defining by statute seven or eight words that are profane. And so the rules aren't changing, it's just you can't use this.
Now obviously, every parent in the country has the right to exercise control over what their kids watch, and I encourage them to do so.
PHILLIPS: Now I thought that when we talked about standards with regard to the FCC, that you can use profanity, it just can't have any sort of sexual connotation.
OSE: The definition is obscene or profane, and then they use it in terms of -- I think it's sexual or excretory, or some such word, that's more syllables than I can pronounce, function. So what the FCC did was say, well, he used it as an adjective, so that's OK. If he used it as a verb or a noun, it wouldn't have been OK. Well, I mean, come on, we're splitting hairs here. That's ridiculous. We just don't want this language on television.
PHILLIPS: All right. Now, how much of a reality -- do you really think you're going to be able to push this and get through with this bill? I mean, if you look just at television in general, you look at the soap operas, you look at the HBO, you look at really regular programming, I mean, the sex is pretty evident. I mean, it's pretty harry stuff, aside from just profanity.
OSE: Well, we're talking -- this legislation speaks only about what is or is not profane. And that's what we're trying to address. I'm not talking about the story lines or anything, we're talking about the script, what is or isn't profane. Our legislation would clarify what is profane, and make it subject to FCC sanction.
PHILLIPS: We're seeing on the screen exactly how you do define it in your bill. You make it sound very...
OSE: We cover it all.
PHILLIPS: Yes, you sure do. You hit every part there.
OSE: That's right.
PHILLIPS: Now what about -- could you see a backlash of rebellion. Think about our culture now. Think of pop culture. They're going to find out about you pushing this bill, and they'll say, boy, let's think of more ways to get the curse words in there, the shock value, and then you know, we'll be cool for getting fined, we'll be cool for being a rebel.
OSE: Well, the sanction actually would be put on the broadcast network, not on the artist, or the actor or whomever says it. And the point there is stations or broadcast networks have the ability to put in place technology that they can delete such word as might otherwise be profane. We don't -- I don't have any objection to that. I just don't want to see it come over the public airwaves.
PHILLIPS: So how do you handle things with your kids? When you're at home, the TV is on, you want to go to a movie? I'm curious about your standards.
OSE: The only show we watch, Kyra, is yours.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Oh. Now if that was -- that's a pretty good answer, wasn't expecting that one. All right, be serious with me now.
OSE: We watch very little TV. I mean, I'm serious. Maybe two hours a week. The kids typically like to watch the Saturday cartoons very early in the morning, and there's very little foul or profane language on those.
PHILLIPS: Well, are you by chance in the Nielsen family? Will you affect our ratings? Because if you want to turn all the TVs on to CNN, that's great. OSE: My kids have a lot of activities, so that's just the way it is.
PHILLIPS: There you go, it's better than TV anyway.
Congressman Ose, thank you so much for your time.
OSE: Thank you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: I hope you'll keep us updated.
OSE: You bet.
PHILLIPS: We want to follow every word.
OSE: All right.
PHILLIPS: All right, take care.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
9
