Last November, in a settlement with the Federal Communications Commission, Viacom Inc. forked over $3.5 million to settle every pending indecency complaint against the multimedia company’s radio and TV stations -- all but the proposed $550,000 fine for the Janet Jackson Super Bowl flash dance, anyway, which Viacom vowed to fight.
The settlement covered well-known incidents like the sex-at-St. Patrick’s stunt engineered by shock jocks Opie and Anthony on WNEW(AM) in New York. But it also wiped away complaints against Viacom-owned CBS and UPN that we hadn’t heard about—until our Freedom of Information Act request came through.
It turns out that complaints were made against 15 Viacom shows, including episodes of Big Brother and CSI.
Here are a couple of TV moments from other episodes Viacom chose not to defend: From UPN’s Dec. 9, 2003, Rock Me Baby:
Beth: Of course you are [immature]; that’s why you laugh every time the South Carolina Gamecocks play the Oregon State Beavers.
Jimmy: Hey—do you remember that time the announcer said, "The Gamecocks are deep in Beaver territory?"
From CBS’s Dec. 19, 2002, Survivor: Thailand:
When cast member Stephanie Dill does a striptease (her breasts and pubic area are pixilated), she holds a fish to her crotch, saying "If you don’t pick me, you can kiss my fish."
