WSCA Station Handbook and Training Manual - Prometheus Radio ...

Test Your “IQ” --
Indecency Quotient
Page 2
TRUE. The mere fact that specific words or phrases are not sustained or repeated does not mean their
utterance is not indecent.
5. There is an exception for profanity that comes from practical jokes station personalities play on
each other.
FALSE. The law applies to the broadcast of any obscene, profane, or indecent material.
6. Even though listening drops off significantly after afternoon drive, the FCC still cares about
indecency in the evening hours.
TRUE. The broadcast of indecent matter is prohibited between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
7. What “plays” in Philadelphia may not in Fresno, so where a station is located has an impact on
whether a broadcast is indecent.
FALSE. The contemporary community standards to which the definition of indecency refers are not
local, but are national, in scope. The standard is that of an average broadcast viewer or listener, not the
sensibilities of any individual listener or viewer.
8. Song titles mentioned on the air, like “Fuck It,” are not exempt from indecency prosecution.
TRUE. There is no exception for song titles to the prohibition on the broadcast of indecent matter.
9. There is a limited exemption for lyrics of songs, like “Fuck what I said it don’t mean shit now,”
so long as they are sung or spoken by the artist performing the song.
FALSE. The prohibition on the broadcast of indecent matter applies to statements made by air
personnel, comments made by callers-in, or lyrics sung or spoken by an artist, live or recorded.
10. The FCC has a news exemption for serious reporting of bona fide news events, so profanity
heard in the background of a report on a rock concert would not be subject to prosecution.
FALSE. The indecency law makes no exception for news coverage. Context is important, however, and
The FCC could conclude based on all the facts that the utterance was not patently offensive.
11. Even if a joke or bit has a genuine association, like celebrating Thomas Crapper’s birthday with
some toilet humor, the FCC could come down on it.
TRUE. Depending upon whether the material, taken as a whole, in context, was patently offensive, the
FCC could find it to be indecent.