Let me first say that I don’t give a rat’s ass about Victoria Secret’s “Fashion” show. I’ve never watched it and I had no intention of watching it this year.
It isn’t that I’m not in favor of hot women parading around in next to nothing. Quite the contrary. But, any fashion show with women in underwear regulated by the FCC on broadcast television…well, you get the point.
This year, KHOU, the local Houston CBS affiliate has decided to air the show later than its nationally scheduled time of 9pm. Normally, we’d all think that 9pm is late enough to put the kiddos to bed so their eyes aren’t tainted with the sight of fake boobs and thongs. Apparently, it’s not late enough for channel 11.
Channel 11 is pre-empting girls in their nighties for a home-grown special of its own. KHOU morning anchor Debra Duncan is hosting In the Spotlight, which includes interviews with Oprah Winfrey, Ricardo Chavira (Carlos on Desperate Housewives) and model/actress Brooke Burns (Baywatch).
“We wanted to put on a show of our own,” said Channel 11 chief Peter Diaz.
Oh, sure, because no doubt a Deborah Duncan show is just going to blow the lid off of local TV. More likely, they were worried about complaints. Chronicle writer Mike McDaniel summed it up best:
It also saves him tons of e-mails from people who object to girls in underwear in prime time.
The re-aired show now goes on at 1:07am.
When has anyone known of a television station to pass up ad money and ratings. Well, no doubt KHOU gets to keep all ad revenue sold for the Duncan show, which will help salve those wounds. But, is this really over the fear that people might be offended by chicks in panties?
They don’t seem to receive complaint when virtually every night the violence on television seems to grow more and more graphic. Episodes of CSI show more disgusting things – scientists sifting through the contents of someone’s stomach or digging a bullet out of a visably open wound – than old horror films.
So, I guess we are back to that same old addage. You can show violence, but if you show something even remotely relating to sex, you are in trouble. Ask Janet Jackson. You’d think her boob pulled a gun on the president for all the uproad it caused when it made an appearance on the Super Bowl.
Besides, you’ll see more skin on the average Baywatch episode than you will on Vicki’s panty parade. There’s more wax backstage than a vintage car convention and no nipple will be left uncovered. If this is the thing we most have to worry about this Christmas (here’s a hint – it isn’t), we’ve got it WAY too good (here’s a hint – we do).