The watershed (or "safe harbor") for "indecent" programming begins at 10:00pm and ends at 6:00am the next morning (all time zones). However, content that is considered "obscene" (including explicit human sexual intercourse) is never allowed by the FCC rules for broadcast stations. Those content rules only apply to channels broadcast terrestrially and not those only available on cable. Consequently, restricted-access networks (like the premium channels HBO and Showtime and adult channels Playboy TV and Spice) have taken advantage of considerably more leeway in their programming.

Some American television scenes famous for "pushing the envelope" (such as limited nudity on NYPD Blue) were aired in the 10:00pm-11:00pm hour; however, these broadcasts were before the Safe Harbor in the Central and Mountain time zones, where programming scheduled for 10:00pm EST would typically be broadcast starting at 9:00pm (using a one-hour tape delay in Mountain time).

Because the FCC interprets safe harbor times as local time, some network affiliates can be fined for airing an "indecent" program simultaneously with another station whose broadcast is officially at a later time and wouldn't be fined. Such was the case with CBS, whose affiliates were fined USD $3.63 million for a repeat of the episode "Our Sons and Daughters" of Without a Trace in December 2004. The program was flagged for depicting an orgy involving teenagers.^[2][3] It was televised at 10:00pm in the Eastern and Pacific time zones (within the watershed), but at 9:00pm in Central and Mountain times (outside the watershed). The FCC split its fine among the 111 CBS affiliates covering these time zones. It is still being appealed by those stations. [1]

In the 1970s, the ill-fated Family Viewing Hour tried to make the 8:00pm-9:00pm hour (7-8 pm Central/Mountain) safe for family consumption, but was overturned in court due to the way it was instituted.

[

References

1. ^ Broadcasting Complaints Commission response to a complaint; Retrieved on 2008-04-20
2. ^ CBS Reruns Teen Orgy Scene, Parents Television Council (PTC), January 2005
3. ^ FCC Rightly Fined CBS for Violating Terms of 2004 Consent Decree, PTC, March 2006

[

External links

• The Ofcom Broadcasting Code - Section 1
• Canadian Broadcast Standards Council - What is the Watershed?

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