SUPER BOWL BROADCAST CBS gets hefty fine for halftime stunt

Problems also erupted over the false report about the president on '60 Minutes.'
LOS ANGELES TIMES
NEW YORK -- Less than an hour after CBS named an independent panel Wednesday to investigate the scandal over flawed "60 Minutes" reporting, the Federal Communications Commission hit the network with the largest fine in FCC history over CBS' infamous Super Bowl halftime broadcast.
As home to two explosive media controversies this year, the network finds itself fighting image battles on multiple fronts -- and in the same week it scored its poorest Emmy-awards-show ratings since 1954.
The network's tendency to dig in its heels and deny there is a problem when controversies surface has only compounded its troubles, media observers say.
Network officials initially dismissed criticism of a "60 Minutes" piece about President Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard and didn't issue an apology until 12 days after the Sept. 8 broadcast.
They reacted similarly to the political furor that erupted over CBS' "The Reagans" movie project last October.
Conservatives were incensed over early glimpses of the unflattering portrayal of former President Reagan and wife Nancy, and the network eventually dropped plans to broadcast the movie, shunting it to Showtime, a cable subsidiary.
The network did apologize promptly in the wake of the Janet Jackson breast-baring episode during the Super Bowl halftime broadcast in February.
Here's the problem
"We all make mistakes," said Dee Davis, president of the Whitesburg, Ky.-based Center for Rural Studies, which criticized CBS over its plans for a reality show called the "Real Beverly Hillbillies." "The real danger comes when you can't admit it," he said.
The two-man panel appointed by CBS to investigate the "60 Minutes" broadcast regarding Bush's Guard duty includes former U.S. Attorney General Richard Thornburgh and Louis Boccardi, former president and chief executive of the Associated Press.
The controversial Sept. 8 broadcast featured unverifiable documents purportedly written by Bush's commander. The material was provided by a former Guard official who lied to the network about where he had obtained them.
Among other things, Thornburgh and Boccardi will review the actions of producer Mary Mapes, who put her chief source on the story in contact with a senior adviser to Democratic candidate John F. Kerry before the story was aired. The panel's findings will be made public.
CBS officials apologized this week for broadcasting the story, which alleged that Bush had received preferential treatment while in the Texas Air National Guard and had violated military procedures. The story was delivered by "CBS Evening News" anchor Dan Rather.
News-division officials put a positive spin on Wednesday's announcement of the investigating panel, stressing their desire to get the full story out and to put the embarrassing disclosures behind them.
About that fine
But the network was decidedly cool in reacting to the FCC decision about the Super Bowl halftime broadcast, vowing to consider all of its options, including an appeal of the hefty $550,000 fine.
"While we regret that the incident occurred and have apologized to our viewers, we continue to believe that nothing in the Super Bowl broadcast violated indecency laws," the network said in a statement.
"Furthermore, our investigation proved that no one in our company had any advance knowledge about the incident."
The FCC said the fine, sparked by the Jackson episode, represents a $27,500 fine on 20 Viacom subsidiaries for "apparently willfully broadcasting indecent material."
The Feb. 1 show drew an unprecedented 542,000 complaints after singer Justin Timberlake ripped Jackson's top during a halftime performance.