PTC FILES FCC COMPLAINT AGAINST 'TOP MODEL'

The Parents Television Council has filed an indecency complaint over CW’s America’s Next Top Model for showing a nude model and is encouraging its members to file complaints with the FCC.

The episode showed a model posing fully nude for photographs while lying on a bed. PTC said “the nudity was partially blurred.” The episode aired on March 26 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.

In its statement, PTC President Tim Winter said: “It is irresponsible for the CW Network to air full frontal nudity on the public airwaves at 8 p.m., and based upon our analysis of the broadcast in question we believe this has crossed the legal threshold for broadcast indecency. This episode portrays a photo-shoot where the model is entirely naked; and the nudity includes the model’s pubic region in full view, albeit slightly blurred.

“This is not simply a matter of artistic freedom, as some might claim,” Winter continued. “Rather, this is about a television network intentionally pushing the envelope to establish a new acceptable nudity standard for the broadcast medium. The entire photo shoot scene, which lasted for more than a minute, is wholly gratuitous and undoubtedly intended to titillate.

Sadly, it appears that CW believed this was appropriate content for children given that the show aired during the Family Hour. Even more children were exposed to this graphic content because of the time it aired.

“Broadcasters have an obligation to abide by decency standards in exchange for free use of the public airwaves. Parents and families are fed up with such blatant and continued disregard for decency standards, and we encourage our members and anyone else who believe this broadcast crosses the line to lodge an indecency complaint with the FCC. The public’s voice will not remain silent while networks like CW try to profit from airing indecent content such as this.”