Las Vegas, Jan 26 -- With the war on regulation and control raging across the U.S. media landscape, NATPE is set to organize resistance to　"the climate of fear created by FCC censorship and control."

Yesterday NATPE president and ceo Rick Feldman announced plans for a one-day symposium in the Spring which will bring together Government policy makers and top figures from broadcast networks, television stations, advertisers, agencies and the creative community to open a dialogue on the matter.

In his opening remarks Feldman charged the Federal Communications Commission with creating a climate of fear, citing the controversy and uncertainty resulting from recent incidents involving Janet Jackson, Bono and Saving Private Ryan.

Feldman said: "Just last month HBO Films offered three runs of its movies to PBS. One of them, The Dirty War, which aired last night, contained a brief scene featuring a naked woman being decontaminated after a dirty bomb. This scene, for PBS viewers, was not included because of concerns about possible FCC crackdowns. There is disparity between what seems to be acceptable on cable but not on broadcast TV, and what does and does not violate decency standards."

Feldman continued: "This environment of uncertainty and fear negatively impacts on broadcast networks and their stations. Free-over-the-air television should not have to operate in an environment where a scene in The Dirty War or the language in Saving Private Ryan could, when aired, result in fines or even worse, license revocation. This simply cannot be allowed to continue."

The new initiative will aggressively pursue the development of a platform designed to "create a spirited dialogue that will attempt to find reasonable solutions that address the concerns of the consumer while protecting the first amendment rights of the creative community."

NATPE will partner with the USC Annenberg School of Communication on the initiative.

(Source: NATPE Daily)