The News Is Fuc**d

The News Is Fucked on Vimeo
Reported by: Lance Barry
Web produced by: Neil Relyea
Photographed by: Jeremy Glover
First posted: 11/1/2006 11:01:14 PM
Last Updated: 11/2/2006 12:07:57 AM
Cincinnati's public access channel says they've done nothing wrong, after yesterday airing a short film full of expletives during the dinner hour.

Media Bridges is refusing to release the footage of that short film to 9News, saying they have yet to receive permission to do so by it's producer.

But even if 9News did have a copy of the film, it wouldn't be allowed to air unedited -- with the "f-word" prominently featured for all, both young and old -- to hear yesterday.

"The content does seem to be of an adult nature," said Tom Bishop, executive director of Media Bridges.

And there's a good possibility that "you" might have been paying for it.

The city funds the channel, and if you have Time Warner Cable, "you" help pay for it.

Media Bridges is funded by a city-sponsored telecommunications act that has Time Warner subscribers given no choice but to pay just under a dollar per month to support it.

"We are funded through the city, specifically the telecommunications act, through our cable provider," said Bishop, "so, 96-cents per month from Time Warner Cable customers."

The half-hour show in question was called a "Mysti Mayhem Presents" short film, shown on Media Bridges' Time Warner Cable channel 4 at 5:30 p.m. yesterday evening.

9News asked several times tonight to be shown the footage that was aired.

"It's not my material to let you look at, except when it was airing," said Bishop.

"When it did air, it showed a "Big Foot" type character who has stumbled into modern-day civilization, complete with the "f-word" being said in the dialogue on multiple occassions, shown unedited.

The director of Media Bridges says you might not like what you saw, but there is nothing you can do it about it either.

"I cannot legally prevent something from going on the air," said Bishop. "That is prior restraint. Public access is a first amendment freedom."

Normally Media Bridges material that is thought to be for mature audiences would be aired after 11 p.m.

But that is solely up the producer to make that assessment.

It's entirely possible that the producer didn't feel showing that film during the dinner hour was in poor taste.

However, the director of Media Bridges didn't rule out that it's airing during the time slot might have been a simple mistake.

Media Bridges says since it is a community-run station operating on cable, they are not held to the same decency standards as broadcast stations.