a shocking story from the world of media....

[WXBUFFJIM]

Whether you all think media is liberal or conservative or even bias is your personal opinion. But what do you all think about what happened in Cleveland???? Does this seem inappropriate???

TV NEWS
Cleveland Anchor Appears Nude in TV Report



CLEVELAND (AP) - A television news anchor appeared on the air nude in a first-person report about an artist's photographs, drawing a record number of viewers for the time slot, the station said.

Sharon Reed was one of hundreds of people who participated in Spencer Tunick's nude photo installation in Cleveland in June. Her report, which aired Monday on the 11 p.m. newscast on WOIO-TV, showed far away angles of her nude and some closer seminude shots, as well as other participants.

The station said Wednesday that the story on its Web site attracted nearly 1 million visitors. WOIO news director Steve Doerr said the story was aimed at bringing in ratings during November sweeps when audiences are measured to set advertising rates.

The report comes in the midst of increased attention to the airwaves, following Janet Jackson's breast-baring performance during the Super Bowl halftime show. The Federal Communications Commission proposed a record fine of $550,000 against CBS, WOIO's parent network. The network is protesting.


On Tuesday, ABC apologized for the intro to ``Monday Night Football'' that featured a supposedly naked actress jumping into a player's arms in a spoof of the television show ``Desperate Housewives.''


Doerr said the idea was to cover Tunick, a well-known artist, in a different way, and he said the response has been generally positive. Reed said she was praised for ``standing up'' for what she believed, but also was ridiculed for jeopardizing TV news standards.


Monday night's newscast received a record 17.1 share, compared with the 13.6 earned during the newscast airing immediately after this year's Super Bowl, according to Broadcasting & Cable, an industry publication.


The station aired advisories before the piece, and FCC spokeswoman Janice Wise on Wednesday said WOIO followed commission rules that prohibit indecent material from being aired on broadcast television from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.


On the Net:


http://www.woio.com



11/17/04 21:24


© Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.


Jim

[SouthernWx]

Sadly, many Americans no longer seem to have any common sense or decency. It honestly makes me wonder if America is "rotting from within" as I heard an evangelist at my church predict in 1975 would happen to this country if it continued to disobey God and flaunt immorality.

[rainstorm]

it would be much much worse if dan rather did the news naked.

******gags******

[yoda]

it would be much much worse if dan rather did the news naked.

******gags******

I knew this would be here...

Anyway...

[The Big Dog]

This is the end result when news departments are no longer in charge of the news. Ratings reign supreme, and we get "infotainment."

Is it appropriate? Of course not. But that hardly matters anymore.

[alicia-w]

so we should drape every unclothed figure in a statue? or a painting?

It's ART, people. We're not talking Penthouse or Hustler images here.

[The Big Dog]

It's ART, people. We're not talking Penthouse or Hustler images here.

It's not about art, it's about journalistic standards. This stunt was done so obviously for ratings during the November sweeps. There was absolutely no reason for the anchor to become part of the story except to sell more ad time.