FCC leader to stay tuned to racy soaps

Soap operas have become a potential target in the Federal Communications Commission’s crackdown on broadcast indecency, according to a key official who said the programs might be too “steamy” for daytime television.

Michael J. Copps, the FCC commissioner who has led the agency’s campaign against adult-oriented radio programs, told reporters Wednesday that the FCC should review whether soap operas violate the agency’s indecency prohibitions, according to Television Week, an industry trade publication.

Mr. Copps, one of two Democrats on the five-member panel, said he stumbled across a racy soap-opera scene while channel-surfing recently.

“It was pretty steamy stuff for the middle of the afternoon,” Mr. Copps said.

Under FCC rules, over-the-air television and radio stations cannot broadcast material involving sexual and excretory functions between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., when children might tune in. The FCC does not regulate content that airs on cable and satellite television.

Mr. Copps made his remarks after a National Association of Broadcasters’ summit on “responsible programming.” The daylong meeting was closed to the press, although Mr. Copps — one of several FCC officials who attended — met with reporters afterward.

Mr. Copps could not be reached yesterday because he was traveling, an aide said. The commissioner’s remarks do not necessarily mean he will seek an investigation into soap operas or daytime television in general, the aide said.

FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell declined comment when he was asked at the summit about Mr. Copps’ remarks, according to a transcript provided by his press office.

Representatives for the other FCC commissioners and ABC, CBS and NBC, all of which air soap operas, did not return telephone calls or declined comment yesterday.

The government’s scrutiny of TV and radio programs has intensified since Justin Timberlake removed part of Janet Jackson’s top, briefly exposing her breast, during the Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 1.

Since then, the FCC has announced a new round of fines against racy radio programs, and the nation’s largest broadcasters have adopted tougher standards against airing material that the government deems offensive.

Legislation that dramatically would raise fines against broadcasters is moving through Congress.

Soap operas largely have escaped public criticism, although the programs have started to show more skin in recent years.

CBS representatives have denied published reports that the recent firing of “Guiding Light” producer John Conboy was linked to the new sensitivities about indecency. Mr. Conboy was dismissed in February, about a week after the show aired a scene in which a character pulled down her boyfriend’s underpants, revealing his bare bottom.

The amount of sex featured on daytime serials is usually blown out of proportion, according to Lynn Leahey, editorial director of Soap Opera Digest and Soap Opera Weekly, the industry’s leading publications.

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