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US censor: Too NYPD Blue

26/01/2008

US network ABC faces a $1.4 million fine (£700,000) over female nudity shown in a 2003 episode of NYPD Blue.

The US' Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says a scene broadcast before the 21:00 watershed of a young boy surprising a woman emerging from the shower naked is "explicit, dwelled upon, and shocking, pandering and titillating".

It says the camera "lingers" on her buttocks, which are visible from the side, after they are shown fully with her upper legs as she leans to hang up her robe over the sink.

ABC is contesting the fine, saying the shots were not of "sexual or excretory organs" as outlined in the FCC's regulations.

The FCC insists "an adult woman's buttocks" fall within this indecency definition, however.

FCC commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate said: "Our action today should serve as a reminder to all broadcasters that Congress and American families continue to be concerned about protecting children from harmful material and that the FCC will enforce the laws of the land vigilantly.

"The law is simple. If a broadcaster makes the decision to show indecent programming, it must air between the hours of 22:00 and 06:00. This is neither difficult to understand nor burdensome to implement."

NYPD Blue ran from 1993 until 2005. The episode in question was first aired on February 25th 2003, leading ABC to argue its viewers would have grasped the style of its storylines by the time the episode in question was broadcast.