PTC Slams Fox’s ‘American Dad’ Episode

The Parents Television Council has called on its members and concerned citizens to file indecency complaints with the FCC over what it calls “sexually explicit” content on Fox’s American Dad, which aired on Sunday, April 14, as early as 8:30 p.m. in the Central and Mountain time zones. Fox rated the program as being appropriate for 14-year-old children.

The episode titled, “The Missing Kink,” has wife Francine looking for ways to spice things up in the bedroom with her uptight husband Stan. Examples of the dialogue include lines such as “holes that need exploring,” and “put a finger in the stink.”

“Such extremely graphic sexual content has no place on the publicly-owned airwaves at a time when millions of children are in the viewing audience,” said Tim Winter, president of the PTC. “Just as irresponsible is that Fox rated this show as appropriate for children as young as 14 years old.

“Whenever the broadcast TV networks are called to account for airing indecent material, they proclaim how responsible they are and point to the ‘tools’ parents have to block any unwanted content. But the airing of this material and the age rating assigned by Fox demonstrates unequivocally how dishonest and self-serving the industry’s arguments truly are,” Winter continued.

“As the FCC seeks public comment on its proposal to limit the reach of the broadcast decency law, Fox has issued its own public notice about the type of material we can expect to see on every network and at all times of the day,” Winter said. “And this reveals precisely why we are urging our members and other concerned citizens not only to file indecency complaints about this American Dad episode, but also to file public comments calling on the FCC to enforce the broadcast decency law, as instructed by the Congress and as affirmed by the highest court in the land.

“Every Fox affiliate that aired this American Dad episode should be held accountable for violating the law. It’s time that the network affiliates live up to the terms of their broadcast licenses and serve the public interest, which includes their obligation to stay within the bounds of decency before 10 p.m.,” Winter concluded.