Media execs blast further U.S. TV regulation

By Yinka Adegoke

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Media executives on Tuesday criticized potential further U.S government involvement in regulating what Americans watch on television and called on industry lobbyists to prepare for a battle in Washington.

Speaking at the 56th annual National Cable & Telecommunications Association event, The Cable Show, executives from Time Warner Inc., Viacom Inc., News Corp. and Comcast Corp. all argued that it was not government's place to decide what content Americans viewed at home.

They were responding to a Federal Communications Commission report on TV violence, which suggested government could regulate violent programming without infringing free speech.

The report released in April found that exposure to violence in the media can increase aggressive behavior in children, at least for a short while.

The FCC does not currently have the authority to regulate violence on the airwaves, although it does have the power to regulate obscenity, sexual content and profanity.

"This is an example of government intrusiveness at nearly its worse," said Peter Chernin, chief operating officer of News Corp. "There are a lot of things we can do to regulate content in this world but I'm not sure there are many Americans who really believe that government's the right place to do that."

Chernin argued the media industry's obligation to Americans is to provide them with the tools to regulate content that their children have access to.

Time Warner Chief Executive Richard Parsons said the media industry must not allow itself to become a political tool for those with extremist views.

Parsons, who has a background in government and has been touted as a possible candidate for New York City mayor, said the industry must work harder at presenting a strong argument to government which agrees with the majority of Americans.

"There are entrenched and very vocal and well-funded minority groups that have a point of view and they are distorting this conversation in my view," said Parsons.

Parsons said the government should never be allowed to have control of media.

A LA CARTE

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has been pushing the cable and media industry for "a la carte" programming to let parents avoid inappropriate content by choosing what channels come with their TV packages.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, in a speech on Monday, reiterated his belief that a la carte programming would support his desire for increased consumer choice.

Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman said the marketplace was already working out a lot of the issues that regulators were trying to address.