• February 26, 2004

Hours after issuing a new "zero tolerance" policy toward broadcast indecency, radio giant Clear Channel Communications dropped one of radio's top-rated and most controversial personalities, Howard Stern, from its stations. Stern, who's daily radio talk show frequently discusses explicit sexual content, as well as racist references, is syndicated by Clear Channel radio broadcasting rival, Infinity Broadcasting, which is owned by Viacom. "Clear Channel drew a line in the sand today," stated John Hogan, president-CEO of Clear Channel Radio, adding that the content of Stern's show, "was vulgar, offensive, and insulting, not just to women and African Americans but to anyone with a sense of common decency." Hogan left the possibility open that Clear Channel stations might resume airing Stern's show if and when it conforms to "acceptable standards of responsible broadcasting." Early Wednesday, Clear Channel announced a so-called "Responsible Broadcasting Initiative" to ensure its radio stations conform to the standards and sensibilities of the local communities they serve. The move follows increased regulatory oversight, as well as recent fines imposed on Clear Channel and Viacom stations by the Federal Communications Commission for broadcasting indecent content. Separately, Viacom President-COO has been making statements of a Viacom crackdown on indecency, but no explicit actions have been taken. Viacom came under increased pressure following the exposure of Janet Jackson's breast during the CBS' coverage of the Super Bowl halftime show, which was produced by MTV Networks. Both are units of Viacom .