No more on-ice audio for NHL games

[Chadd 916]

This could force NHL (and other sports) broadcasts to turn off the microphones that give us the sounds of the game.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle....NDECENCY-DC.XML

[hamstercaster 2]

FCC is getting more stupid than stupid day after day.. Damn what's next. They will put microphones in homes to keep parents from swearing in front of their kids and stuff... I'm happy the CRTC isn't even close to be in Canada... What happened to parenting? shouldn't it be left to parents to decide wether or not their kids should watch/listen to programs with coarse language and violent/nudity scenes. That's just ridiculous. I'm happy we won't have those problems with RDS and the Habs games hehehe well atleast when they play in Montreal

[jbyun04 7]

wow thats stupid

[Dante2004 0]

They should just air the game on a XX second delay an censor the mics if they want to be pricks about. I would rather watch the game delayed than miss the on-field/court/ice sounds...

Is it ironic how the country that boasts about "free speech" has so many regulations on it.

[hamstercaster 2]

I think you can blame religious groups a bit on that and the fact that Georege W. Bush is a very religious person makes it easier for religious groups to try and impose their views and values... I'm an outsider that doesn't pay much attention to what's happening in the States but it seems to me that the separation between Church and State is getting slimmer and slimmer day by day. Not to start a religious debate, then again it could be interesting to have such a debate in the general discussions forum, but, religion should be left out of any government/school/hospital etc. People should be left to decide on their own what they believe in or don't believe in for that matter without having the State cramming that stuff anywhere they can by etc... then again, I may be wrong as what I am saying is mainly earsay from other forums, news etc.

[Dante2004 0]

Not saying this is "right"...but it is a fact.

America was a country founded upon the principles of Christianity, which always makes it interesting when people push the seperation of church and state, in a country founded on the church. The founding fathers wanted the church to not interefere with the actions of the government, but not necessarily have the government turn theirs back on the beliefs of the church. Over the years as more cultures have immigrated to this country, thus bringing more relgions/beliefs with them, this original principle has been diluted.

Not so much anymore, but the 10 commandments used to be all over in the judicial system architecture. "God" is on many of the documents, etc, etc, etc.

[RadioGaGa 162]

This could force NHL (and other sports) broadcasts to turn off the microphones that give us the sounds of the game.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle....NDECENCY-DC.XML

Admittedly, I haven't read the entitre article...but are they including the "Wired" segments were producers/directors have a chance to screen the audio from during a period before it is aired in the intermission (or whatever).

I really enjoyed those Mic'd up breaks...I hope they can still do those. As far as live audio...why not run on a 7 sec. delay and have "dead air Dave" on the button.

Eric Idle's FCC Song <--- Contains some "questionable" language (Probably NSFW).

Thanks FCC....thanks for NOTHIN'

[jbyun04 7]

does this mean no more crowd sounds? because crowds are a huge part of the game

especially since there are chants like the bs chant

[RadioGaGa 162]

...shouldn't it be left to parents to decide wether or not their kids should watch/listen to programs with coarse language and violent/nudity scenes.

Not to defend them...but I think that is part of the arguement. It is fair enough to say parenting is the issue when you can put a disclaimer or warning, but when you aren't in crontrol of what is being said (ie: During LIVE sports) you cant' guarantee "Family Friendly" entertainment.

A young kid should be able to watch a hockey game with his Dad, without having to hear "F*** you" or whatever. That's why I think the delay is a decent comprimise.

Like I said...I don't really want censorship...but I think that is part of rationale.

[hamstercaster 2]

Although quite honnestly I can't recall hearing such words on RDS or TSN for that matter. If you can lip read, then yes you do decipher profanities but I find that you rarely if ever hear profanities on tv during a game.. another question, will they now require people to be 18 and over to attend a live sport event or concert for that matter?

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Not saying this is "right"...but it is a fact.

America was a country founded upon the principles of Christianity, which always makes it interesting when people push the seperation of church and state, in a country founded on the church. The founding fathers wanted the church to not interefere with the actions of the government, but not necessarily have the government turn theirs back on the beliefs of the church. Over the years as more cultures have immigrated to this country, thus bringing more relgions/beliefs with them, this original principle has been diluted.

Not so much anymore, but the 10 commandments used to be all over in the judicial system architecture. "God" is on many of the documents, etc, etc, etc.

Ireland is still run by the church, but fortunately we use common sense also. The odd expletive on a game day is no big deal, until someone makes it a big deal.

We also use a watershed rule, where there is censorship of the TV up to around 9/9.30, after that its assumed children will be in bed, or adults will be home to supervise, if not, then the entire country will not revolve around a minute percentage of people who can't get their kids to bed.

Over here its the fundamentalist all or nothing approach that is the problem, not the fact that it's christianity, its the misinterpretation of christianity by idiots like falwell or bush that pose the problems

[2-Keys 1]

Eric Idle's FCC Song <--- Contains some "questionable" language (Probably NSFW).

Thanks FCC....thanks for NOTHIN'

nice song haha. i cant recall ever hearing profanities while watching a hockey game. like someone said u can read lips but thats about it.

[hockeymom 2]

another question, will they now require people to be 18 and over to attend a live sport event or concert for that matter?

No, they won't require people to be over 18 to attend an event. That is personal choice.

The difference here is broadcasting the event. TV airways are publicly owned airways (owned by us, Joe Q Public) and regulated by the CRTC in Canada and the FCC in the US. TV and Radio stations don't actually OWN the frequency they broadcast on - they have a license to operate. And must maintain standards established as acceptable for the "general public".

So no swearing.

I agree with RadioGaGa... the 7 second delay will allow us to get the live benefit while maintaining the standards.

If you disagree with the standards...write the CRTC/FCC .. you own the airwaves!

[Chadd 916]

Although quite honnestly I can't recall hearing such words on RDS or TSN for that matter. If you can lip read, then yes you do decipher profanities but I find that you rarely if ever hear profanities on tv during a game.. another question, will they now require people to be 18 and over to attend a live sport event or concert for that matter?

How about the one Cane who said it a couple times after they got the Cup? There was a multi-page discussion on it here.

[RadioGaGa 162]

Although quite honnestly I can't recall hearing such words on RDS or TSN for that matter.  If you can lip read, then yes you do decipher profanities but I find that you rarely if ever hear profanities on tv during a game..  another question, will they now require people to be 18 and over to attend a live sport event or concert for that matter?

How about the one Cane who said it a couple times after they got the Cup? There was a multi-page discussion on it here.

...and how about how when it happens on a US network they break into the "You can't control what they say." or "We're so sorry that just happened". Whereas, up here...they just keep talking about what they are talking about...the tech guys kill the audio and they go right on. I bet *most* people wouldn't even notice it, if the announcers didn't draw so much attention to it.

You make a mistake, or something unexpected happens..ignore it, pretend it didn't happen (unless you HAVE to acknowledge it) and keep going.

[kosydar 0]

I think you can blame religious groups a bit on that and the fact that Georege W. Bush is a very religious person makes it easier for religious groups to try and impose their views and values... I'm an outsider that doesn't pay much attention to what's happening in the States but it seems to me that the separation between Church and State is getting slimmer and slimmer day by day.  Not to start a religious debate, then again it could be interesting to have such a debate in the general discussions forum, but, religion should be left out of any government/school/hospital etc.  People should be left to decide on their own what they believe in or don't believe in for that matter without having the State cramming that stuff anywhere they can by etc... then again, I may be wrong as what I am saying is mainly earsay from other forums, news etc.

I'll bite, for argument's sake...

Yes, religious groups are known to support stuff like this, but I know just as many tight asses who aren't affiliated with anything. And to be fair, Clinton claimed to be just as religious as Bush. Its just easier for religious people to align themselves with Bush because of party lines.

There is still a huge separation of church and state. I'm not a big fan of Bush, but I certainly don't hate him like most. Still, I think its a hard situation for Bush to be in, being a conservative Christian president. Bush's policies on social issues are almost always Christian-conservative, but it isn't like he is following a doctrine that guides his presidency. Bush's social policies reflect those of his party, just like Clinton's progressive policies were reflective of the Democrats. Its not like there are state sponsored Christian bureaucrats running around everywhere. The president (and Congress as well) just happen to have "Christian" values.

Also, the reason why the these Christian groups have so much power is simply because of their sheer numbers. They are one of, if not the most influential interest groups in America, simply because they make up so much of the population. People have a hard time realizing that there are still a hell of a lot of devout Christians in America, and these Christians are very influential in politics.

Why should religion be left out of schools and hospitals? I assume you mean public institutions, and I'll agree to some point. However, it seems to me like the vast majority of hosptials were founded by some religious group back in the day, usually by Catholic nuns. The only impact that has now is a Crucifix and a Bible in each room, and a church downstairs. And through and through, I'll take my private Catholic education over public schooling anyday.

[Chadd 916]

The big money in the part has been coming from the conservative christians and they have done a good job of getting their followers to vote. The issue there isn't that you have a particular value system, it's trying to force your opinions and beliefs on others.

The FCC has also threatened to begin regulating content in cable and satellite broadcasts, something that appears to be beyond their charter. This is a matter of people with a very conservative and evangelical faith trying to impose their will on others.

[hockeymom 2]

The big money in the part has been coming from the conservative christians and they have done a good job of getting their followers to vote. The issue there isn't that you have a particular value system, it's trying to force your opinions and beliefs on others.

The FCC has also threatened to begin regulating content in cable and satellite broadcasts, something that appears to be beyond their charter. This is a matter of people with a very conservative and evangelical faith trying to impose their will on others.

Overall, voter turn out is down & participation in politics is down. So, a group that can successfully marshall activism can have a larger impact than their population numbers would normally warrant.

Re the FCC - their charter was written before cable and satellite - and the internet - altered the world. The FCC argument is it is just updating and encompassing things that would have been put in their purview had they been in existense at that time.

[Chadd 916]

The big money in the part has been coming from the conservative christians and they have done a good job of getting their followers to vote. The issue there isn't that you have a particular value system, it's trying to force your opinions and beliefs on others.

The FCC has also threatened to begin regulating content in cable and satellite broadcasts, something that appears to be beyond their charter. This is a matter of people with a very conservative and evangelical faith trying to impose their will on others.

Overall, voter turn out is down & participation in politics is down. So, a group that can successfully marshall activism can have a larger impact than their population numbers would normally warrant.

Re the FCC - their charter was written before cable and satellite - and the internet - altered the world. The FCC argument is it is just updating and encompassing things that would have been put in their purview had they been in existense at that time.

Cable channels do not utilize public spectrum airwaves, therefore the FCC has no authority. Only channels broadcast "over the air" or utilizing those public spectrum airwaves are under FCC jurisdiction. If you're paying for a channel to come into your home and you don't like what it shows, stop paying for it and it won't come in anymore. I can empathize with parents to a degree but simply because they choose not to use parental controls on their TV or can't figure out how to make them work, shouldn't prevent me from seeing or hearing what I want. Especially if I'm paying for it the right to see or hear it.

[Vapor 0]

BUT WE HAVE TO PROTECT THE CHILDREN.

[hockeysew 0]

Just another thing we can thank the skanky Jackson family for.......................

Janet your a HO!!

[Chadd 916]

BUT WE HAVE TO PROTECT THE CHILDREN.

Shelter them and protect them from the real world so they can't function on their own by the time they graduate college let alone high school. ;) I thought Republicans wanted less government involvement in our lives?

[Chadd 916]

Just another thing we can thank the skanky Jackson family for.......................

Janet your a HO!!

Why couldn't she have flashed her breasts 10 or 12 years ago when people actually wanted to see them?

[RadioGaGa 162]

BUT WE HAVE TO PROTECT THE CHILDREN.

But, if they take away our right to hear a hockey player say "F***" on the air, then the terrorists have won.

[Rande 0]

While talking about this on-ice-audio thing, can you post some videos?

Here in Europe they didnt enable this feature.. We just had the game itself (which is actually enough to make me happy )

I just know one, where heatley sings or something like that.

Thats very cool and i`d really loooove to see some more.

Thanks a lot!