PTC Seeks Formal Complaint About 'American Dad'

The Parents Television Council has asked its
members to file a formal indecency complaint
at the FCC over a recent
episode of American Dad.

According to PTC, 1,800 members had already filed a complaint with the FCC via PTC's online action form as of about noon Thursday.

PTC has not filed a complaint itself, with a source saying
that such complaints from organizations don't get the attention of the FCC. The
source said the group thinks the complaint would stand by itself, but that the
timing of the episode -- the same day show creator Seth MacFarlane was named to
host the Oscars -- suggested he might not be a "safe" choice for the
awards show.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.