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Cable TV sex expert comes to Berkeley to champion frank exploration of sexuality

By Jamie Luck Special to the Daily Planet
Tuesday April 30, 2002

The second of two live TV forums to discuss the airing of adult material, “Viewer Discretion Advised,” aired on Berkeley’s public access cable channel last night. The show featured independent producers Svetlana Coutoure and Dr. Susan Block facing off over adult content and censorship issues in response to complaints brought to B-TV’s board of directors by Coutoure and her husband about Dr. Block’s show. 

The Coutoures’ claimed the “The Dr. Susan Block Show” featured “unpredictable” content and was on too early. 

“I take that as a compliment,” said Dr. Block, who flew in from LA to take part in the show. “It’s true that I cover human sexuality in all its many splendors, glories, dangers, fun and foolishness. I interview professors and porn stars. Professors tend to talk about an aspect of sexuality, while porn stars tend to take their clothes off. I entertain all aspects of sexuality, and you never know who will be on the show, so it’s true – the show’s unpredictable and spontaneous.” 

The gist of complaint has been that the show, which explores sexual issues and sometimes features nudity, airs early enough for children and teenagers to come across it.  

It currently airs in the time slot designated by the FCC as a ‘safe harbor’ for adult material, which begins at 10 p.m.-6 a.m. Some say that that is early enough for their children to see, particularly on a Friday night. 

Block contends that her program is educational, and though not intended for children, is not harmful. “I try to do my show in good taste, mindful that a child may be watching. I don’t put anything on the show that I think is harmful,” she said. “And I certainly think that all the murder, mayhem and violence we see on news and entertainment shows are a lot more harmful to everyone – children and adults – then a naked body.” 

The board of directors for Berkeley Community Media, which runs the public access station, initially responded to the complaint by slotting material that ‘involves two naked people having sex’ to the hours of 2 a.m. to 4 a.m., a move that never happened due to both legal implications and to the fact that none of the material reviewed actually fit into this category. 

The safe harbor rule was established by the FCC with an understanding of children’s viewing habits in mind. Block says she is content with the current 10 p.m. guideline, and that moving adult-themed shows to after 2 a.m. amounts to censorship. “That’s a no-person time zone – no man, no woman, no child,” she says. “That amounts to censorship.”  

BCM executive director Brian Scott says it’s not within BCM’s legal jurisdiction to monitor or censor programming. He says the burden of responsibility is on the parents to monitor what their children watch, yet he also offers information on what other avenues are available to parents, such as blocking out the channel or writing complaints to the FCC, the district attorney, or the local AT&T carrier.  

“We’re prohibited from censoring programs – that goes against the mission of public access and goes against the law,” said Scott. “Our main responsibility here is to get information out to the community.” Hence ‘Viewer Discretion Advised.’ 

The first installment, which aired April 22nd, basically served to inform people about the history of adult content issues, their rights’ rights and what they can do to get involved with public television. 

Last night’s program was a forum to have public discourse on the issues of decency, free speech, and censorship, and was shot live to provide the opportunity for call-ins. 

FCC rules allow for indecent material to be aired during the safe harbor time zone, but prohibit obscene material. Inherent difficulty distinguishing between the two lies in the fact that obscene material has to violate community standards and have no “serious artistic, literary, political or scientific value” – some very subjective criteria. 

Communities may append the rules by passing legislation on the local level. Seattle recently passed an ordinance that restricts adult-themed programming to after midnight. City Council could pass a similar measure or vote to pull funding from BCM, but either move is bound to face opposition both within the council and without. “I think councilmembers should be very cautious about proposing to punish people for what is said in the media, and I would hope that if something like that is put in writing that city council would not vote for such a thing,” said councilmember Kriss Worthington. In addition, over 20 people showed up in protest after BCM’s board made their initial decision to move the shows. 

The ‘adult-themed’ designation itself is entirely voluntary. Producers like Dr. Block tell the station their show is intended for adults, and the station schedules it accordingly. Scott says BCM has never had a problem with anyone abusing this system.