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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
KHNL reporter
makes on-air broadcast
blooper with slip of tongueThe twice-exclaimed "s-word" Thursday night during KHNL-TV's 10 p.m. news came at a time when the Federal Communications Commission is handing out indecency fines like Easter candy.
The FCC has recently issued fines of $755,000 and $500,000 for mainland radio broadcasts it deemed indecent.
Reporter Sharon Chen was providing a live update on the search for a missing North Shore woman. Just as she was finishing the introduction to the taped portion of her story, her still-live microphone picked up her verbal reaction to a sudden off-camera vehicular malfunction, which she ran to remedy.
A source says Chen's unattended car was rolling away, hence the on-air expletive.
Minutes later, anchor Howard Dashefsky ad-libbed an apology for the language, citing an unexplained emergency situation that had arisen.
In just about any other work environment the word would be no big deal, but broadcasters are licensed stewards of the public airwaves and are therefore held to a higher standard, said Mike Rosenberg, president and general manager of competing station KITV.
Title 18 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations provides that "radio and television stations shall not broadcast obscene material at any time and shall not broadcast indecent material during the period 6 a.m. through 10 p.m."
That would seem to clear News 8 of any wrongdoing, the incident having occurred after 10 p.m.
Still, a morning-after memo to the news staff reiterated the station's policy against profanity.
"Whenever you are in front of a camera or holding a microphone, you must conduct yourself as if you are 'on air' at all times," it said.
Despite the incident's occurrence on public airwaves, News Director Sue Levine described the incident as a personnel matter and declined comment.
She also declined comment on the memo.
Station Vice President and General Manager John Fink was off-island and could not be reached.
In live television, anything can happen, agreed Rosenberg and Rick Blangiardi, Hawaii senior vice president overseeing KHON-TV and KGMB-TV.
Policies are firm, nevertheless.
"No profanity. The rule is very simple. There's not even any ambiguity," Blangiardi said. Consequences for violations would depend on the circumstances, he said.
At KITV, Rosenberg said, "It's our expectation that none of those (words) would get on the air." Disciplinary action for loose lips would be "reasonably severe," he said.
The high-tech nature of the business has increased the number of ways in which material can make it on the air.
"We're careful with any of the sources that might make it to air," such as editing booths. Were the wrong button to be pushed in the control room, something never intended for air could wind up being broadcast statewide.
Not all slip-ups are live. At least one unfortunate word recorded by a KHNL reporter on tape wound up on the air. And a former News 8 anchor was suspended after another live slip of the lip.
Human error is invariably the cause of such events.
"Our audiences are somewhat understanding of the difference between an accident and something that is done for the wrong reasons," such as for shock value, Rosenberg said.
He noted he is hoping there are no wardrobe malfunctions during the three-night Merrie Monarch hula competition starting Thursday night.
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Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at: eengle@starbulletin.com