Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat, dealing with the World War II Battle of Normandy.

2004 broadcast controversy

The film was the focus of some controversy leading up to a Veterans Day 2004 broadcast of the film by ABC. A significant number of ABC affiliates decided to preempt the network's broadcast due to concerns of repercussions from the FCC due to the film's depiction of violence and profanity. Although the film had been broadcast by all ABC affiliates in two prior years, the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy and the subsequent FCC response led at least 66 stations to choose not to broadcast it, including:

Related Topics:
Veterans Day - 2004 - ABC - FCC - Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy

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• WOI-TV in Des Moines, Iowa
• WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia
• KITV-TV in Honolulu, Hawaii
• WHAS-TV of Louisville, Kentucky
• WSOC-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina
• WGNO-TV of New Orleans, Louisiana
• WCPO-TV of Cincinnati, Ohio
• KVUE-TV of Austin, Texas
• WMUR-TV of Manchester, New Hampshire
• WTEN-TV of Albany, New York
• WCDC-TV of Adams, Massachusetts
• WRIC-TV of Richmond, Virginia
• WCVB-TV of Boston, Massachusetts
• All ABC affiliates owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group

The affiliates which chose not to broadcast the film represented over a third of the network's potential viewing audience; besides Sinclair, some ABC stations owned by Cox Television, Belo, Hearst-Argyle, McGraw-Hill, and EW Scripps all chose to preempt the film. In its stead, affiliates showed alternative films, such as Hoosiers, Far & Away, and Return to Mayberry. Other stations showed infomercials, while other affiliates showed their own tributes to Veterans Day.

Related Topics:
Cox Television - Belo - Hearst-Argyle - McGraw-Hill - EW Scripps

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Months later, the FCC released a statement that stated the affiliates would not have been banned if they presented the film.

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