Working for the Smackdown

Brent "Smackdown" Bozell, the ginger git, is no longer satisfied with dictating the content of the "public airwaves." Now he's demanding that Congress control and manage the content of basic cable. Says Brent:

Cable is now in nearly as many homes as broadcast TV. Most children live in homes with cable TV. We can no longer afford to ignore the rising tide of vulgar and violent programming on cable. How many new frontiers of sleaze, gore and profanity do we have to cross before the cable industry realizes the customer is right?

In his column, Bozell describes a dramatization of a sexual assault in terms more fit for Karl Rove's war room than a family newspaper. He's describing a scene on a basic cable net owned by none other than Rupert Murdoch. But don't hold your breath waiting for Bozo -- or his pals Hannity and O'Reilly -- to name and shame Rupert.

The fact that you have to subscribe to cable doesn't dampen Bozell's desire to regulate. And Bozell doesn't actually want cable companies to "realize the customer is right." He wants Congress to force programmers to offer "family-friendly programming" at a separate rate.

Don't think Bozell will stop with cable television. There are other forums for him to conquer and control.

You're looking at one.