In most cases when we tune into television, whether it is the COPS show or other reality shows, there is this very annoying sound that makes the flesh crawl. What is it exactly? The bleeping sound.
What is the purpose of this bleeping sound? It turns out that the bleep censor is used in a variety of censoring situations. This can range from filtering out inappropriate subject matter for daytime and/or family viewing to concealing someone's personal information.
It is good that some of the language or the content should be taken out of the television programs, especially when it comes to the youth population. An example is the usage of profanity. Many parents and guardians want to protect their children from a variety of subject matter and profane language that is viewed on many television shows, documentaries, and in films. But in reality, it is almost impossible for parents to shield their offspring from profanity and/or various content, such as sex.
Nine times out of ten, under-aged people are exposed to hearing profanity and/or other inappropriate material. This may include walking down the street, hanging out with friends, or even at school.
In addition to prime time shows, the bleep censor is also used for the protection of an individual's personal information. This is present in many court shows, such as Judge Judy. Some of the litigants do not want a member of the unattending party to be identified for numerous reasons. The bottom line is that it usually concerns a situation that is personal.
This bleeping censor business mainly used programs such as documentaries and radio shows, which are unscripted, most of the time. Unlike documentaries, a comedy skit may use the buzzing method just to be funny. For example, shows like South Park utilizes the bleeping business to prohibit strong profane words from airing on television in the States. These types of programming are aired outside the watershed. To those people who are not familiar with watershed, it is a term that is commonly used in the television and broadcasting world. It is referred to programming that is aired between 10 PM and 6 AM the next morning, which is present on all time zones.
This is where the FCC comes in. The Federal Communication Committee's job is to make sure the broadcasts are in a decent fashion. At the same time, it does not seek out broadcasts with violations of indecency. It does not have an inventory of television broadcasts. Instead, it is completely dependant on television viewers complaints.
If offensive subject matter is shown during watershed in one time zone, there is a possibility that it may be fined and prosecuted in earlier time zones. For example, if an episode of Reno 9-1-1 had offensive content aired at 10 PM Eastern Time/Pacific Time, it is subject to be outside of watershed in the Central/Mountain Time Zone, which will be 9 PM.
Thank goodness for cable and satellite networks! Although they are also regulated by the FCC, they have a bit more freedom with their content. The good thing is that the cable and satellite channels are excluded from the profanity and indecency regulations. There are some pretty steamy programming on cable! Bleep censor, anyone!
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleep_censor
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