US: Twenty US television stations that aired pop singer Janet Jackson's infamous breast flash during the Super Bowl should be fined $27,500 each, according to a staff recommendation to US regulators, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday.
During the National Football League's Super Bowl half-time show in February, Jackson's costume was ripped away by fellow singer Justin Timberlake, briefly exposing her breast and sparking an outcry from lawmakers and parents' groups.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) staff have proposed commissioners fine Viacom Inc's 20 CBS television stations $27,500 each for a total of $550,000, the source said, declining further identification.
The staff did not recommend fining the other CBS stations that aired the incident but are not owned by Viacom, the source said. The recommendation is circulating among the five FCC commissioners who could decide otherwise. The Super Bowl half-time show was produced by another arm of Viacom, its MTV music television network.
Viacom apologized for the incident and pledged to use equipment to briefly delay airing live events to prevent other incidents. The FCC was inundated with more than 500,000 complaints about the incident.
An FCC spokeswoman was not available for comment. A spokesman for CBS declined to comment.