KFVS12 offers rationale for airing '9/11' tonight

By Mike Smythe

Monday marks the fifth anniversary of one of the worst tragedies in our country's history. Nearly 3,000 innocent people lost their lives. It was an attack on everything we stand for in America. We're still living with the effects today and will live with them forever.

On March 10, 2002, CBS aired "9/11," an award-winning documentary that started out as a profile of New York Fire Company, Engine 7, Ladder 1. It ended up being some of the only film shot inside the North Tower as rescue efforts were underway, and it includes scenes of escape minutes before the tower collapsed. CBS rebroadcast the documentary on the one-year anniversary of the attack.

Now, on the eve of the fifth anniversary, CBS will air the special again tonight. It will include a newly filmed introduction by actor Robert DeNiro and newly shot interviews with some of the firefighters involved in the original documentary. It will also contain graphic language and potentially disturbing scenes. If you think you might find this offensive, I urge you to choose alternate programming for this Sunday night. I also recommend extreme parental discretion for children who might be watching. In "60 Minutes," approximately 15 minutes before the showing, KFVS12 will air an announcement warning viewers of the graphic language and scenes in the upcoming program. CBS will also warn viewers before and throughout the broadcast.

The first two times that "9/11" aired in 2002, we received no negative viewer response. This week, I've heard from hundreds of viewers with opinions about the decision to air this program. Some response is in favor of the re-broadcast. Most extremely oppose it, mainly concerned about the graphic language. At KFVS12 we've made the decision to carry the program. It was not a decision we made hastily. Our management team had numerous discussions, gave it much thought and made the decision to run the show with adequate warnings. Many of you won't like it. Many of you will appreciate the broadcast for what it is: a brutally real story of people and events during the worst day in modern U.S. history.

To edit or alter the content would compromise the indescribable emotion and the raw humanity of the disaster. This program will take you as close as you can get to feel the horror of what those firefighters went through on that day, and to soften or dilute the intensity would be an injustice.

There are those who contacted me who believe we are in this for the money. This could not be further from the truth. We will miss the "60 Minutes" revenue from the KFVS12 announcement warning viewers, and there are no commercials within the documentary from CBS or KFVS12. Because there are no commercials, we will lose revenue we normally receive on Sunday-night prime-time television. CBS will also receive no revenue during the three hours.

The broadcast television landscape has changed since the Janet Jackson episode when the FCC imposed fines for indecency to CBS and its affiliates. Since then, other fines have been imposed for programs on other networks. Is CBS taking a risk with the rebroadcast of "9/11?" In light of recent events, I think it is, and my position would be to send the FCC a copy of the program and ask them to make a decision prior to airtime. That would simplify our decision and would seem to make the most sense. However, I'm told the FCC doesn't work that way. So we're left in the dark, not knowing if the program will warrant a fine. But in this case, we think the context of the show is such that no fine will be imposed due the unique circumstances of the disaster and the amount of notice viewers have and will receive about the potentially offensive content.

The debate surrounding "9/11" -- the documentary -- will continue. But whether you agree or disagree with airing it, I'd like us all to remember what happened on 9-11 -- that tragic day when thousands of our fellow citizens lost their lives. Let's hope that a similar documentary will never need to be produced.

Mike Smythe is vice president and general manager of KFVS12 and WQWQ in Cape Girardeau.