Nine-sixteenths of a second has haunted CBS Corp. for nearly eight years. But a recent 3rd Circuit decision may have temporarily put the broadcast company at ease.
The 2004 Super Bowl, which CBS broadcast live, included a now- infamous split-second shocker: During the halftime show featuring musical artists Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson, Timberlake “accidentally” tore off a piece of Jackson’s costume, briefly exposing her right breast to more than 90 million TV viewers. The so-called “wardrobe malfunction,” which aired for less than one second, prompted the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fine CBS and its affiliates a total of $550,000 for depicting a sexual organ, which violates its indecency policy.
