Buyers, Sellers Chilled By War-Film Preemption

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Dozens of ABC stations refused to air the violent, expletive-laden Academy Award-winning film Saving Private Ryan last week—even though the World War II epic has aired twice before—in a Veterans Day incident that left sellers worried and buyers fearful about shifting federal indecency standards.

ABC viewers in Boston, Detroit, Tampa, Fla., Dallas, Milwaukee, Des Moines, Iowa, and other markets saw Return to Mayberry and other hastily scheduled programming on Nov. 11 after station execs decided it was too risky to show a movie with horrific violence and dozens of uses of the f-word.

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