PBS stations ‘bleep’ swear from ‘Eyes on the Prize’

The chilling effect of the FCC has hit more than two dozen PBS stations. They will be bleeping out a swear word from the Oct. 16 airing of Eyes on the Prize, a documentary about the battle for civil rights in the U.S. It’s the biggie – the “F-word” – and one $325,000 fine would spell the end for many PBS stations that simply can’t afford that kind of coin. Of course, the stations can’t know if they’ll be fined until after they air a show, so many are simply not taking a chance anymore. Eyes on the Prize has aired, unbleeped, many times before without garnering an FCC fine. As Bob Dylan noted, Things Have Changed.