Victoria’s Secret drops TV fashion show

Victoria’s Secret drops TV fashion show

NEW YORK — Victoria’s Secret has produced its last prime-time television fashion show, according to company executives who cited the public backlash over risque programming as the reason for their decision.

The fashion show, which aired on CBS the last two Novembers and on ABC in 2001, triggered thousands of complaints to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for its collection of models sashaying down the runway in skimpy lingerie. Those concerns didn’t result in any fines for indecency, but they were registered before that infamous day in February when Janet Jackson experienced her so-called “wardrobe malfunction” during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show.

Since then, the FCC has gotten tougher on networks — and the networks have started to provide at least some protection for children viewing things that their parents don’t want them to see. And that new sense of responsibility pleases family advocates.

“I think it’s great that we won’t be seeing the Victoria’s Secret lingerie (show) — it is really trashy,” Robert Peters, president of Morality in Media, said. “It generated a lot of complaints, but I think that probably the primary reason that CBS is not going to carry it this year is that the last time they did it, it wasn’t very successful. The ratings weren’t very good.”  (TAB)