WASHINGTON — L. Brent Bozell, the conservative activist who launched thousands of indecency complaints against broadcasters, announced Friday that he would step down as president of the Parents Television Council, but vowed to continue fighting to clean up America's airwaves.
Although he complained that there was still too much offensive content on TV, Bozell said his group has had a major effect since he founded it more than a decade ago.
"Had we not been active, Lord knows where television would be today," he said. "I'm convinced we would have full nudity by now."
Bozell will remain on the group's board and continue to be an advisor after he gives up running day-to-day operations Jan. 1. His successor will be PTC Executive Director Tim Winter, who worked for NBC for 15 years and wants to find ways to collaborate with the TV industry.
"That doesn't mean we're going to lower our standards ... but I think there are many more things we can do to work together," Winter said. He noted that the group already offers its "seal of approval" for family-friendly shows.
Network executives did not want to speak publicly about Bozell, who has been a major irritant to the TV industry over the years. One executive who requested anonymity said collaboration would be difficult given the adversarial approach the group has taken. It has filed thousands of electronic complaints with federal regulators and urged companies not to advertise on certain shows.
The Parents Television Council began as an offshoot of Bozell's Media Research Center, a Virginia-based group that monitors the media for what it sees as liberal bias. As the PTC grew to more than a million members, Bozell said he could no longer run both groups.
Bozell, 51, who has five children aged 9 to 28 and lives in Virginia, said he chose to give up PTC, which is headquartered in Los Angeles.
"I appreciate the frequent flier mileage, but something just had to give," he said.
The nephew of conservative icon William F. Buckley Jr., Bozell has appeared frequently on TV talk shows to criticize network programming.
He seized on Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" during CBS' telecast of the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show and other incidents to press federal regulators to crack down on indecency and persuade Congress to increase maximum fines tenfold.
