We all care about family morals and values. We may not agree on what they are, but we all care, and we all care about children. No one's throwing children under the morality bus. What we need to talk about is what's the best way to ensure that our kids are media literate. This is the first generation of kids that has infinite access to television stations, to the Internet. We really haven't formally said these kids need to be literate in these mediums. When Gutenberg printed the first book, we made sure our children knew how to read. Now, they need to know how to read the Internet, they need to know what a product placement is, what a tabloid is, what true journalism is. And they don't. Many adults don't, either. If the government's going to get involved, let the government get involved to mandate that.

The last time the Supreme Court decided a broadcast indecency case was in 1978, when it said the FCC could police "patently offensive" material on TV, since it was such an intrusive medium. That's still true, isn't it? It's broadcast into your house. You can't avoid it.

You know, we don't just have three television channels anymore. We have hundreds and hundreds of radio stations. I think President Bush actually said it beautifully when he said, there's an "off" button. Use it. Use it judiciously.

Did you watch Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" during the 2004 Super Bowl?

Yeah, and you know it made me really angry. That was stupid by Janet Jackson. But fining CBS just doesn't make sense. Things are going to happen—the drama, the excitement of live TV, it can influence for the good and influence for the bad. I think football's pretty violent, but that day I called my kids [who were 6, 8, and 11 at the time] in to watch the halftime show. Was I pissed off? Yeah. But I'm not going to throw out the creative genius of television altogether. I'm an educated parent, I'm going to explain to my kids, "No, this is not appropriate." I want to take some responsibility for my family. Don't take that right away from me.

Conservative groups argue that there has to be some accountability for the networks, or they have no incentive to keep obscenity off the air.

You know what, that's out of whack. Having the FCC step in our living rooms is not the solution. You're a consumer; it's show business. So don't give the shows your business if you don't think they're appropriate. Vote with your remote control. If there's an outcry from enough consumers, the medium will change, the shows that you don't think should be appropriate will get off the air. It's a wonderful thing, capitalistic society.

So do you think the "F" word will be on TV more in the future?

That's not what I'm saying. If I hear the "F" word, or my children hear it, they should know that is not appropriate. I need to teach them that. And also, if I have a fear of "fleeting expletives," I can take out the television, or I can just have it on the networks I feel are safe. That's the great thing about it. What might feel safe in my living room might not feel safe in your living room, but we can make that choice.