A big ta-doo is brewing over a new show, “The Playboy Club”, set to air on NBC stations across the country.

In most markets, the program isn’t causing much of a stir.

But in Utah and Idaho, many are worried the programming will be too trashy. It’s hard to say exactly what the content will be until it airs and other people besides me watch it, but by the looks of the promos, there will be plenty of scantily clad women cavorting with Hugh Heffner. Novel. Who’d have thought Playboy could have come up with something so unique?

At any rate, KSL-TV in Salt Lake City is not running the program. KPVI in Pocatello is.

[As a very sarcastic aside, it's really just what we need on TV: more boobs, more trashiness, more programming devoid of any redeeming moral value. Because, after all, we don't have enough of that on television.]

Now, even though KPVI is going to air the program, I’m up for correcting a few people.

Let me make the salient arguments from the fictitious “Free the Boobs!” movement, with Nerdy Neal’s responses :

FTB!: “What right does the TV station have to make the decision for me?!”

NN: The TV station is not deciding you can’t see it. They don’t care if you see it or not. In fact, they probably don’t give a flying crap about what you do or don’t do. They’re not worried about your salvation or spirituality or your personal family values. The TV station is deciding for themselves that they don’t want to be the ones to deliver it to you. Now if you wanna make the argument that the TV station is somehow obligated to deliver something on your tv… time for you to do some introspection. Nobody owes you anything, simply because you want it. If the TV station makes a decision to not carry a program, it’s about them, not you.

FTB!: “This is censorship, pure and simple!”

NN: Well, I guess you could say that, but if you’re trying to lump it in with libraries banning books, or the police stopping a raucous but non-violent political rally in the town square… think again. Government Censorship is the only egregious censorship in America, at least when it comes to our ‘rights’. Did your mom let you look at porn when you were five? Didn’t think so. Censorship? Yep.  In church, would your pastor put up a big picture of Lady Gaga in lingerie? Nope. Censorhip? Yep. Private individuals and organizations practice censorship all the time, and it’s ok!

FTP!: “The TV station should let ME decide with my own remote control!”

NN: Having worked in broadcasting for many years, let me tell you that we make many programming decisions behind the scenes that you never hear about. And, we make those decisions based on programming content, among other things. Many shows, we feel, are too edgy, or too angry, or too… whatever. And, if that’s your argument, that the TV station should not make a decision among the programs you like, then by gum, we oughta put hard core porn on TV, because, after all, you can always turn it off… right?…no?

FTB!: “Why are people so stuffy?! No other region in the country has people trying to stop this program!”

NN: Then good for us! What motivates you to want to be like everyone else? Heaven forbid we do something different here. It’s odd that many people who trump the value of individual expression get their knickers in a bind if the individual expression articulates a moral or religious value. So addicted, are some, to mimicking “the rest of the country” or “Europe” they appear to have lost their own sense of identity.

Candidly, I’m glad I live in southeast Idaho where people are willing to stand up and encourage local TV stations to pull trashy crap from their lineup. I know, I get ridiculed. Those who stand up for values and what’s right always get ridiculed. Kudos to those who are courageous enough to do it.