Jackson’s Act Yields 200,000 Complaints

Upset television viewers have filed more than 200,000 complaints about Janet Jackson’s breast-baring performance at the Super Bowl, a record for the Federal Communications Commission, officials said Friday.

Gripes over the flash of Jackson’s breast Sunday easily eclipsed the FCC’s previous record -- 80,000 complaints that came after reality TV star Nicole Richie of “The Simple Life” used a curse word on the 2003 Billboard Music Awards, the agency said.

The furor was touched off when pop star Justin Timberlake tore off part of Jackson’s black leather bustier at the end of a duet the two were singing, exposing her right breast.

The halftime show was carried by CBS and staged by network MTV, both of which are owned by Viacom Inc. Jackson’s exposure has intensified calls for the government to take a tougher stance on indecency.

FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell has vowed a thorough investigation of the incident, calling it a “classless, crass and deplorable stunt.”

The Parents Television Council, a nonprofit watchdog group, said it also had been receiving complaints at a record pace, more than 24,000 so far. “We are getting them like crazy,” said spokeswoman Katie Wright.

Both performers have apologized, and Jackson said the performance went further than expected.

CBS has said it will use an “enhanced delay” on this Sunday’s broadcast of the Grammy Awards so it can censor both audio and video as needed. Walt Disney Co.’s ABC network plans to use a delay on its Feb. 29 broadcast of the Academy Awards.