A Charleston television station is among 13 Fox stations across the country that were fined by federal regulators Friday for a 2003 episode of "Married By America."

WVAH-TV must pay $7,000 for airing the episode, which included graphic scenes from bachelor and bachelorette parties.

The Federal Communications Commission initially had proposed a $1.2 million fine against 169 affiliates of Fox Broadcasting Co., a division of News Corp., that aired the since-canceled reality show. But under a new policy, the agency said it would only fine stations in markets where viewers complained.

WVAH Fox 11 airs shows from the Fox Television Network, syndicated programs and local news broadcasts. Its licensee company is based in Baltimore.

The FCC has yet to rule on a proposed $1.4 million fine against 52 ABC Television Network stations over a 2003 broadcast of police drama "NYPD Blue." The agency is focused on a scene in which a boy surprises a nude woman as she prepares to take a shower. ABC is owned by the Walt Disney Co.

Other stations that must pay fines for the "Married by America" episode are located in Des Moines, Iowa; West Point, Miss., Greenville, S.C., Yakima, Wash., and Nashville, Tenn. The fines total $91,000.

"Fox strongly disagrees with the commission's conclusions in the notice and we will be actively considering our options," Scott Grogin, the company's senior vice president of corporate communications, said in a statement. He declined to comment further.

In issuing its order, the FCC rejected arguments from Fox and its affiliates that no fine was warranted since the agency's indecency standard is unconstitutional - and the episode in question didn't even meet the indecency test.

The six-episode "Married by America" introduced a cast of single men and women and allowed viewers to match them up by popular vote. Five matched couples then went through some rituals of dating, but none actually married.

Fox also said some images that were found to be offensive appeared onscreen for 10.5 seconds.

The episode in question featured explicitly sexual scenes from bachelor and bachelorette parties.

In its order released Friday, the agency said "by any reasonable definition" many of the activities at the parties constitute sexual activities and the scenes also depict sexual organs.

"While it is true that the nude female breasts and buttocks shown were pixilated, the commission has never held that the full exposure of sexual or excretory organs is required to satisfy the first prong of the broadcast indecency standard," according to the FCC order.

It's the second time in a month the FCC fined a TV network for airing past episodes of canceled series. The FCC has a five-year statute of limitations for pursuing such actions.

A Charleston television station is among 13 Fox stations across the country that were fined by federal regulators Friday for a 2003 episode of "Married By America."

WVAH-TV must pay $7,000 for airing the episode, which included graphic scenes from bachelor and bachelorette parties.

The Federal Communications Commission initially had proposed a $1.2 million fine against 169 affiliates of Fox Broadcasting Co., a division of News Corp., that aired the since-canceled reality show. But under a new policy, the agency said it would only fine stations in markets where viewers complained.

WVAH Fox 11 airs shows from the Fox Television Network, syndicated programs and local news broadcasts. Its licensee company is based in Baltimore.

The FCC has yet to rule on a proposed $1.4 million fine against 52 ABC Television Network stations over a 2003 broadcast of police drama "NYPD Blue." The agency is focused on a scene in which a boy surprises a nude woman as she prepares to take a shower. ABC is owned by the Walt Disney Co.

Other stations that must pay fines for the "Married by America" episode are located in Des Moines, Iowa; West Point, Miss., Greenville, S.C., Yakima, Wash., and Nashville, Tenn. The fines total $91,000.

"Fox strongly disagrees with the commission's conclusions in the notice and we will be actively considering our options," Scott Grogin, the company's senior vice president of corporate communications, said in a statement. He declined to comment further.

In issuing its order, the FCC rejected arguments from Fox and its affiliates that no fine was warranted since the agency's indecency standard is unconstitutional - and the episode in question didn't even meet the indecency test.

The six-episode "Married by America" introduced a cast of single men and women and allowed viewers to match them up by popular vote. Five matched couples then went through some rituals of dating, but none actually married.

Fox also said some images that were found to be offensive appeared onscreen for 10.5 seconds.

The episode in question featured explicitly sexual scenes from bachelor and bachelorette parties.

In its order released Friday, the agency said "by any reasonable definition" many of the activities at the parties constitute sexual activities and the scenes also depict sexual organs.

"While it is true that the nude female breasts and buttocks shown were pixilated, the commission has never held that the full exposure of sexual or excretory organs is required to satisfy the first prong of the broadcast indecency standard," according to the FCC order.

It's the second time in a month the FCC fined a TV network for airing past episodes of canceled series. The FCC has a five-year statute of limitations for pursuing such actions.