An NBC spokesman, Richard Cutting, said, "I don't think we have any plans at this time" to make changes.

"This is our week in the sun," said Ed Markey, an NBC spokesman.

"We've written around it, and we're getting ready to tape our season finale this week," said Jamie French, an NBC spokesman.

"The two most important factors - in order - are story line and length of series," said Ed Markey, an NBC spokesman.

An NBC spokesman declined to discuss the situation.

An NBC spokesman said the responsibility for self-censorship would now fall on the independent production companies that create the prime-time shows the network broadcasts.

Over all, said an NBC spokesman yesterday, the network cut away for 16 minutes 43 seconds.

The contestants' last names are not being released to try to protect their privacy, an NBC spokesman said.

That network was sharing equipment with CNN, an NBC spokesman said.

An NBC spokesman said the network had rejected the commercial because it might encourage children to imitate the stunt.