Ratings Have Some Obvious Inconsistences, Such As Jay and Ratin S System'! Leno's Talk Show Belng a TV-14 and David Letterman's a TV-PG

CHICACO TRIBUNE CHICRGO. IL UEDNESDRY 664.584 MAR 18 1398

V-chip may mean?:! victory for parents; The TV ratings have some obvious inconsistences, such as Jay and ratin s system'! Leno's talk show belng a TV-14 and David Letterman's a TV-PG. 203L$v sted~~~tinge ratings Content ratings : TV-Y: Ail children S: Sexual content TV-Y7: Age 7 and older eports of the demise of the V: Violence TV-G: General audience television ratings system ought:, L: Offensive ianguage R to carry an "F" label, for fan:. TV-PG: Parental guidance sug- tasy. gested D: Sexually suggestive dialogue Yes, the hodgepodge of letters and, TV-14: Age 14 and older FV: Fantasy violence (for chii- numbers, instituted by the television, TV-MA: Mature audience only dren's programming only) industry under pressure from Con-, . . gress and parent-advocacy groups. Meanwhile, the flip side of that ~ostexperts agree that decades The irony is that, after all 1 has been both ignored and derided vaunted AP study is that saying 7 of academic research are clear: furor that resulted in the V-chip since its debut in January 1997 and. of 10 adults don't pay attention to Television violence does have a will soon enough be bypassed refinement last fall. the ratings is like trying to make harmful effect on children. And the better technology. One recent study, conducted by big news out of the fact that 7 of 10 amount of violence in prime time the Associated Press, found that I adults don't buy Pampers, in the and in children's programming has of la adults were paying it little or analogy of Markey. been on the decline, according to a no mind. Many major newspapers, When the questioners asked par- including this one, have not been ents if they were using the ratings major ongoing UCLA study funded publishing the ratings in their to make viewing decisions, 40 per. by the networks. television programming guides. cent said -just about and Even Gerbner allows that it has Parents at a congressional hearing another 22 percent said -some. at least leveled off, although. he in Peoria last suring ripped into the times." says it is not time to rejoice and there is still too much violence of SEERATINGS. PAGE 3 This does not jibe withanecdotal the type he labels "happy vio- reports from TV siations and net. lence," depicted without a serious works, who say they have heard I context or consequences. Ratings almost nothing from the public,/ Meanwhile, the law that went about the ratings. But the lack of into effect last fail mandating a CONTINUEDFROM PAOE1 feedback may .iust.me~that view-, \certain number of hours of educa. original ratings, which only labeled ers have not been strongly. dissatis-, ,tional programming seems to be shows movie.style, based on recom- fied with the ratings, despite such having a positive impact. mended ages for viewers. When the obvious inconsistencies as Jay. here are 30 new shows on TV rest of the industry agreed after Leno's talk show being a TV-14 and since September that would not be Peoria to add content indicators to David Letterman's a TV-PG. there otherwise, says Jeff Chester, the age-based ratings, the most "I think by and large they are executive director of the Center for popular network, NBC, refused to applied carefully and with the Media Education, which lobbied do so. thought they deserve," says David for the law. But all of that has a chance to Kleeman, executive director of the The expanding TV universe has change with the news last week Des Plaines-based American Center made it easier for broadcasters to that the FCC has given the ratings for Children's Television, an advo. prodnce shows that a more the agency's necessary ofFicial seal cacy group. narrow audience. The hurdle for of approval and given television To many observers, all of this is success is not as high as it once manufacturers the technical stan- secondary to the question of the was, which reduces the impulse to dards they need to include in their overall television environment. produce lowest.common.denomina. new sets the V-chips that can make Noted academic critic George tor, mass.market schlock, the ratings effective. Gerbner the V-chiP Counteracting this, though, say Advocates compare ratings with- mostly a "cop out" that protects critics, is the increasing globaliza. out thr V.chip to a car without gas: the industry as it keeps doing what tion of entertainment. ~h~ shows You can't say the.car is a lemon it has been and puts the that translate easiest to other coun- until you've given it a chance to pressure On parents to program tries contain the Universal excitors get off the lot. "Parents with small the new sets. of sex and violence. children will soon have both work- "It's a step in the right direction, ~~l~~i~i~~ratingsis a compli. ing parts of a safety system that but the thing to do is make Pro- cated question, asked at the, inter- provides a little control for a grams more fair and .more sectionoffreespeech,artandcom- change," says U.S. Rep. Ed Markey diverse," says Gerbner,'Bell Atlan merce. ~utthe FCC move of last (D., Mass.), the leading congressio- tic Professor of Telecommunication week at least puts the ratings into nal proponent of the V-chip and at Temjle University and director forward motion again. ,. . the man who coined the term. ofmii fiEEFZfiiZG€ofs Project, Now newspapers that we& wait- And the force of law plus mar- which has been monitormg prime- ing for the official sanction have to keting realities-TV makers now time network television program- decide if and how to start incopo- have to include the chips, 'and they ming for more tQan 30 Years. . . rating the labels. Now broadcast- want to sell people new sets-mean A recent Gerbner study of.50 ers-especially holdouts NBC and the chig-and-ratings pairing will hours of prime-time Programming cable's BET-will begin to see get a fair test in the marketplace. foundthat even in programs rated whether the V-chip and ratings Look for pre-Christmas ads to TV-G, for all audiences, there were have an economic impact on them. push V-chipequipped sets and set- an average of 2.4 violent acts Per And parents will be able to vote top boxes hard. hour, compared to 4.1 acts in TV- with their wallets on whether they The boxes, which resemble cable- PG and 3.6 in TV-14 shows. really want the kind of TV control' signal boxes, should be in stores More helpful, he found, were the that they tell pollsters they do. much, much sooner, certainly by content descriptors. Shows labeled And if they do prove to want the time the broadcasters start with a V for violence contained that control, if they do buy the new including the ratings not just as on- about three times the violence as V-chip devices, they will be able to screen labels but as part of the sig shows not bearing that label. punch a few buttons and feel they nal they send out. This develop- But still, despite the proliferation are doing something positive. ment, which will actually allow of randy dialog and formerly for- "Now in some sense it's sort of people to use the V-chip to block bidden words, d spite Jerry Spring- classic media economics," says shows bearing certain ratings, is er and the "Miglty Morphin Power Chester. "Let the viewer beware. expected to occur within 90 days. Rangers," there are signs that the The viewers have to exercise their TV environment for children is choice." improving where it counts most.

MIAMI HERALD MIAMI, FL SUNDAY 523,735 APR 5 1998

TV, movies,- videos hc~aardkids; parents fret ..T,.e txt3.:.J L! IMAGES UNLEASHEel: Exam- By TERRY JACKSON - N SHOWS- - . KIDS - LIKE- - MOST... 16A Herald Televlslon Critic .??~:q- L?c VIDEO GAMES GETVIOLENT. IIA ples of violent viewing, clock- Concerned about the violence TIPS FOR FAMILY NVIEWING, 17A wise from top left, include the your children see on TV,in the movies, on their computer screens, in the video game Resident Evil(the old are accused of setting a fatal trap 'uncut, more gore' version); video arcade? for classmates and a teacher. a Many parents are. And you may Though what set off thaf schqol- warrior in the film Starship worry that repeated exposure to vio- yard tragedy isn't known, 1s ralslng Troopers; creature in the lent entertainment could make your it a new questions about gun control, the video game Quake; a pistol- children more aggressive, or more challenges of parenting today - and prone to using violence to solve the impact of violence in all forms of packin' character in the video problems, or just plain fearful of life media. game Laura,Croft a scene from because of a warped perspective they "What happened in Jonesboro the could be getting from the media. TV's Brook@n South. Parents other day was two boys playing the have a variety of tools to control For many, such fears grow in the ultimate video game," said Florida face of horrific incidents like the their kids' media diet, but many shooting spree in Jonesboro, Ark., ~p aren't using them. -a where an I 1-year-old and a Ifyear- PLEASESEE VIOLENCE, l6A VIOLENCE, FROM 1A Researchers like Dr. Leonard. On computer games, parents State University professor can check the content ratings Murray Krantz, a speclalist in Eron of the University of Illinois before buyingor renting. A helpful early childhood development. A have been leading the charge with resource is Kidscore, a Parent's bill pending in the state Legisla- dire warnings. "Heavy exposure Guide to Software and Video ture. and endorsed last week by to televised violence is one of the Games, which can be ordered free Ciov. Lawton Chiles, would makb causes of aggressive b~havior, from the National Institute on violent video games off-limits to crime and violence in socsety," he Media and the Family at minors at video arcades. It wouId told Congress in one report, based 1 (888) 772-2264. also prohibit those under 18 from on more than 30 years of study. Then combine aU of this with buying violent video games at Not every expert in ch~ldpsy- . home-based strategies, such as retail stores. . chology agrees. smart use of the VCR, talking to "All these experts that want to children about the context of the An old debate blame the Jonesboro murders on violence they do see on TV and at Debate on the effects of media the media, video games or guns the movies, and helping them dis- violence on youngsters has been have failed to understand the ongoing for more than 50 years. research on violence and ch?ldren ;'&m>?.,,,.,.; between , the fantasy of wm- and the role of personalsty in cre- uter games and the real conse- (In one notorious South Florida :.cluenceSof violence. case in the late 1970s, 15-year-old ating these youngsters," Los Ange- ? les psychologist Robert R. Butter- "We'vP; got to stop focusing on Ronnie Zamora claimed tempo- the hope that all of these violent raw insanitv to-a murder charge worth says. He says that most children who influen- will just go away, and be&use he Gatched too much vi& :!t&q, &ittrol," says Lauryn Axel- lence on TV. He lost.) commit violent crimes are motl- MB, a former teacher, filmmaker Yet over the decades. virtuallv vated by family problems and per- and .author of the book TV-Proof all forms of entertainment havk sonality disorders that surface Your Kidr (Citadel Press, $12). moved toward mofe graphic when the child is as young as 3 or One of the first things parents depictions. It's not golng away. 4. must do. exoerts sav.-is-eive a Nonetheless, there is also a new, Warnings resonate clear Ad c&sistent'messige to vositive trend: Throueh technol- children. When rt comes to enter- bgy and political parents Nonetheless, warnings about tainment violence, we are very have more ways than ever to con- dangers children face from a d~et schizophrenic. trol the media diet of children. of violent TV shows, movies and We rent violence-laden films at Vchip television sets and con- computer games ring true wlth the video store and leave them trol boxes that allow parents to' many parents. around for children to watcb. bar offensiveTV shows from their "I am appalled by what's out Unable or unwilling to find a baby homes are coming on the market there for children to see, what TV, sitter, we take children with us to starting this summer; cable and movies and computer games are R-rated movies. Worse yet, we use satellite TV services offer devices telling them about the world, and the TV as a pacifier of sorts. to block unwanted programs; an what's appropriate behav~or,'. alphabet soup of TV content rat- says Connie Lyons, a South Wade What is the message? ings give parents fair warning mother of two boys, ages 3 and 6, "I see parents all the time who about what's about to come on the and past president of the South Florida Preschool PTA. give their children mixed mes- .air; computer games carry paren- sages - worrying about what tal warnine labels: and movles But how to fight it? their children watch, then using continue tchave ralings aimed at Since the 1950s, the primary strategy of researcheys,, ch~ldwel- the TV as a baby sitter," Axelrod keeoing- .. youngsten away from says. inaoorooriate films. fare groups and actlvlst parents A survey in the New York-New B'ut will parents use these tools? has been to lobby adverf~sers,pro- Jersey area in January found that So far. the track record isn't good. ducers and, ult~mately,Congfess parents bought their children TV According to an AssoGated to tone down or elsmlnate O~J~C-sets for their bedrooms because Press poll, 51 percent of parents tionable maten+. they tired of fighting over what said they pay little or no attention That has bad llmited success. shows the family would watcb. to the year-old TV content ratings, ''In a free, consumer-oriented "When parents do things like such as TV-PG or TV-14. In societv. efforts to impose some that, they abdicate any responsi- another survey. an electronics form bf censorship onthe entertainment media are never gorngto bility for what their children see," industry group found that as many says David Walsh, executive as GO pcrcent of children under I3 be very successful," say$,;;S@$&i director of the National Inst~tute had a television set in their bed- Bok, a Harvard profe&w~~11W on Media and the Family. room, where they could watch new book, Mayhem: UbI$&?$#,&: "Parents need to know what what they liked without parental Public Entertainment, ,i$;$#,~ue: their children are watching and, in supervision. . this month. ,,,, .;,, <-+!,:,,, ,*, .h.,,.:, ., the best cases, watch with them, "But that doesn't meab:&ild&n. explaining the context of any 'R' is no deterrent should have unrestrictedb+&$& uosettina or controversial scenes At theaters, some parents with violent entertainment.'9,:4>!!I:rr;;5':1:: i' .,, , , 8 and dial&ue." children in tow show up for Some experts say it's urn&fop: One of the contexts that Axel- R-rated films like Starship Troop parents to recognize that'tltey. an rod thinks is missing from a lot of ers, a 1997 movie that featured do something to didinish:. tBe programming - anld that parents decapitated and crushed bodies, influence that media violence has need to supplement - is the ele- or Face/OK in which dozens of on their children. They say that it ment of right and wrong, and people were mowed down during 'won't be easy, hut that it can be numerous gunfights. The excuse donp some notion that violence is not most often given: The parents the answer to all disputes. can't afford the cost of a sitter 'Helpless' parents "When the good guys use the and a movie. "The sad truth is that many par- same level of violence to beat the When it comes to violent com- ents feel helpless and don't act bad guys, what's the message for puter games, where the object because they see the problem as children? They learn that violence often is to kill as many peo le as overwhelming," says Linda EUer- is a proper response to any con- possible, a survey by the ~afional bee, a longtime advocate for posi- flict," Axelrod says. Institute on Media and the Family tive children's programming and For example, in a recent episode found that very few parents knew host of a Nickelodeon cable show. of the CBS police drama Brooklyn what was in the games, or that "But the stakes are very high, and South, two off~cersmet in an alley there is a content rating system. parentsshould act." after work and had a brutal fist- There have been more than Apart from buying one of the fight to resolve a oersonal conflict. 3,000 studies on entertainment new V-ch~pTVs, or a V-chip box Parents need tn talk to children violence - mostly about televi- that works with your present set to and teach them critical thinking. sion - and nearly all say that block programs based on their to reason out what they see as It something must be done to curb content label, a concerned parent applies to the real world. While media vi6lence. or at least kekp it can use published TV and movie watching Buffy, the Vampire from children. ratings lo get a feel for a program Slayer, a prime-time show popular or film's content. with children, explain that it's a Although the ratings systems fantasy, that there are hurtful con- haven't garnered total approval sequences to such actions in real from child advocacy groups, they life. can he useful signposts for parents. NO MORE POLIClrG: Alice Gilbert and her kids, from left, Matt, Krlsta and Nicolas, watch one of their favorites, Jerry Sprloger's talk show. The West Kendall mother sabsstieno [anger cdnsdrs their viewing

Reality is lew violent Policing called difficult Bok, Axelrod and other adv* Overall, children need to know "You can't he with them 24 cates would welwme such change, that the world is not as yloknt as hours a day," the West KendaU but they take a more pragmatic it seems on TV, the movres or mother says. "Once they're old view that says more immediate computer games. What they see enough to go over to a friend's action can come at the family are mostly fictional depictions house, they're old enough to do level. exaggerated to an extreme. things you don't know about." "Parents need to educate them- "There is no doubt that the! Like other parents, Gilbert faces selves about what they can do world can be a daneerous olace." the onerous task of determining individually, what they can do as says Ellerhee, a fo&er newspaper how much and what kind of members of the community," says journalist and network reporter. media exposure her children have. Bok, who admits that many parents will still throw in the towel. "We~~~ tell our~~ children to not talk to She must monitor a host ofoutlets strangers with good reason. "The sad thing in many ways is "But is it a world where they: she may know little about, every- that the people who will respond thing from chat rooms to movies to this will he those who are should be afraid of being shot at to television and wmputer games. random, or being kidnapped and ; already doing the right thing," tortured? Those things happen, And she must do all this knowing Bok says. but by what they see on TV and in that her house rules will probably "But if we manage to get the the movies, kids today have an: be different from another par- kind of debate we need. to eet oar- ent's. ^STAKESARE VERY HIGH': ents to look at themselv&, that unrealistic fear it will happen to That's why Gilbert does not them." Linda Ellerbae. cable TV host. will help. censor anything anymore - not ' "People need to feel less help Finding the time for all this may movies, not video games, not be problematic in busy, two-in- -....less." wme families, but researchers say explicit lyrics on her kids' CDs. Herald staff writer Ana it can be accomplished. And tech- But she does talk to the children Veciana-Suarez, Tyler Bridges oJ nology can help. and explains to them what media 'We've got to stop The Herald's Tallahassee Bureau The family videocassette offerings. she finds olfcns~vc,and why. focusing on the hope and the Associated Press contrib recorder can be a useful tool if "I don't want to make it seem luted to this report. parents tape shows they tl~lnkare . .appropriate for their children and like forbidden fruit," she says. that all of these then schedule specific times when This tactic has worked. She says the family can watch together. her kids - now 19, 17 and 15 - violent influences will "There are a lot of good shows watch fewer violent movles, play just go away, and take on TV, and a lot of good movies fewer computer games and don't available at the video store," listen to as many explicit CDs as control. ' Ellerhee says. "Parents can make their friends. And when they do, sure their children see more she makes it a point to diicuss appropriate programs with just a whatever subjects might come up. little research." "I've been able to discuss things LAURYN AXELROD, with them that otherwise wourd author of 'TV-Proof Your Kids' But parents should also not ,have been awkward to bring up," expect to totally purge violent Gilbert says. The role of Hollywood entertainment 'from their chil- Gilbert's methods are not dren's lives.. . Setting that goal Some longtime media research- dooms the effort to failure. unusual. ers such as Geome Gerbner. a When Alice Gilbert's three chil- Stuart Needel, a Plantation Temple university-proressor who dren were younger, she was a father of an 1I-year-old boy, wn- hrsiiidid tliCimpaCt'of violcnce card-carrying member of the siders himself pretty liberal about on children for three decades, say media police. She patrolled their what he allows Zachary to watch that in all this talk about what par- viewing and their playing, and and play. He offers the child few ents should do, Hollywood gets off censored those games and shows obstacles .- but a lot of guidance. too easy. she deemed inappropriate. As the For example, Zachary loves Mor- "To shift the responsibility to kids got older, however, she. tal Kombal. a video same ofien the parents is wrong," Gerbner learned about a different type of criticized fdr glorifying violence. says. "It's like saying that if the air control. "We let him play, but we make is polluted, let the parents get gas sure we talk about it." Needel masks for their children." says. "1 try to put it in wntext for Gerbner still strongly believes him. My concern is more that that the entire structure of enter- when you see too much gratuitous tainment - part~cularlyTV - violence, you think, 'Oh, well, needs to change and that parents that's just how it is.' " should continue to press Congress for legislation to force the oppor- tunity for less-violent programming.

SUN BALTIMORE, MD FRIDAY 320,986 APR 17 1998 I1I11I\III1llIllllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllllllllllill

Violence hasn't fallen off Prime time in prime time, study says still hotbed [Violence,povz page 1~1L. Worse, the study found that violence is often glamorized and the Universltv-! of W1seonsln. the sanitized. About 40 percent of the University of~orthCarolin21 and violent incidents ontelevision are of violence the Univcrslty of'rexus partiripat- initiated by "good" characters ed ill the three-year study, which who are likely to be perceived as was financed by the National Ca- . attractive role models ble Television Association and "These patterns teach children overseen by an advisory council. that violence is desirable, neces- The council.. chaired bv Donald sarv and nainless." said Dale Kun- ~oberk,of Stanford ~nivcrsit!~. kel:it rese'arclicri~on~UCSB. ~nciutles representativrs from This is rvliat George Ocrhncr. such organizations as the Alncri. the ~edeUniversity professor call AIedical Association, the who pioneereti research onTV vio- American Academ\' of Pediatrics lence, calls "happy !'inlence."

and~ ~~~ thePTA.~~ ~ ~ Other findiniifrom the studv: According to the study, several rn Violent inEidents that quGify Dcspile assurances from tiic televisio~~ key aspects milst be present for a ns high risk for cliilrlren under agc Industry in recent ycars that it has been aroaram to be considered violent: 7 are foundmost often in cartoons. lliligerlt I~~ciiltirlgdo~vnon violent content, ihe"involvcment of animate b?- ..Youngercl~ildrenhave difllcul- one of the lnrgest studies in thc history of ings, a clear intrnr to i1!1r1n anti 1). distinrn~isl~it~gtelevised faillas)' Lhr mcdiulil finds tl~atviolrncc is in fact harm that is nhysit:al in nature, as from re:ilily and are thel.efore ut on the rise in prime time. opp,sed to psyiholoijcal or emo- increased risk of imitating cartoon The National Television Violence tional. violence," said Barbara J. Wilson Study, which involved viewing more than Lois Jean White, president of of UCSB. 6,000 hours of programming during the the national PTA, reacted to the This conclusion challenges the last three years at four major research study by saying that she was con- networks' claim that it is somehow universities, found that programs concerned about the rising tide of vio- ridiculous to consider cartoon vio- taining violent content rose by 14 percent lence in prime time, "because lence as real violence, a tactic they on network televlsion and 10 percent on studies have shown that certain used to try to minimize Oerbner's basic casie bet een 1994 and 1997. kinds of television violence can research. The percen7 age of prime-time pro- have negative effects on a child's The overall level of violence in grams containing violence now stands at overall well-being." non-fictional "reality" promam- 67 percent for the networks and 64 per- In a statement issued yester- ming remained stable across the cent for basic cable, or roughly two out of day, the National Cable Television spanofthe three-year study. every three programs. The highest level of Association said it "shares con- This finding flies in the face of vlolence is found on premium cable chan- cern about portrayal of violence the conventional wisdom that nels, whereit is 92 percent. and its effectson children." says tabloid news shows and talk (Broadcast networks are ABC, CBS, But Dennis Wharton. a snokes- shows have been dramaticallv up- NBC, Fox, UPN and WB. Basic cable in- man for the National AssoEiation ping the ante on violent conteht.. cludes such channels as USA and TNT. of Broadcasters, said the findings m The report lists five kinds of Premium cable includes HBO, Showtime contradict a network-funded vortravals of violence that pose and Cinemax. Prime-time runs Prom 8 n m study by UCLA researchers the highest risk for children: aper- to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 7 pnl. tb 11 "which found that violence on petrator who is attractive; vio- p.m. on Sundays in thecast.) broadcast television has declined lence that seems justified: vio- "For those who think thc TV viulencr steadily over the last three years." lence that goes unpunished; problym is solved. it Is not." said Daniel The UCLA study, released in minimal consequences to the vic- Linz,one of the st udy's seniur researchers. January, said networks had tem- tim; and violence that seems real- from the University of California, Santa pered the amount and nature of . istictotheviewer.

Barbara. "This increase~ ~ is esnecinllv~ .~~ -~..~~" -.nmh- violence on their shows, except for Ienlatic since prime timeattracts the iarg- the new "shockumentarv" tvwe The Associated Press contrtbut- cst number of viewers." L shows featuring grisly content.-- ed to this article. 111 ;~dditiorlto UCSB, lSee Viole~~cc,7~ ] And Marty Franks, senior vice uresident of CBS Coro.. stronzlv bisputed tile new stuiy. He s$b his network's prime tilne lineup - with "Touched bv an Angel." "Cos- by" and "The ~anny"-- features shows withlittle violence. "This study persists in using the same flawed methodolow ... of simply counting acts of vKlenc? without taking dramatic context into account," Franks said. B>:t the researchers said they did consider the context in which violence occurs. Not all violence on TV is bad, they said. Depictions that show tile negative efircts of violence are good and socially re- sponsible. However, one of the more trou- bline findines from the studv was in hgw violeice is depicted. " Nearly three-fourths of violent scenes contain no remorse, criticism or penalty for violence, with "bad" characters going unpunished in 40percent of allprograms. CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR BOSTON, YA FRIDAY 101,805 APR 17 1998 1lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll1111 =BUq4EL L E'S -- PC 26 11.. .1.01c .x What CMdren See and Do: Studies of Vi

.New research shows level of violent programming holds steady, but networks call work 'flawed.'

By Alexandra Marks Slafi woter of ~hcChriitian Science Monitor G.,7&???' NEW YORK The sirnplicily of the experiment at the Min- neapolis day-care center and the starkness of the results stunned the parents. Whcn a class ol two- to five-year-ollds watched public television's bighearted purple dinosaur, "Barhey," they seog along, marched along, held one another's hands, and laughed together. The next day, the same class watched the aggressive teenage avengers. "~oderRangers." Within. minutes. ll~cyTV~I-e karate-chopping and high-kick- ing the air - alld one anotllcr. "Even tho~tgl~ihe goal of these programs isn't to tcac11, our liicls arc learning because they're always learning:' says &mid Walsh of the ~akionalInstitute on Mcdia alld Ihc Farnily, who conducted the experiment with a local lclevision station last fall. Concdrn about lhc effect of TV violence on children has &now11almost every year since the flicker- illg screens ct~leredAmerica's homes. While Con- mess has por~nded its fists and parents have

Study releasedje~terda~in Washington. The ll~rce-yearstt~dy underwrilten hy the cable i~~dustryalso found that prime-time violence, on another of the study's auhors

implensnled by the networks initially faileztiiden- But she says miyothers have td follow ki1.k U~eir Lily violent programs. It also concluded that (he way erorts are to register a change in ll~cannual study. violence is portrayed in 111ost iristances - glamor- The authors also praise the ~~etworksfor adding ized, sanitized, and without negative consequences content information to their age-based rating sys- - poses a serious risk to childretl. tern after parents complained. But NBC is criticized "These patterns teach chil- fir refusing to join the others. clren that violer~ceis desil-able, Some media experts, like necessary, and painless," says George Gerbner ol..~e~r& Dale Ktmkel of the University Ufiyesity inPhiladelphia, are of California at Santa Barbara, tougher on the.. ncw ratings. where the study was done. "It's like instead of clearking np The netwol-ks, weary of the Ule polluted air, they said, annual attacks, strongly de- 'We'll give you a gas nlask,' " fer~dthe strides Uley've made says P1.ofessor Gerbner. in adding the rating system But other media analysts and hig11-quality children's are laking a wait-and-see alti- si~ows."IT11is study1 frustrates tudc about the new systctn. me, because I don't U~inkil "It's a start, bul lhcrc's a paints a VCI-yaccurate or use- long way to go," says Ranny 1~1 pirtr~re." says Martin Levy of the Coalition lor Qual- Flat~ks,a senior vice president ity Childre~is Mcdia. The of CBS. coalition already rates chil- Mr. R-ar~kssays a similar dren's vidcos and CD Rorns to study ~~ndcrwrittenhy the give parents an indepc~~dent broaclcast networks found .an m~ideto aualilv I~roBralnlrlinQ. . ,A " a overall decrease in Ule level of , The- Natior~al institute on iclcviscd violcllce. He also attacks the methodology Media and the Family has also decided to add an ol Ule cable study as "horribly flawed,' contending h~dependentvoice to the debate. that it pritnarily cou~~tsincidences of violence with- "We're having parents rate the programs," says out noting timing or context. "It doesn't distu~gt~ishDr. Walsh. "Within a week or so, we'll report on belwcet~'Schindler's LisC and 'Die Hard,' " he says. whether our parents agree wit11 Ulc networks." But the siudy's a~~lhorsdisagree. They say their For now. the study's autl~orssay, parellis should corlnlcrs cleal-ly disti~lg~~ishbetween Irartnful a~dbecome aware of the typcs of violer~ceU~al pose cducntionai violence. They lound that less than 5 risks to children and monitor whal U~eir kids pcrccnt ol all programs had an antiviolent theme. watch. "In the long term, if the creative cornrllimily "Thesc poillt out the problenls with violence, is going in use violence, it shoulcl consider sl~owing show alternntivcs to it. and make people aware ol the ronsequrnccs. some remorsc, and crilicisrn of IIII, nc~ltim,rn~~srqt~rllr~s." savs Rat-hara - Wilson. ~~iol~nrr,"s;ys Wilson. EXPRESS-TIMES EASTON, PA DAILY 51,000 TUESDAY APR 21 1998 MUTUALPRESS CUPPING SERVICE

451 JB ..,Obi XX.. .. i'Killeas may have used rap song

I as a blueprint for torture, murder By DAN SHEiHAN / The Express-Time "When you glorify hate, when you glorify violence and you're The revelation that Rlchezza targeting an audience that's sus- Williams' killers may have used ceptible or malleable, then it a rap song as a blueprint in her takes a toll in one way, shape or torture and murder feeds into form," he said. an old debate about the effects "It occurs every day, but it of- of media violence. tentimes manifests itself in far "Method Man" by Wu-Tang Clan describes tortures similar Please see RAP /A-2( to those inflicted on Williams,- among them, burning a victlm with a wire hanger heated on a stove. ~ont~nuedfrom A-1 "Put a hanger on a f--' stove and let that s- sit there for like less striking example's, (such as) a half-hour," the lyrics say. if a kid comes into school and "Take it off and stick it in ..." refers to an African-American by the 'n' word," or if a kid calls But it would be a mistake to another kid (obscenities)." blame the obscenity-laden song Easton Police Lt. Steven J. itself in Williams' murder, one Parkansky said violent song lyr- media expert says. ics - whether in rap or other genres - "at some point have to "There must be some predis- have an effect on soctety. position (in killers) that must be :Do I believe that song was triggered by a rap song or a the catalyst for this murder7 story but is not created by it," KO,''Parkansky said. "I do b?- said George Gerbner, a Temple lieve it may have had some 11, University rofessor wKcon- fluence in some of the thing . duct3-+ groun reaklng. re- that occurred to her." search into the influence of television and other media on behavior. "They use (the song) as a stan- dard to decide what they want to do -they can decide to imi- tate it or carry it to an extreme, which is a form of one-upman- ship." State Rep. T.J. Rooney, D- Northampton, who has pushed the Legislature to prohibit sales of exulicit records to minors, said gangster rap may not di- rectly trigger violence, but it contributes to a dangerous cli- mate.

USA TODAY (EUROPE) ZURICH, SW FRIDAY 61,066 MAY 29 1998

content rahgs get parents' backing By Gary Levin works assign age- and content- they're unlikely to buy a new haven't heard of the system. Points for parents, 5 percent- USA TODAY based ratings to most programs TV set or an add-on device con- Kaiser found more support age points for kids. 203c-r to warn parents about sexual taining a V-chip in the next two for the ratings system than did Some critics say evidence o! Parents may be warming up themes, violence or adult lan- years. And a separate survey of a recent survey conducted by growing support for the ratinp to TV's'content-rating3 syste guage. kids reveals that 35% would try the Associated Press, which system may be overstated A new study from the Kair er The ratings are designed to to watch blocked'~shows,con- found 51% of parents ignored Many parents "say what the! Family Foundation shows 54% be used with the upcoming "V- flrrning the so-caned "forbid- the labels. think they ought to say" when of parents use the system, and chip'' (for violence), which will den fruit" theory "Making choices about their questioned about responsibility 45% say they've stopped thelr ailow parents to block shows Many respondents remain children's TV viewing is the for their kids' viewing hab& child from watching a show be carrying certain labels. unfamiliar with the alphabet right of every parent:' said says George Gerbner, a Tem- cause of its rating. Nearly two-thirds of parents soup of labels, such as "D Vice President Al Gore at a ple University cammunica- Under the system intro- (65%) say they'd use a V-chip if (suggestive dialogue) and "FV" briefing Wednesday. tions professor duced in January 1997, the net- they had one. But, 69% say (fantasy violence); one in five "We must explore every op For now, "the research is - tion that might help prevent vi- relatively meaningless:' says olence by children and that in- Action for Children's Telexrib cludes .. . helping parents to sion founder Pe&y Charren. limit their own children's expo- "It isn't as though parents have weto television violence" no way of knowjog what's nii Kaiser, an independent re- television. Without the chip in search group, surveyed 1,358 the set, the ratinm are no more parents and 446 children by meaningful for parents than phone in April; margin of error picking up information in the is plus or minus 3 percentage newspaper." , \ -~

Many parents say 'duh' to ratings TV -

by Richard Huff pened," said a network source. .------"Corporatewise and at our sta- *ms*peapv- While more than half the parents about the ratings. polled in a new survey said theyre In the new survey, one out of using the 18-month-oldTV content- five parents claimed never to rating designations when making have heard of the ratings system. viewing choices for their kids, Twenty-seven percent said they many also conceded they can't ex- had heard of the system, though plain what the ratings mean. they "never" or "hardly ever" use Specifically, 54 percent of the it. The most common reason for parents said they use the TV rat- not using the system was_ that ings to guide their children's parents would rather decide viewing, and 45 percent-said they themselves what their kids have stopped at least one of their should see. kids from watching a show be- "We work very hard to provide cause of its rating, according €0 parents with as much informa- the study released yesterday by tion as possible," said an ABC the Kaiser Family Foundation. spokeswoman. "We're glad to see The survey also found, though, many parents are using the infor- that only 54 percent of the respon- mation we give them." dents know what at least six of the In a companion survey of kids, a 11 ratings symbols mean, while 46 third of the 10- to 17-year-olds percent know five or fewer. polled, sald that their parents - The ratings range from TV-MA, have stopped them at least once which designates suitability for from watching something be- viewers 17 and older (Comedy cause of the rating. Also, more Central's "South Park" is the only than a third said they had not regular series to carry the MA watched a show based on the rat- label) to TV-Y, the label for such ing. In that group, 40 percent said all-ages kid shows as ABC's "101 they did so because their parents Dalmatians." would not approve, while 26 per- Last October, ABC, CBS, Fox and cent said they tuned elsewhere most major cable networks added because the rating indicated the V, S and L designations to their show was for a younger audience. age-based content ratings to warn According to the survey, 49 per- parents of strong violence, sexual cent of the parents knew that content or language. NBC refuses children's shows are rated; 51 per- to modify its ratings, though it cent failed to name even one of does provide on-air warnings. the ratings for kid shows, and 17 "The good news for the ratings percent could name only one. system .is that many parents are The survey found that 65 per- using the ratings and find them cent of the parents would use a V- helpful, but they do not always chip, an electronic device to understand the system and there block programming in their are changes they'd like to see home, if they had it. However, made," said Drew Altman, presi- most parents said they are either dent of the foundation, a research "not too likely" (24 percent) or group concerned with the impact "not likely at all" (45 percent) to of entertainment. get a TV or set-top box equipped The survey conflicts with a with a V-chip in the next two March poll conducted by the As- years. sociated Press that indicated that Vice President A1 Gore on parents were overwhelmingly ig- Wednesday urged parents to use noring the ratings. the TV ratings and the coming V- "The groundswell in terms of chip technology to try to reduce public pressure still hasn't hap- violence by youngsters.

Philadelphia Daily News 5/30/1998

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER SEATTLE, WA MONDAY 203,000 JUN 1 1998

'Dr. Quinn' falls victim to TV'S lust for a younger audience

By DON AUCOIN "But one of the cruel realities of THE BOSlUN GLOBE our business is that advertisers place a \ ., ,. premium on reaching viewers who are ,c%>L\ younger," said the executive, who Every Saturday night over the just- requested anonymity. ended television season, nearly 12 In canceling "Dr. Quinn" and million viewers tuned in to watch "Dr. tailoring many of next veason's shows Quinn, Medicine Woman," almost for younger viewers, CBS apears to twice as many as paddled through the be bendii to the iron law of the soapy currents of "Dawson's Creek" marketplace. each week. "The basic television transaction is But "Dawson's Creek" the toast is the purchase of audience time to of the television industry, such a "hit" watch the commercials." savs George for the nascent WB network that rival Gerbner, a professor of cimmunici- programmers are scrambling to come up with copycat shows. tions at Temple.~. Uni!w&. "Unfortu- Meanwhile, "Dr. Quinn" has just nately,'the quality of the program - been dumped by CBS like a superan- or even the popularity of the program nuated sawbones, even though the - is not the primaty consideration." show often finished first in the ratings The primary consideration for TV in its time slot, and even though Jane executives and the advertisers who Swmour had become one of the call the TV tune is: Will a show appeal i/twork's signature stars. to the 18-to-49, urban, college-educat- This tale of two series sheds a ed demographic? sickly light on the baffling world of That cohort is considered hard to reach because they are "light" TV 'PI demographics, a pseudo-science in viewers, unlike the over-50 crowd. which Manhattan-based media buyers "The feeling in television, and the in their 20s lareelv detennine what research proves this out, is that adults you watch and hok long you get to 50 and over, you get those audiences watch it. for free," said Ktumins. "The 18-to-49 "What's happened to 'Dr. Quinn' audience is more elusive." is a perfect example of why people Say The reason for the influence of that TV is out of touch with the younger viewers is as simple as mainstream, with Middle America;'" economics. First, movie advertising said TV historian Steven Star$,: plays an increasingly large role on TV, "Shows that ordinary Americans liked, and moviegoers tend to be younger. are gone, simply because Madiso~ The same applies for other big TV Avenue dwsn't like them." advertisers such as soft drinks and The cold truth about TV land is fast foods. Second, advertisers crave that some viewers are more equal than others. If you're age 18 to 49 and younger viewers because, while they) live in or near a city, like many may not be as affluent as older "Dawson's Creek" fans, the networks viewers, their purchasing habits are1 will cater to you because advertisers not firmly established yet. will pay premium prices to the net- Consequently, shows with.the' works in order to reach you. "right" demographics can command: However, if you're over 49, or if prices from advertisers up to four; you have the temerity to live in a rural times higher than shows with thei area - like many "Dr. Quinn" fans - "wrong" demographics. Young-skewing shows are consid-' you will largely be ignored (the "Save ered winners by the networks, even if, Dr. Quinn" campaign that fans have their ratings might seem unimpres- launched is doomed to failure. CBS sive. "Dawson's Creek," for instance, sources say). finished at No. 132 last season in the "If you're not huge in New York, Nielsen ratings ("Dr. Quinn" finished LA, Chicago, you're finished, you're at No. 74). Another hot WB show, done," said TV industry consultant "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," finished Paul Kmmins. at No. 142. In canceling "Dr. Quinn," CBS is By contrast, rival networks dis- dumping one of the few prime-time miss the success of such CBS shows as shows considered safe for familv "Touched by an Angel" (No, 6) and, viewing at a time when Congress and "Diagnosis Murder" (No. 25) because advocacy groups are stepping up the they have the "wrong" demographics.; nressure on the networks to clean UD And advertisers apparently agree. : iheir act. More broadly, the networks' col- lective quest for demographically desirable viewers - which once kept high-quality shows such as "Cheers" and "Hill Street Blues" on the air through early ratings struggles - now appears to ovemde considerations of quality. Ad agencies, not programmers, are more firmly in the driver's seat than ever. "It's not the guy at CBS \?rho canceled the show," said Ktum1n.S. "It's the ad agencies that push the older, comfortable shows off the air." A CBS executive said the dension to drop "Dr. Quinn" was "not made lightly," especially since the show' is partly owned by CBS.

NATION NEW YORK, NY WEEKLY 88,790 JUN 8 1998 1llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllIlllll111llll

Stories TI/ Doesn't- Tell~~ ... 1:.7.0 3Cr E~~.I@;BIA< e're at a point in history, says eorge et; ner, a pjsfessor (Continurti From Pase 7) at T~l~pleUt~iversity, when most of our culture's stories inmate on national TV Fearing a "big edit" from CBS censors, nre told pot by parents, schools, churches or community Letterman producers asked the band to do a retake. The group members with something to tell-but by global media con- refused, and the song aired in full. glo~nerateswith something to sell. A whole lot of selling's While U.S. television serves up a regular diet of sizzle and going on. Rut what stories are not being told by U.S. television- gruel, there's a whole range of options not on the menu. You can or not told Tt~lly? turn off what's tasteless, but as children's TV advocate Peggy Ask Todd Pulnam, wllo edited N(z/ilriot~ulBoj,co// New in thc Charren observes, "You can't turt~on what's not there." early tlincties. NBC's To(/[rj>decided to do a segment on boycotts IFFE Cnlrrw and scnt a producer to ask Putnam, "What3 the biggest boycott ~p~p~ going on right now?" After Putnam said that the pi-emier u.s.' J~~~c~A~~ist~edirrctoroft~ boycott was thc one targeting Gcneral Electric---owncr of NBC- of Wizards ofMedia oz courage). on its productin11 of nuclcar weapons, the producer responded: "Wc can't do that one. Wcll, wc could do that one, but wc won't." Wccks later, she callcd Putnani, looking for-a boycolt t11;tt was "s~nall,""local" and "sexy." Still late!; a tnore senior prnduccr re- marked that heti lose his job at N13C if G.E. was mentioned. Ulti- mately, 7b'icrj, did run a boycott scgmcnt without mc~~tioningG.E. You don't have to he a nuclear scientist to know that some stories are better left nntold in corporate-dominated television. Indeed, what's striking about the boycott-story fiasco and others like it is thatTV producers were either daring or clueless enough toventure intooff-limitstcrritory in the first place. It's more cum- mon simply to avoid wholc areas, as dojourn;tlists at NUC whcn it comcs to the nuclear and environmental problems caused by G.E,. As dojourtlalists at ABC when it co~liesto Disncy's sweat- shops. Nor is PBS beyot;$ the reach of corporate influence. Throughout 1995 the NewsNour all but ignored the price-fixing scandal involving Archer Daniels Midland, the agri-giant that underwrites tlic show to tl~ctune of $6 million a ycar It's well known that TV sponsors dislike controversy. What's not well known is the intimate prior review that some programs grant sponsors. At NBC's Sohtrdny Nigh/ Live, advertisers review scripts,, watch rehearsals and work closely with network censors ill getting skits changed or droppcd. Even liiore than controversy, sponsorsdetest criticism. In 1992 G.M. threatened to pull its ads tinm S<~/t~r[/ctyNigh/ Live until a comedy sketch about n~asslay- offs dropped the company's name. G.M. threatened another ad pullout aRer seeing rchcarsals ofan SNL hit deriding the company for its use of livc ani~nalsin crash tests. The bit was droppcd. 111rare cases, advertisers themselves gct censored. When it comes to political (noncampaign) ads. TV executives have arbi- trary power over which will air. 111 1995 CNN brazenly rejected an ad telling viewers that consumer advocates opposed a merger- friendly telecomrnunicatio~~s"refnrm" bill because it would cost consumers "billions of dollar,$."Afier "refortn" was enacted, Time Warner's merger with TumeriCNN was approved. Politically minded comics have found that, evcn in jest, lniany ideas are off-limits onTV, On the Lettcrman show soon after it tnoved lo CBS, network censors surgically removed Bill Hicks's stand-up routine because it had touched "too lnaliy hot spots." Hicks's targets included "pro-life" activists (who were encouraged to blockade cemeteries), male homophobes (who, he quipped, iove to see womcn togethel- in porn) and religion (would Christ, ot~his return, really want to see all those crosscs?). Singing truth to power is a long musical tradition-onc that has often conflicted with the codes of television. Rage Against rlle Machine, the molti-platinutn rap-riietal group, has encoun- lered no meddling from its record company but was unccremo- niously muzzled in 1996 on Saturday Nigltf Live. Band members were escorted out of the NBC building before they could per- form their second song after hanging America11 flags upside down oil their amps prior to the first song (stagehands quickly retnoved them) and after dissing that night's host, Steve Forbes. This past December, anarcho-rockers Cliumbawamba outfoxed the censors when, performinga song on Letterman, they chant- cd "Frce Mumia Abu-Jalnaln-a rare mention of thc dcath-row (Cuntbrrced on I'rrge 38)