DOCUMENT RESUME ED 365 280 IR 016 381 TITLE Children's Television. Hearing before the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. House of Representatives, One Hundred Third Congress, First Session. INSTITUTION Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. REPORT NO ISBN-0-16-041417-2 PUB DATE 10 Mar 93 NOTE 83p.; Serial No. 103-27. AVAILABLE FROMU.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office, Washington, DC 20402. PUB TYPE Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials (090) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Broadcast Industry; Broadcast Television; *Childrens Television; Commercial Television; Educational Television; *Federal Legislation; Federal Programs; Hearings; *Programming (Broadcast) IDENTIFIERS Action for Childrens Television; Childrens Television Act 1990; Congress 103rd; *Federal Communications Commission; National Association of Broadcasters; Television Criticism ABSTRACT The hearing transcribed in this report is focused on how television broadcasters have been meeting their obligations to the child audience as described in the Children's Television Act of 1990 and how the Federal Communications Commission has been enforcing the law. The report contains testimony from: (1) Peggy Charren, founder, Action for Children's Television; (2) Jeffrey Chester, codirector, Center for Media Education; (3) Paul LaCamera, vice president, WCVB-TV, who presented a prepared statement from the National Association of Broadcasters; (4) Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop, Shari Lewis Enterprises;(5) Brooke Spectorsky, WUAB-TV; and (6) Ernst L. Wynder, president, American Health Foundation. (KRN) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** CHILDREN'S TELEVISION U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION lnp e 01(ill, AlfOnal Reume h and Imindynntent UtICATIONAE RE SOURCE S INF ORMATION CE NEE R if RICA Th., dot urnent has [wen lepiedte ed AS TIM f..V1,11 Iron the 0eo:on nr onjandahon onwnahnd Minor t hang., have twee made h. tmorove bon qual1, . _ 00 Points Ut v.et nr opebons stated .e this tiro HEARING meet do not net 1.55Ahh, Ingansent on. iat OF RI oosalion of policy V') BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND FINANCE OF THE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS FIRST SESSION MARCH 10, 1993 Serial No. 103-27 Printed for the use of the Committee on Energy and Commerce U.S.GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 71.74:TC WASHINGTON : 1993 Iof salc the..tiio% omen' Printing ( 'Novel 'mender' of Dok mem.. tialcs H !It e. V1.1.111110,11. I/( 20.111:' ISBN 0-16-041417-2 2 BEST COPYAVAILABLE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE JOHN D. DINGELL, Michigan, Chairman HENRY A. WAXMAN, California CARLOS J. MOORHEAD, California PHILiP R. SHARP, Indiana THOMAS J. BLILEY, JR., Virginia EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts JACK FIELDS, Texas AL SWIFT, Washington MICHAEL G. OXLEY, Ohio CARDISS COLLINS, Illinois MICHAEL BILIRAKIS, Florida MIKE SYNAR, Oklahoma DAN SCHAEFER, Colorado W.J. "BILLY" TAUZIN, Louisiana JOE BARTON, Texas RON WYDEN, Oregon ALEX McMILLAN, North Carolina RALPH M. HALL, Texas J. DENNIS HASTERT, Illinois BILL RICHARDSON, New Mexico FRED UPTON, Michigan JIM SLATTERY, Kansas CLIFF STEARNS, Florida JOHN BRYANT, Texas BILL PAXON, New York RICK BOUCHER, Virginia PAUL E. GILLMOR, Ohio JIM COOPER, Tennessee SCOTT KLUG, Wisconsin J. ROY ROWLAND, Georgia GARY A. FRANKS, Connecticut THOMAS J. MANTON, New York JAMES C. GREENWOOD, Pennsylvania EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York MICHAEL D. CRAPO, Idaho GERRY E. STUDDS, Massachusetts RICHARD H. LEHMAN, California FRANK PALLONE, JR., New Jersey CRAIG A. WASHINGTON, Texas LYNN SCHENK, California SHERROD BROWN, Ohio MIKE KREIDLER, Washington MARJORIE MARGOLIES-MEZVINSKY, Pennsylvania BLANCHE M. LAMBERT, Arkansas ALAN J. ROTH, Staff Director and Chief Counsel DENNIS B. FrrzeissoNs, Deputy Staff Director MARGARET A. DURBIN, Minority Chief Counsel and Staff Director SUBCOMMITTEE ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND FINANCE EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts, Chairman W.J. "BILLY" TAUZIN, Louisiana JACK FIELDS, Texas RICK BOUCHER, Virginia THOMAS J. BLILEY, JR., Virginia THOMAS J. MANTON, New York MICHAEL G. OXLEY, Ohio RICHARD H. LEHMAN, California DAN SCHAEFER, Colorado LYNN SCHENK, California JOE BARTON, Texas MARJORIE MARGOLIES-MEZVINSICY, ALEX McMILLAN, North Carolina Pennsylvania J. DENNIS HASTERT, Illinois MIKE SYNAR, Oklahoma PAUL E. GILLMOR, Ohio RON WYDEN, Oregon CARLOS J. MOORHEAD, California RALPH M. HALL, Texas (Ex Officio) BILL RICHARDSON, New Mexico JIM SLATTERY, Kansas JOHN BRYANT, Texas JIM COOPER, Tennessee JOHN D DINGELL, Michigan (Ex Offic:01 DAVID H. MOULTON, Chief Counsel I Staff Director LARRY IRVING, Counsel KRISTAN VAN HOOK, Policy Analyst MICHAEL REGAN, Minority Ccunsel UIl CONTENTS Page Testimony of: Charren, Peggy, founder, Action for Children's Television, Cambridge, Mass 45 Chester, Jeffrey, codirector, Center for Media Education 7 La Camera, Paul, vice president, WCVB-TV, Needham, Mass 47 Lewis, Shari, and Lamb Chop, Shari Lewis Enterprises 53, 56 Spectorsky, Brooke, vice president, WUAB-TV, Cleveland, Ohio 20 Wynder, Ernst L., president, American Health Foundation 57 MD. 4 CHILDREN'S TELEVISION WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 1993 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND FINANCE, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., in room 2322, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Edward J. Markey (chairman) presiding. Mr. MARKEY. Good morning, and welcome to the subcommittee's oversight hearing on the Children's Television Act. This year, the average child will spend more time in front of the television than in the classroom. She will know Michelangelo as a mutant turtle, not a painter. What she watches will certainly be of great concern to her parents. But they cannot encourage her to watch more educational shows if they do not exist. The Children's Television Act of 1990 was passed to ensure that broadcasters increase the amount of educational programming pro- vided to America's children. The bill requires television broad- casters to serve the special child audience with programs designed specifically to meet the educational and informational needs of chil- dren. With the passage of the Children's Television Act, Members of Congress expected and looked forward to new, creative and innova- tive programming, signaling the dawn of a new era of children's television programming. Unfortunately, children's television on commercial broadcast today remains the video equivalent of a Twinkle. Kids enjoy it despite the absolute absence of any nutri- tional content. Of the approximately 26 hours per week that each child will watch television, they will see 1 hour of educational or informa- tional programming, down from approximately 11 hours per week in 1980, according to a recent study. Broadcasters' response to the Children's Television Act is simply unacceptable. I am committed to full and complete enforcement of this act by the FCC, and to full compliance with the law by tele- vision broadcasters. The Reagan-Bush era has ended and the Clin- ton era has begun. There is a new commitment to our Nation's chil- dren and to using television to educate children. As proof of that, I was pleased to see that the FCC, under Chairman Quello, issued a notice of inquiry outlining possibilities for the enforcement of this important law. In its notice, the FCC described the importance of the distinction between programming that entertains and has some educational (1) 2 content, and programming whose primary purpose is to educate. While arguably every show has some redeeming social value, too many broadcasters have completely lost sight of the educational and informational purposes of the act. Ever since the date of its passage, the public interest community, broadcasters and parents have expressed concern that the provisions of the laware not being adequately met. In September of last year, the Center for Media Educationre- leased a report on station compliance with the act. Among the find- ings in the report was that stations were listing as programming specifically designed to meet the educational needs of children, shows such as "The Jetsons," "The Flintstones," and "Yogi Bear." Broadcasters can and will do better than that. The Children's Television Act is more important today than ever. While children have more choices due to the growth of the cable television industry, 40 percent of American families do not receive cable. Broadcasters are granted use of the public airwaves, and in exchange, they carry the public trust, which includes a special obli- gation to meet the educational needs of children. Studies on the impact e4' television programs designed to teach children specific skills conclude that these programs are effective and kids watch them. The acclaimed PBS program, "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego," has a weekly viewership of 6.5 mil- lion children. A review of the top-selling home videos in the Wash- ington, D.C. area, in the Washington Post last weekend, shows that 16 of the top 20 video rentals are children's videos, and the major- ity of them are educational. Clearly, the demand is out there for children's educational shows. And is there is a warning for broadcasters in all this as well; ifyou ignore