UP has been honored again by a TV watchdog group with a seal of approval as it launches a new reality series called "Bringing up Bates."
"If we give a program the [PTC] Seal of Approval it means that you can rely on the fact that there's not going to be a lot of sex, violence, or profanity on the program," says Melissa Henson of the Parents Television Council. "[It means] that it is something that you can watch with your kids in the room and you don't have to worry about being embarrassed or caught off-guard by inappropriate content."
The reality show, which debuted on UP on New Year's Day, focuses on Gil and Kelly Jo Bates, and their 19 children (ages 2 to 25).
PTC recently released a report examining every major broadcast network and every primetime show in the fall 2013 season that featured family as central to its storyline. According to that study, 99 percent of programs that claim to be about families aren't actually safe for family viewing.
"You expect that if it's about a family it's going to be something you can watch with your family," says Henson. "That's generally not the case – but fortunately it is the case with 'Bringing up Bates.'"
In an interview with The Christian Post, PTC president Tim Winter pointed out it's not the first time UP has been awarded their seal of approval.
"We have renewed our seal of approval of the UP Network every year since 2010," he said. "We continue to work with the UP Network and with other family-friendly networks to make sure our members, and the general public, are aware of their programming."
PTC believes the best way for viewers to express their concerns or complaints about TV content is to contact advertisers.
Showing posts with label Parents Television Council. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parents Television Council. Show all posts
Friday, January 16, 2015
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Broadcast Networks Want More Sex and Cursing on TV
All four of the major broadcast TV networks – ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC – filed statements last week with the Federal Communication Commission seeking an end to government oversight of indecency standards on television, according to a Dateline New York report.
The broadcasters want to be able to show just as much sex, violence and obscenity as the cable networks, and they don’t want it limited to after 10 p.m. ET.
The networks argued that the regulations violate their First Amendment rights and that the rules are archaic because families don’t just sit down and watch broadcast television anymore.
The Los Angeles Times reported Fox, for example, argued that the FCC’s rules are “stuck in a bygone era” and unfair to broadcasters because cable and online outlets do not face the same regulations.
“The FCC should affirm that it has no right to deny broadcasters the same First Amendment protections enjoyed by every other medium of communication,” Fox said.
Parents Television Council President Tim Winter, however, opposes eliminating decency standards.
CBS, however, assured the FCC it needn’t worry that relaxing its enforcement will make “broadcast television some sort of red-light district.”
Besides, the network added, “The day when a child watching television was almost certain to be watching broadcast television has long since passed.”
According to Dateline, Fox elaborated on CBS’ argument: “Americans today, including children, spend more time engaged with non-broadcast channels delivered by cable and satellite television, the Internet, video games and other media than they do with broadcast media.”
NBC agreed: “Broadcast TV is not a uniquely pervasive presence in the lives of 21st century Americans.”
The network filings came in response to an April request from the FCC – since expired – for comments on a proposed change in policy to allow “fleeting” or “isolated” instances of nudity and cursing on public airwaves without subjecting the networks to fines.
Several news outlets reported more than 101,000 consumer comments poured in, while the networks filed just under the deadline, asking the FCC to go even further in abolishing all decency standards.
Yet Winter and the Parents Television Council argues the FCC must heed the people.
“The outpouring of the American people to the FCC is tremendous on the issue of broadcast indecency. The over 101,000 comments received over this FCC proposal dwarfs the number of people communicating to the FCC about any other matter,” Winter said. “The American people (those without armies of lobbyists) are concerned about the volume of indecent material on TV that is targeting their children and grandchildren. The FCC and Congress must not ignore their voices.”
read full article
The broadcasters want to be able to show just as much sex, violence and obscenity as the cable networks, and they don’t want it limited to after 10 p.m. ET.
The networks argued that the regulations violate their First Amendment rights and that the rules are archaic because families don’t just sit down and watch broadcast television anymore.
The Los Angeles Times reported Fox, for example, argued that the FCC’s rules are “stuck in a bygone era” and unfair to broadcasters because cable and online outlets do not face the same regulations.
“The FCC should affirm that it has no right to deny broadcasters the same First Amendment protections enjoyed by every other medium of communication,” Fox said.
Parents Television Council President Tim Winter, however, opposes eliminating decency standards.
CBS, however, assured the FCC it needn’t worry that relaxing its enforcement will make “broadcast television some sort of red-light district.”
Besides, the network added, “The day when a child watching television was almost certain to be watching broadcast television has long since passed.”
According to Dateline, Fox elaborated on CBS’ argument: “Americans today, including children, spend more time engaged with non-broadcast channels delivered by cable and satellite television, the Internet, video games and other media than they do with broadcast media.”
NBC agreed: “Broadcast TV is not a uniquely pervasive presence in the lives of 21st century Americans.”
The network filings came in response to an April request from the FCC – since expired – for comments on a proposed change in policy to allow “fleeting” or “isolated” instances of nudity and cursing on public airwaves without subjecting the networks to fines.
Several news outlets reported more than 101,000 consumer comments poured in, while the networks filed just under the deadline, asking the FCC to go even further in abolishing all decency standards.
Yet Winter and the Parents Television Council argues the FCC must heed the people.
“The outpouring of the American people to the FCC is tremendous on the issue of broadcast indecency. The over 101,000 comments received over this FCC proposal dwarfs the number of people communicating to the FCC about any other matter,” Winter said. “The American people (those without armies of lobbyists) are concerned about the volume of indecent material on TV that is targeting their children and grandchildren. The FCC and Congress must not ignore their voices.”
read full article
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
FCC proposing to allow more sex and profanity during kids’ television viewing hours
If you thought that our television channels were already saturated with enough sex, vulgarity and profanity, you may want to brace yourself – the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is proposing changes to its guidelines that would allow more racy content to infiltrate the small screen during hours when kids could tune in.
A public notice posted on the regulatory agency’s website last month said that FCC is launching a review that may end the prohibition of expletives and certain images of nudity on television. The FCC had first given the public until May 20 to weigh in on the hot-button issue, but that deadline was recently extended to June 19.
And in overwhelming numbers, Americans have been quick to express their outrage over the potential changes, which could pave the way to more adult themes on prime-time programs. The FCC has received almost 95,000 comments
on this proposal, whereas the next highest active proceeding has a mere 320 comments.
“Today’s television programming already goes well beyond the content parameters most parents find acceptable. No parent, after watching a program with their children says, ‘you know, that sure would have been a better program if they’d only thrown some nudity and profanity in there,’” said Bryan Fischer, director of issues analysis at the American Family Association. “The pressure is coming from the broadcast networks, who don’t want to be accountable to anyone for content. But the airwaves are owned by the American people, and the FCC is supposed to be a responsible steward of the airwaves for their true owners.”
So what exactly would the potential changes mean?
“Prime time television will start looking more like cable television in terms of language and content,” John Conway, entertainment attorney and CEO of Astonish Media Group, told FOX 411’s Pop Tarts column. “I’m sure networks will test limits for ratings as they do now, but I think the American public will keep the worst outrages in check as they do now.”
And in an Opinion piece for FoxNews.com last week, Penny Young Nance – who most recently served as Special Adviser for the FCC – stated that it was “unfathomable to think the FCC actually wants to allow more filth, such as frontal female nudity, the F-bomb, and the ‘S’ word on broadcast television during hours when our kids will be watching and listening.”
The Parents Television Council (PTC) is expressing concern over the FCC’s proposal, as well. The organization declared last week “#NoIndecencyFCC Week,” and encouraged the public to file comments to the Commission and tweet their concerns.
The PTC, along with a 75 member coalition representing millions of Americans, also sent a letter to members of the U.S Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the U.S House Committee on Energy and Commerce, urging them to oppose the FCC’s proposed amendments to weaken enforcement of the broadcast indecency law.
“There’s an enormous amount of TV content that parents are going to find problematic, offensive or even harmful to their children. The broadcast indecency law is only meant to deal with the worst of the worst TV and radio content to begin with and now the FCC says it doesn’t even want to deal with that,” said Dan Isett, director of public policy for the PTC.
“It would be grossly irresponsible for the FCC to allow this. If the FCC drops the standard, the networks will give us all the profanity and nudity they think they can get away with, and they’d just keep pushing the envelope,” Fischer added.
On that note, there is some concern that if the changes pass, the increase in lewd and body-baring programming could have long-term effects on young viewers.
“We can debate what those effects are, but we know that the harm exists,” Isett insisted.
However, Conway argued that the projected deregulation probably would not be any more detrimental to children that what is already being showed in movies, cable, videogame, the Internet and other media outlets.
“If there is harm being done, it is probably already being done elsewhere,” he said.
But if there is a silver lining to be found in the proposed changes, Jim Steyer, CEO and Founder of Common Sense Media – an organization that seeks to provide families with trustworthy information and education – said the changes could encourage parents to be more aware of what their kids are watching.
A public notice posted on the regulatory agency’s website last month said that FCC is launching a review that may end the prohibition of expletives and certain images of nudity on television. The FCC had first given the public until May 20 to weigh in on the hot-button issue, but that deadline was recently extended to June 19.
And in overwhelming numbers, Americans have been quick to express their outrage over the potential changes, which could pave the way to more adult themes on prime-time programs. The FCC has received almost 95,000 comments
on this proposal, whereas the next highest active proceeding has a mere 320 comments. “Today’s television programming already goes well beyond the content parameters most parents find acceptable. No parent, after watching a program with their children says, ‘you know, that sure would have been a better program if they’d only thrown some nudity and profanity in there,’” said Bryan Fischer, director of issues analysis at the American Family Association. “The pressure is coming from the broadcast networks, who don’t want to be accountable to anyone for content. But the airwaves are owned by the American people, and the FCC is supposed to be a responsible steward of the airwaves for their true owners.”
So what exactly would the potential changes mean?
“Prime time television will start looking more like cable television in terms of language and content,” John Conway, entertainment attorney and CEO of Astonish Media Group, told FOX 411’s Pop Tarts column. “I’m sure networks will test limits for ratings as they do now, but I think the American public will keep the worst outrages in check as they do now.”
And in an Opinion piece for FoxNews.com last week, Penny Young Nance – who most recently served as Special Adviser for the FCC – stated that it was “unfathomable to think the FCC actually wants to allow more filth, such as frontal female nudity, the F-bomb, and the ‘S’ word on broadcast television during hours when our kids will be watching and listening.”
The Parents Television Council (PTC) is expressing concern over the FCC’s proposal, as well. The organization declared last week “#NoIndecencyFCC Week,” and encouraged the public to file comments to the Commission and tweet their concerns.
The PTC, along with a 75 member coalition representing millions of Americans, also sent a letter to members of the U.S Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the U.S House Committee on Energy and Commerce, urging them to oppose the FCC’s proposed amendments to weaken enforcement of the broadcast indecency law.
“There’s an enormous amount of TV content that parents are going to find problematic, offensive or even harmful to their children. The broadcast indecency law is only meant to deal with the worst of the worst TV and radio content to begin with and now the FCC says it doesn’t even want to deal with that,” said Dan Isett, director of public policy for the PTC.
“It would be grossly irresponsible for the FCC to allow this. If the FCC drops the standard, the networks will give us all the profanity and nudity they think they can get away with, and they’d just keep pushing the envelope,” Fischer added.
On that note, there is some concern that if the changes pass, the increase in lewd and body-baring programming could have long-term effects on young viewers.
“We can debate what those effects are, but we know that the harm exists,” Isett insisted.
However, Conway argued that the projected deregulation probably would not be any more detrimental to children that what is already being showed in movies, cable, videogame, the Internet and other media outlets.
“If there is harm being done, it is probably already being done elsewhere,” he said.
But if there is a silver lining to be found in the proposed changes, Jim Steyer, CEO and Founder of Common Sense Media – an organization that seeks to provide families with trustworthy information and education – said the changes could encourage parents to be more aware of what their kids are watching.
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