[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 52 (Wednesday, May 4, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 4, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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       THE MAY SWEEPS 1993 AND 1994: GROUNDS FOR GUARDED OPTIMISM

 Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, it has been almost a year since I 
convened a series of hearings on television violence. At that time, I 
was very concerned about the number of shows that glamorized violence 
being aired during the May ratings period, the May sweeps. From the Los 
Angeles Times to the Washington Post to the trade press, television 
critics referred to the television lineup for last May as murder May. 
Senior industry executives testified that, yes there were problems, and 
they would make an effort to do better.
  This week marks the start of another May ratings period and there is 
both good news and bad news. The good news is that since May 1993, the 
industry has made a number of important changes. Last June, the 
networks agreed to put advisories on violent programming. In July, the 
cable industry followed suit. In August, the entire entertainment 
industry participated in the first-ever industrywide conference on 
television violence. Throughout the fall and winter, many programs have 
had antiviolence storylines, and both the networks and cable have aired 
specials on violence. Just last week, CBS and Fox presented an 
excellent 1-hour special called ``Kids Killing Kids.'' Art Nielsen of 
the Nielsen ratings tells me there is less violence on programming 
today than he has seen in a decade. Finally, both cable and the 
networks have agreed to my suggestion to appoint independent monitors 
to review programming and provide annual public reports about the level 
of violence. The monitors should provide the incentive needed for the 
industry to continue on a positive track.
  Turning to the 1994 May sweeps, while I have made it a practice not 
to comment on specific programming, my general observation is that the 
sweeps programming includes less glamorized violence, but it still is a 
mixed bag. The bad news is that there are still some violent shows, 
particularly the made-for-television movies and the theatrical 
releases. The networks obviously continue to believe that in order to 
earn ratings, they must put on their share of guns and blood. There is 
still the feeling that if violence sells, they will air it.
  The good news is that in comparison to last year, there are far fewer 
of these programs--perhaps even half as many violent movies. Beyond 
that, this year, in contrast to last year, the great majority of the 
violent movies will carry advisory messages. All will be aired at 9 
p.m., eastern time. I have been told that the promotions will be run 
during times when children are less likely to be watching.
  Change of the kind I have been seeking for the past 10 years does not 
happen overnight, or even in a year. While I wish I could say that the 
May sweeps are a testament to the industry's commitment to ending the 
practice of using violence to attract ratings, I cannot. Nonetheless, I 
remain hopeful that we will continue to see even more progress. They 
have shown that they can do better. When the independent monitors issue 
their first reports, we will have the opportunity to study just how 
much progress has been made. But broadcasters, cable operators, 
programmers, and producers must know that we will all keep watching. I 
urge them not to think that the job is done. Finally, I would like to 
include in the Record the May 2 Washington Post article on the May 
sweeps written by Tom Shales. Mr. Shales has followed this issue 
closely, and his comparison of this year's May sweeps to last year's is 
instructive.

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