[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 18 (Wednesday, February 12, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E240-E241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               TV RATINGS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 12, 1997

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I am inserting my Washington Report for 
Wednesday, January 22, 1997 into the Congressional Record.

                           The New TV Ratings

       The television industry is now implementing a voluntary 
     plan to rate TV programs. Concern about violent and vulgar 
     programming is broad and well-founded: studies have indicated 
     that over half of all television shows contain violence which 
     can encourage children to behave violently.
       But there is far less agreement on how to best limit 
     children's exposure to violent programming. I think it is 
     important to alert parents to sensitive material that they 
     may not want their children to view. My hope is that a good 
     rating system coupled with technological advances will help 
     parents monitor their children's television viewing.
       The rating system: With my support, Congress last year 
     enacted a law which gave broadcasters until February 8, 1997 
     to establish a voluntary rating system. The law also requires 
     all newly manufactured TVs with 13-inch or larger screens to 
     include a ``v-chip.'' A TV program's rating could then be 
     electronically transmitted to the v-chip, allowing parents to 
     program their television sets to block certain shows. The 
     Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must develop 
     regulations to implement the v-chip requirement.
       The TV rating system, developed by the broadcast and cable 
     networks, is modeled on the motion picture rating system, and 
     includes six different ratings: two for programs designed for 
     children, and four for other programs:
       TV-Y: Programs with this rating are considered suitable for 
     children of all ages and specifically designed for a very 
     young audience, like ``Barney and Friends.''
       TV-Y7: Designed for children age 7 and above, whose 
     developmental skills generally enable them to distinguish 
     between make-believe and reality, these programs could 
     include mild physical or comedic violence. An example could 
     be ``Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.''
       TV-G: This rating is intended for programs not specifically 
     designed for children, but which most parents would find 
     suitable for all ages. Programs contain little or no 
     violence, no strong language, and little or no sexual 
     dialogue or situations. Example: ``Dr. Quinn, Medicine 
     Woman.''
       TV-PG: Parental guidance is suggested for programs with 
     this rating. The programs could contain some suggestive 
     sexual dialogue and situations. Many situation comedies might 
     fit into this category.
       TV-14: Parents are strongly cautioned against letting 
     children under the age of 14 watch these programs unattended. 
     These programs may contain sophisticated themes, sexual 
     content, strong language and more intense violence, like 
     ``ER'' or ``NYPD Blue.''
       TV-M: These programs are suited for adult audiences only, 
     due to mature themes, profane language, graphic violence and 
     explicit sexual content. Unedited R-rated movies, which run 
     on some cable premium channels, would likely get this rating.
       The ratings apply to all programs except sports and news, 
     shown on broadcast or cable channels. Each episode of a TV 
     series is rated separately. Ratings appear in the upper-left 
     hand corner of the television screen at the beginning of a 
     program is more than an hour in length. The television 
     industry has requested that newspapers and TV Guide include 
     the ratings in their TV listings.
       One of the greatest challenges in implementing the new 
     ratings is the volume of programming. Motion pictures are 
     rated by an independent board which reviews about two films 
     per day. In contrast, TV ratings must be assigned to 2,000 
     hours of programming each day. For this reason, television 
     networks, producers, and distributors are responsible for 
     assigning ratings to their programs. An oversight board will 
     review the application of the ratings for uniformity and 
     consistency. The board will also solicit comments from the 
     public.
       Potential pitfalls: The new rating system has been 
     criticized on several fronts. Some fear that advertisers will 
     be leery of sponsoring programs that receive certain ratings, 
     thereby driving some critically acclaimed programs off of the 
     air. Others argue that the rating system will lead producers 
     to show even less restraint than they do now.
       Some critics favor a more detailed rating which would 
     indicate the levels of sex, violence, or foul language 
     contained in a program, using a scale of 0 through 5. Under 
     this system, a program might receive a rating of S-2, V-1, L-
     3. Supporters of this system contend that it would give 
     parents more useful information, and offer as examples 
     Showtime and HBO, two premium pay cable channels which offer 
     similar ratings. However, supporters of the current rating 
     system counter that the S-V-L system is logistically 
     impossible, given the volume of programming, and also more 
     difficult to apply consistently. They also argue that 
     paralleling the familiar movie-rating system assures that 
     parents will understand the ratings, and note that Canada 
     recently abandoned S-V-L ratings because they were too 
     complex.
       Commercials will not be covered by the new ratings system, 
     though critics point out that even children watching ``family 
     friendly'' shows can be inappropriately exposed to 
     advertisements for violent movies or alcohol. Some critics 
     also believe the TV industry is incapable of rating its own 
     programs fairly.
       Assessment: Given the pervasive influence of television, I 
     think we should do what we can to make that influence 
     positive for children. The proposed system is far from 
     perfect. My guess is that parents are going to need more 
     information; the age-based format of the ratings simply will 
     not alert parents sufficiently to the specific violent or 
     sexual content of TV programs. But I do think the new rating 
     system represents at least a good first step, and it should 
     be tested. It is far more desirable for the industry to 
     devise the rating system than have government censorship.
       Monitoring children's television viewing is no small task. 
     After all, most parents want not only to steer their kids 
     away from harmful programming--which ratings can help them 
     do--but towards programming that is educational and 
     meaningful. And television

[[Page E241]]

     represents only one piece of the puzzle--parents still have 
     to contend with music, video games, Internet sites, and 
     movies which may be inappropriate for kids.
       I think our goal should be to make available whatever 
     information and technology is helpful to parents. Neither a 
     rating system nor government regulations can--or should--
     substitute for the good judgment of parents.

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