[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 111 (Monday, August 2, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9999-S10000]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 49--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS 
    REGARDING THE IMPORTANCE OF ``FAMILY FRIENDLY'' PROGRAMMING ON 
                               TELEVISION

  Mr. VOINOVICH (for himself and Mr. Lieberman) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations:

                            S. Con. Res. 49

       Whereas American children and adolescents spend between 22 
     and 28 hours per week viewing television--more than any other 
     activity except sleeping;
       Whereas American homes have an average of 2.75 television 
     sets, and 87 percent of homes with children having more than 
     one television set;
       Whereas a very limited number of prime time programs are 
     suitable for the entire family;
       Whereas surveys of television content demonstrate that many 
     programs contain substantial sexual and/or violent content;
       Whereas parents are ultimately responsible for the 
     appropriate supervision of their child's television viewing, 
     and critical viewing and ``co-viewing'' of television 
     programming with the child are especially important;
       Whereas ``family friendly'' programming means programs 
     which are relevant, interesting, and appropriate for 
     audiences of all ages, including movies, series, 
     documentaries, and informational programs aired during hours 
     when children and adults might be together watching 
     television (between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.);
       Whereas ``family friendly'' programming is of a type that 
     the average viewer or parent would not be embarrassed to 
     watch with children in the room and ideally presents an 
     uplifting message;
       Whereas efforts must be made by television networks, 
     studios, and the production community to produce more quality 
     family friendly programs and to air them during times when 
     parents and children are likely to be viewing together;
       Whereas members of the Forum on Family Friendly Programming 
     market products and services to entire families and are 
     concerned about the dwindling availability of family friendly 
     television programs during prime time viewing hours; and
       Whereas Congress encourages activities by the Forum and 
     other entities designed to promote family friendly 
     programming, including--
       (1) participating in meetings with leadership of major 
     television networks, studios, and production companies to 
     share concerns;
       (2) expressing the importance of family friendly 
     programming at industry conferences, meetings, and forums;
       (3) honoring outstanding family friendly television 
     programs with a new tribute, the Family Program Awards, to be 
     held annually in Los Angeles, California;
       (4) establishing a development fund to finance family 
     friendly scripts; and
       (5) underwriting scholarships at television studies 
     departments at institutions of higher education to encourage 
     student interest in family friendly programming: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) recognizes and honors the efforts of the Forum on 
     Family Friendly Programming and other entities supporting 
     family friendly programming;
       (2) supports efforts to encourage television networks, 
     studios, and the production community to produce more quality 
     family friendly programs;
       (3) supports the Family Friendly Programming Awards, which 
     will encourage, recognize, and celebrate creative excellence 
     in, and commitment to, family friendly programming; and
       (4) encourages the media and American advertisers to 
     further a family friendly television environment within which 
     appropriate advertisements can accompany the programming.

 Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, I rise today along with my 
distinguished colleague from Connecticut, Senator Lieberman, to submit 
a concurrent resolution recognizing the importance of expanding the 
amount of family friendly television programming, and the contributions 
that the Forum for Family Friendly Programming is undertaking to make 
this goal a reality.
  One of the more frustrating aspects of being a parent in the United 
States is the fact that we cannot always protect our children from what 
they see and hear. Images and descriptions of violence, sex and drug 
and alcohol consumption permeate our culture, but nowhere are these 
depicted more readily than on television. Recent studies support the 
theory that children exposed to violent video programming at a young 
age have a higher tendency to engage in violent and aggressive behavior 
later in life. Even more distressing is that children witness an 
average of five violent acts per hour on prime-time television and 
200,000 acts of violence on television by the time they are 18 years 
old. There is no doubt that this exposure threatens the healthy 
development of our children.
  For families that have both parents working, it's becoming harder for 
them to keep track of what their children watch after school or during 
the summer months. More likely than not, a child will pick up the 
television clicker before he or she will pick up a book. Indeed, each 
week, the average child will watch 22-28 hours of television, which is 
more time than he or she spends on any outside activity other than 
sleeping.
  The trick for parents is to establish good viewing habits for their 
child--as well as the entire family--that emphasize quality programming 
and are suited to the age of the child. While there is generally a 
variety of quality children's programming throughout the morning and 
afternoon hours, the concern for many parents is the content of evening 
programming. Right now, most parents indicate that the so-called 
``family viewing'' time of evening--traditionally between 8:00 and 
10:00 p.m.--often contains programming that they feel is inappropriate 
for their children. It is important that broadcasters recognize that 
the daily ``family viewing'' period needs to focus more on programming 
that is actually family friendly; shows that parents and children can 
readily watch together.
  No one can replace the good judgment of a parent in determining what 
a child watches on television. However, parents can use all the help 
they can get in ensuring that more family oriented shows are aired 
during the evening hours.
  To help in this endeavor, a number of our nation's largest companies 
have joined together to establish the Forum for Family Friendly 
Programming. Like many American families, the members of the Forum are 
concerned that fewer and fewer television programs are specifically 
geared towards the entire family. They are concerned, also, that too 
many of the programs that our children view contain story-lines, 
language and characters to which they should not be exposed.
  Most of the companies that belong to the Forum are sponsors of a wide 
range of television programs, but they believe that more family-
friendly television programming, including movies, documentaries, 
series or informational programs that are interesting or relevant to a 
broad audience, will actually appeal to more families.
  Right now, the members of the Forum for Family Friendly Programming 
are working with and in the entertainment community on a variety of 
initiatives on family friendly programming including: meetings with 
industry leaders; speeches and discussions at industry meetings and 
conferences; award tributes to family friendly television programs; a 
development fund for family friendly scripts; university scholarships 
in television studies departments to encourage student interest in 
family friendly programming; and a public awareness campaign to promote 
more family friendly programming.
  Mr. President, as a father and a grandfather, I am deeply concerned 
about the healthy development of all of our nation's children. Since 
the future of our country depends upon our children, we must do all 
that we can to limit their exposure to negative influences and provide 
them with as safe and nurturing an environment as possible. Therefore, 
I encourage efforts that will expand the number of quality

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family programs that are shown on television, and I congratulate the 
Forum for Family Friendly Programming on their leadership towards that 
goal.
  I believe that passage of this resolution honoring the Forum's 
commitment will help raise awareness and inspire others in the business 
world to align themselves with the goal of bringing quality television 
to our nation's families. I am pleased to join with my colleague, 
Senator Lieberman, who has been a leader in the Senate on addressing 
the needs of our children, and I urge my colleagues to join us in co-
sponsoring this resolution, and calling for it's speedy consideration 
by the Senate.

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