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Every
night, the PTC records all prime-time entertainment programming on
the broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, the CW, and MyNetworkTV),
as well as original cable programming on networks like FX, Comedy
Central and VH1. The next day, trained analysts catalogue each show,
transcribing verbatim every obscenity, sexual scene or situation and
act of violence. PTC analysts also list every product advertised on
every program, which enables our members to target the companies
that sponsor offensive programming and urge them to stop supporting
offensive content.
Ground-Breaking Special Reports
Every year,
the PTC produces thoroughly researched, groundbreaking studies
marked by their comprehensive data analysis and painstaking
accuracy. The PTC’s studies set the agenda for
our
members, lawmakers, other advocacy organizations, TV show sponsors,
and ultimately for Hollywood itself. In 2008, these PTC studies had
a huge impact:
The PTC and the Enough is Enough Campaign for
Corporate Responsibility in Entertainment jointly released
The Rap on Rap: A Content Analysis of BET and MTV’s
Daytime Music Video Programming.
The study showed how those networks were responsible for promoting
false stereotypes that American minorities have long fought against
— African- and Latin-American men shown as pimps and violence-prone
thugs, and minority women treated as sex objects.
Happily Never After: How Hollywood Favors Adultery
and Promiscuity over Marital Intimacy on Prime Time Broadcast
Television
exposed the entertainment industry’s bias against
marriage and its obsession with bizarre sexual behavior. The study
showed how TV overwhelmingly portrays adultery and promiscuity as
far more exciting than marriage. With scientific research showing
that sex on TV influences teens’ sexual behavior, the PTC challenged
broadcasters to be more responsible in their treatment of sexual
content during hours when children are watching.
In October, just before oral arguments were heard by
the Supreme Court in the case of
FCC v. Fox
(the so-called “fleeting” profanity case), the PTC released a
comprehensive analysis of foul language on TV. In addition to
documenting an explosion in profanity on prime-time broadcast
television between the years 1998 and 2007, the PTC showed that
harsher profanities have become more common. This study made clear
the importance of the government’s ability to enforce broadcast
decency laws.
In December, the PTC released
The “New” Tube,
the PTC’s first-ever analysis of online content. The PTC found that
children have ready access to adult content on YouTube — one of the
most popular destinations for teens on the world-wide-web — even
when they are not deliberately looking for such content. Teens
entering search terms like “Jonas Brothers” or “Hannah Montana” were
still exposed to explicit content from user comments and
advertisements. The PTC’s report led to sweeping policy changes at
YouTube to enable parents to block obscene user comments.
For more information about our research
click here.
  
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