May/June 2005:

• The PTC released Father's Day Study: More TV Fathers are Involved in TV Family Life which received wide press coverage.

• The Carl's Jr./Paris Hilton story made international news and because of it
  the PTC received virtually unprecedented coverage by press around the
  world. These stories are worth millions of dollars to the PTC in "earned
  media," which means that every dollar you donate to the PTC gets that
  much extra mileage. Every time a PTC spokesperson appears on TV or on
  a radio program, we're reaching tens of thousands, even millions of
  potential supporters with the message that we are here to help families
  take back the airwaves and stop Hollywood's corrupting influence.

• Over 20K PTC members contacted Carl's Jr. to complain about the new sexually suggestive Paris Hilton ad.

• The PTC Seal of Approval was featured in promotional materials for the new family film Madagascar. www.madagascar-themovie.com

March/April 2005:

• The PTC released The Ratings Sham: TV Executives Hiding Behind a System That Doesn't Work. The study received extensive press coverage. Shortly after the study was released NBC announced that they will now be including the "D" (sexually suggestive dialogue), "S" (sexual situations), "L" (vulgar language), and "V" (violence) designators on their shows. We all know that the content descriptors are unreliable, but it's better than no descriptors at all.

• The Michigan House of Representatives passed legislation 108-0 that would make selling or renting sexually explicit video games to minors carry the same penalties as distributing pornography, a felony punishable by up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine. PTC SE Michigan Chapter Director Rich Coleman has testified, appeared at several events and done numerous interviews to support this legislation while chapter members have rallied at events and signed a petition to show support for the legislation. The legislation now moves to the Senate.

• CA Assembly Bill No. 450, supported by the PTC and our more than 100,000 California members, unanimously passed the Assembly's Judiciary Committee on April 19, 2005.  The legislation would prohibit the sale and rental of violent video games that depict serious injury to human beings in a manner that is especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel, to persons who are 16 years of age or younger. Those who violate the act may be liable in an amount of up $1,000 for each violation. In addition, such described video games would have to be labeled, "This game may not be sold to anyone under 17 years of age. The California Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media will hear the bill next. The PTC is supporting similar legislation in several states, including Illinois, Michigan, and Washington, DC.

• The PTC was featured in the cover story of the March 28 issue of Time Magazine which asked the question "Has TV Gone Too Far?". For ten years, the Parents Television Council has waged an unrelenting campaign to bring this question to the national stage and we have been successful at doing just that. >> view article

• The PTC was featured at a Detroit Pistons Game on March 18. The event focused on the effects of violent television and video games on youth. PTC Executive Director Tim Winter was introduced as a special guest. The event was coordinated by our Detroit Chapter Director Rich Coleman. >> read statement by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm

• The Central Illinois chapter of the Parents Television Council called upon the state legislature to pass a bill introduced by Governor Blagojevich and sponsored by State Representative Linda Chapa La Via and State Senator Deanna Demuzio. The bill would restrict the sale and rental of violent and sexually explicit video games to adults 18 years or older. The bill passed in the house and is awaiting a senate hearing. >> more

January/February 2005:

Media Coverage

See the "PTC in the News" Page

PTC Celebrates 10 Years of Success
1995-2005

Ten years ago, the Parents Television Council was born as a special project of the Virginia-based Media Research Center. Over the years we've grown; achieved stunning victories and in the process brought entertainment indecency and its impact on children to the national conscience.

In the coming months we'll look back on the past ten years: where we've been; what we've done and even enjoy some entertainment highlights from the PTC's first decade. Clearly as we look at the road we've traveled we see you, our member, walking hand in hand with us. Without you we wouldn't be where we are today: the nation's most influential advocacy organization protecting children against sex, violence and profanity in entertainment. Without you we wouldn't be nearly one million members strong. And without you we wouldn't have the national influence to take on the big networks, national advertisers, media owners and federal governing agencies.

So throughout 2005 let's enjoy the road traveled, celebrate our heritage but realize that so much more now needs to be done. And why? Because our children are watching!

November/December 2004:

September/October 2004:

"Shock-jock" giant Howard Stern has been driven off the public airwaves! Stern shook the radio world on October 5, 2004 by declaring that he will be leaving the public airwaves and moving move his long-standing cavalcade of coarseness to the subscription-based Sirius Satellite Radio for a cool $100 million a year in cash and stock, beginning in January 2006, when his current contract with Infinity Broadcasting expires.

In a very real sense, this is a huge victory for the defenders of decency on the public airwaves. Don't underestimate the role the PTC and its members had to play in Stern's decision. In announcing his move, Stern cited the increased threat of punishment from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

More Victories Against Indecency

"The watchdog Parents Television Council-the group getting primary credit for spurring the Federal Communications Commission to fine Fox Broadcasting Co. and its affiliates a record $1.183 million in indecency fines last week-has emerged as the nation's undisputed champion of indecency enforcement, generating more than 100,000 FCC complaints this year alone." -- Television Week

The PTC is now recognized nationally as the leader in the fight against indecent television content. Newspapers from coast to coast, magazines, talk radio, television news – even the entertainment industry itself – acknowledge the power and influence of the PTC.

Look at what's been happening with the FCC over the past few months. The FCC has handed down more indecency fines against television stations for airing offensive material in the past six months than in the entire previous history of the agency. Why? Because of the tremendous pressure brought to bear by the PTC and our nearly one million members.

• In October the FCC issued its highest fine ever for a television broadcast. It announced a $7,000 fine for every Fox affiliate that aired Married by America. With 169 affiliates being issued a Notice of Apparent Liability, the total fine to Fox and its television network was $1,183,000. And the PTC made it happen. Over 4,000 PTC members filed indecency complaints with the FCC over an episode of that raunchy show that contained repeated scenes of wild sex parties at an hour when millions of children were watching television.

• In a formal statement after the historic fine was announced, PTC president Brent Bozell said, "The FCC is finally starting to listen to an outraged public. We applaud the FCC for holding all Fox affiliates responsible for airing the filthy and indecent broadcast. We've been demanding this for years and it's high time that every licensee is held accountable for their actions."A fine of $1,183,000 should make Fox and other networks sit up and take notice. Fox should pay the fine for any of their affiliates that were not given an advance viewing or advance notice of the content. This gross violation of the law must been considered by the FCC when it reviews station license renewal requests."

• For more than a year, the PTC has been leading the charge demanding the FCC start doing its job by enforcing the broadcast decency laws. Until the PTC started this campaign, the FCC had never fined a single television station in the continental United States for violations of broadcast decency laws. Now, because of the pressure brought to bear by the PTC and its nearly one million members, the FCC is finally starting to crack-down on indecent television broadcasts. This is a tremendous victory, not only for the PTC, but for all American families. The broadcast networks are now on notice that the FCC is looking at complaints and will use its enforcement authority to penalize broadcasters who violate common-sense decency laws.

• The PTC has opened a new front in our battle against indecency and already we're rocking the industry with it. Every radio and television broadcast station in the country periodically has to renew its license with the FCC if it wishes to continue broadcasting. If the station has repeatedly violated FCC regulations, the commission can refuse to renew a station license. The FCC has never before considered indecency grounds to refuse a television station license… until now.

• In September the PTC filed a petition with the FCC to hold-off on renewing station licenses for a Fox and NBC affiliate in the Washington, D.C. area because of pending indecency complaints. The FCC took our petition seriously, and even went a step further. The FCC announced that it is holding up the license renewals of 50 TV stations in Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia while the Commission reviews outstanding complaints and petitions filed against the stations.

• Although both Fox Television Stations and NBC asked the FCC to dismiss the PTC's petitions against their stations, their licenses were not renewed by the expiration date of October 1, and will be held until the outstanding complaints have been considered.

The FCC is finally beginning to listen to parents and exercise its legal responsibility to uphold community standards and punish indecent broadcasts. Assessing fines at license renewal time does more than clear the regulators' docket. It also might concentrate some station managers' minds on the need to confront Hollywood's anything-goes pitchmen. It's time for them to start listening to their audiences who are fed up with the abuse, instead.

Advertisers/Networks

We awarded our advertiser Seal of Approval to General Mills in recognition of the corporation's commitment to advertising on family friendly programs.

The following are excerpts from a statement given by Lara Mahaney, Director of External Affairs with the PTC, at the General Mills shareholder meeting held in Minneapolis, MN:
"Thousands of clinical studies have shown what we all instinctively know to be true: Children are influenced by the messages they see and hear through the media. And television is the most powerful medium in the world. It can be a wonderful way to educate, inspire and entertain America's youth. Instead, it often undermines the positive values that we, as parents, attempt to instill in our children at the very earliest age. "That's why it is so important for me, on behalf of the PTC's nearly one million members across this nation, to award General Mills the Parents Television Council's Seal of Approval, an award given to a select few corporations that consistently advertise on programs that are free from violent or negative content and that are safe for the entire family to view.

"The PTC conducts annual reviews of corporate sponsorship behavior and General Mills consistently appears at or near the top of the PTC's list of responsible advertisers, a listing that identifies corporations that have demonstrated their commitment to underwriting quality family programming.

"Many corporations ignore the social consequences of sponsoring programs filled with gratuitous sex, violence and foul language. This, however, is not the case with General
Mills. The actions of this corporation directly and positively reflect corporate values rooted in honor, integrity and leadership."

Since last month, PTC members have sent an astounding 92,000 letters of complaint to the sponsors of FX's pornographic series, Nip/Tuck. And the effect of that activism is being seen and heard in a powerful way!

According to the Los Angeles Times, at least five major corporate sponsors have announced that they will not underwrite obscene content. A recent newspaper article said: "Nip/Tuck, one of the hottest shows on television, is sewing up an enviable audience of young, free-spending viewers - and scaring off most of corporate America... The show has plenty of commercials too. But many mainstream advertisers - Cingular Wireless, Orkin Pest Control, Progressive Casualty Insurance Co., Gateway Inc. and Ben & Jerry's ice cream - bailed out after getting an earful from channel surfers and a parent watchdog group."