Parents Television Council Praises Four Companies for Pulling Ads from Family Guy

Parents Television Council Praises Four Companies for Pulling Ads from “Family Guy”

HOUSTON (July 10, 2008) — The Houston Chapter of the Parents Television Council™ praised Whataburger, Golden Corral, RoomStore and Star Furniture for deciding to end their sponsorship of “Family Guy,” which appears on Fox and CW networks in the Houston area. “Family Guy” regularly airs graphic violence, explicit sexual situations and obscene language. Members of the Houston Chapter of the PTC contacted these companies and provided descriptions of the show.

Whataburger responded to the Houston Chapter saying, “We have reviewed the programming content of the Family Guy and agree with you that the content is inappropriate and not a fit for the Whataburger brand.” An executive at RoomStore said in a letter to the PTC, “Family Guy is not on any of our TV buys for the rest of the year. I have instructed my buying service to refrain from buying the program in the coming years.” A representative of Golden Corral said, “I can assure you that Family Guy is not a program in which Golden Corral would choose to advertise. Our agency…has been instructed, in no uncertain terms, to avoid purchasing Family Guy in Houston as well as in other markets they purchase for us.”

“We commend Whataburger, Golden Corral, RoomStore and Star Furniture for recognizing that they share responsibility for the content of television programs. These companies have publicly taken a stand to say that graphic violence, constant sexual language and profane language are not acceptable,” said George Hall, Houston Chapter Director of the PTC.

“Advertising on a show is an endorsement of the content in that show by the sponsor. We expect that more companies will soon wake up to realize what their sponsorships have done to their public image. Viewers don’t decide what stays on the air, advertisers do. Families everywhere are counting on advertisers to be responsible corporate citizens. If they only sponsor positive programming then the garbage will begin to disappear,” Hall concluded.

► To read examples of content from Family Guy click here.

To speak with a representative from the Parents Television Council, please contact Gavin McKiernan at (213) 403-1300 ext. 2866.

The Parents Television Council™ (www.parentstv.org®) is a non-partisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment. It was founded in 1995 to ensure that children are not constantly assaulted by sex, violence and profanity on television and in other media. This national grassroots organization has more than 1.3 million members across the United States, and works with television producers, broadcasters, networks and sponsors in an effort to stem the flow of harmful and negative messages targeted to children. The PTC also works with elected and appointed government officials to enforce broadcast decency standards. Most importantly, the PTC produces critical research and publications documenting the dramatic increase in sex, violence and profanity in entertainment. This information is provided free of charge so parents can make informed viewing choices for their own families.