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May 2, 2008 |
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| Almost all young U.S. teens (between the ages of 12 and 14) play video games, according to researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for Mental Health and Media. Two-thirds of boys and more than one in four girls surveyed reported playing at least one M-rated game "a lot in the past six months." One-third of boys and 10 percent of girls play video or computer games almost every day. [UPI, 7/5/07]
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| MTV News and Wired magazine both interviewed groups of video gamers under the age of 17 who have played previous iterations of the
Grand Theft Auto franchise and who plan on getting their hands on the latest M-rated installment. One player said, "My mom doesn't have a clue about games or ratings, so we'll just go in and get it." Another commented, "I am mature, and my parents know this is just a video game." Still another noted, "If my parents took video games as serious as [they take] movies and paid more attention to what I was playing, all of this could be avoided.
... Not that I would want them to do that." [From Focus on the Family's
Plugged-In Online. Sources: wired.com, 4/24/08; mtv.com, 4/21/08]
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Network to Air Serial Killer Show Earlier in the Evening
 The PTC is calling on every CBS affiliate to preempt this Sunday's broadcast of the serial killer show,
Dexter, since CBS plans to air the show as early as 9:00 pm in the Eastern and Pacific time zones and at 8:00 pm in Central and Mountain time zones on May 4. The PTC is also asking its members to assist in this effort by contacting their local CBS affiliates and recent
Dexter sponsors, The Dannon Company and Bayer Corp.
Towards the beginning of the season, CBS affiliates responded to PTC members' concerns about the show by assuring them that
"there will be ample buffer between its mature content and the traditional family hour" since
Dexter was scheduled to air at 10:00 pm. The Washington Times quoted a CBS statement as such,
"The telecast of 'Dexter' will …[be] scheduled responsibly in the last hour of
prime time."
Responsible CBS affiliates must preempt such an early airing of this show for the sake of their communities. Affiliates are not required to schedule programs that violate their community decency standards; and if affiliates feel the content is questionable, then they are obligated to
preempt it. We have heard from several affiliates that have communicated a desire not to air the show, but are convinced that the network will not let them. If CBS affiliates choose not to
preempt this show and our members feel that this show violates their community standards, they will challenge any CBS affiliate's broadcast license that comes up for renewal. And advertisers must be held accountable for their sponsorship of this program.
Last Sunday's episode featured the main character Dexter fainting in a large pool of blood, which turned out to be blood drained from the bodies of five murder victims. The scene was absolutely grotesque. And the next few episodes should cause parents great concern, as the Showtime versions contained bloody scenes of graphic violence and foul language. And ultimately, no amount of editing can wipe out the alarming content found on this show, nor the fact that the
"hero" is a serial killer.
While parents continue to be the first and best line of defense against inappropriate or indecent programming, the industry
-- advertisers and affiliates -- must be forced to step up to the plate and accept responsibility for the products it delivers to every home in the nation.
Please take action today. Write to these Dexter sponsors to voice your disapproval:
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TAKE ACTION! Please contact your local CBS affiliate and demand the preemption of this Sunday's
Dexter.
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This week the latest edition of the popular video game franchise Grand Theft Auto,
"Liberty City" hit stores nationwide, and analysts predict record-breaking sales in its first week. The PTC is urging retailers who choose to carry the game to enforce strict policies to keep the game out of the hands of children
-- and with good reason. Early reports of the game's content should alarm every parent:
"Yes, concerned teenage boys of America, if your parents are irresponsible enough to let you get your hands on this, you can still kill and maim and plunder and screw until your heart is full. But there's a difference this time: The violence is no longer cartoonish. Shoot an innocent bystander, and you see his face contort in agony. He'll clutch at the wound and begin to stagger away, desperately seeking safety."
-- Chris Baker, Slate
http://www.slate.com/id/2190207
"The racy content of Grand Theft Auto IV shows that Rockstar Games, the game-development group within Take-Two that produces the series, hasn't been tamed by past controversies. Users have already begun posting videos on the Internet of sex scenes from the game, in which players can drive prostitutes to secluded locations. Elsewhere, players drive an intoxicated character home from a bar as the game shifts into a disorienting visual mode intended to simulate drunk driving."
-- Nick Wingfield, Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120942476332551085.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
"Of course, the controversy this game will garner is unavoidable. As with past GTA titles, you can shoot at cops, drive into pedestrians, or request "services" from a prostitute and a lap dance from a stripper."
-- Marc Saltzman, The Star
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/419252
"The civil engineers at Rockstar Games have upgraded this burg's infrastructure since we visited seven years ago in GTA3, adding basic cable (hours of programming Niko can watch on safe-house TVs), an in-game Internet rich with blogs, parody websites—even e-mail spams—and such star attractions as [spoiler deleted] performing stand-up comedy as well as a gentleman's club filled with G-stringed strippers who buzz your controller's vibration motors as they grind Niko's lap."
-- Crispin Boyer, PC Magazine
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2288960,00.asp
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There are no laws currently on the books that would prohibit a retailer from selling M-rated video games like
Grand Theft Auto to minor children, and many popular retailers (including children's toy store Toys
'R' Us) stock the game. Ads for Grand Theft Auto have also appeared on My Space and other websites popular with teens. We are urging parents to keep an eye on the games they allow into their homes and to talk to the managers of local retail stores that stock the game to urge them to take every possible precaution to keep this game out of the hands of young children.
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TAKE ACTION! Click Here to Send Your Letter to Target Corp. and Circuit City Stores.
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A new scientific study by researchers at the University of California-San Diego has found that, while Americans' standard of living has increased over the last 40 years, their happiness levels haven't
-- and watching too much TV is largely to blame.
 In the study, scientists surveyed 4,000 people about events of the previous day, then asked them to rate the activities on whether they felt happy or unhappy. Comparing the answers of people surveyed in 2005 with answers from 1965, the study found that people today have more free time, but use it to watch more TV. Television viewing has risen from 11 percent in 1965 to 17 percent today among men, and from 8 percent to 14 percent among women.
The study also determined that peoples' happiness is greatest when they are engaged with a close community, and participate in cooperative activities such as sports, church or charities. David Schkade, a professor of management on the study, said that the problem with television viewing is that it is often done in isolation. Active, stimulating recreation and interaction with others help people feel connected and content.
"Make the effort to go out and engage with your family or friends, or exercise or read. It would make your life better," Schkade said.
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 In response to the PTC's recent study release,
The Rap on Rap, that was created in partnership with the
Enough is Enough Campaign,
Procter & Gamble
-- identified in the study as a major sponsor of music video programming on MTV and BET
-- set up a toll-free number so consumers can weigh-in on whether or not P&G should change its advertising with respect to these two networks.
The Rap on Rap documented the extent to which music videos on specific BET and MTV programs glorify sex, violence, drug use, the objectification and degradation of women, and explicit language.
If you want to make your opinion known to P&G, simply call 1-800-331-3774. This is a rare opportunity for you to directly influence a major national advertiser's future sponsorship of socially irresponsible programming
-- and proof-positive of the PTC's impact!
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Click Here to Read the full
Study: The Rap on Rap
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Sunday, May 11, is Mothers Day. Buy flowers through the1-800-flowers.com
banner below and 10% will be donated to the Parents Television Council.
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Friday,
May 2, 2008
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Mouse: A Secret Life, 7:00 p.m. (Eastern) Animal Channel A full day in the life of an interesting mouse.
How's it Made, 7:00 p.m. (Eastern) Discovery Channel Watch how Bubble Gum, fireworks, fiberglass boats and cloth dryers are made.
Food Network Challenge, 8:00 p.m. (Eastern) Food Network Oklahoma State sugar Art show, host a three-day wedding cake competition.
The Incredibles, 8:00 p.m. (Eastern)
Disney Channel A former crime fighting superhero and his crime fighting family come out of a federal relocation program and decide to rededicate themselves to fighting evildoers.
RV Crazy!, 10:00 p.m. (Eastern) Travel Channel Profiles and exhibits owners of recreational vehicles and takes a look at what drives the owners to travel.
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Saturday, May 3, 2008
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Sarah, Plain & Tall, 8:00 p.m. (Eastern)
Hallmark Channel
Glenn Close stars in this Hallmark Hall of Fame adaptation of Patricia MacLachlan's Newberry Award winning book as a Maine woman who agrees to marry a Kansas widower and help raise his two children.
Fantasy Weddings, 8:00 p.m. (Eastern) Food Network Look at three unique weddings, a fairy-tale wedding at Disney World; a winter-wonderland wedding and a Texas wedding with seven cakes.
Corey in the House, 8:00 p.m. (Eastern)
Disney Channel
Cory's band, DC-3, perform in concert for a famous record producer.
Stuart Little, 9:00 p.m. (Eastern)
Disney Channel
Mr. and Mrs. Little hope to adopt a younger brother for their son, George. When they return from the agency, however, they have adopted not a human, but a talking mouse named Stuart (voiced by Michael J. Fox). Initially displeased with his parent's choice, George begins to accept Stuart as a member of the family. Meanwhile, Stuart wonders about his birth family.
Austin City Limits, 9:00 p.m. (Eastern) PBS Alejandro Escovedo an Alternative -Country artist, performs selections from his acclaimed 2006 album,
"The Boxing Mirror."
Show Dog Moms and Dads, 10:00 p.m. (Eastern) Animal Planet Ryan and Brandon take their puppy to the pet hospital to check out an injured leg. Kyra and Chalcy also take their pet to obedience school.
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Sunday, May 4, 2008
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Wild Kingdom, 7:00 p.m. (Eastern) Animal Planet Saba Douglas-Hamilton wildlife documentarian examines the black rhino in all its glory.
Hamburger Paradise 7:00 p.m. (Eastern) Travel Channel Examines the best burgers in the U.S, the rise of hamburger chains and the history of the hamburger.
Nature "Superfish", 8:00 p.m. (Eastern) PBS Filmmaker - Marine biologist Rick Rosenthal documents billfish (marlins, swordfish and sailfish) whose populations have dwindled over the past 50 years.
Spy Kids 3D, 9:00 p.m. (Eastern)
Disney Channel In the 2nd sequel to the Spy Kids adventure movies, a girl must rescue her brother from inside a video game.
House Hunters, 9:00 p.m. (Eastern) HGTV An engaged pair are unsure if they should purchase a house in the city or suburbs.
Iron Chef America, 9:00 p.m. (Eastern) Food Network Bobby Flay and Jose Andres of Washington, D.C compete.
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For More Weekly Picks,
Click Here.
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Please Help the PTC
Your tax-deductible gift of any
amount helps the PTC to achieve its mission: Protecting children from graphic
sex, and profanity in the media.
Click here to help.
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Parents
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Fax: (213) 403-1301 |
