Research on sex, violence, and profanity on Television

Sex Loses its Appeal
A State of the Industry Report on Sex on TV

Statement by L. Brent Bozell III
Founder & President of the Parents Television Council

On the release of The State of the Television Industry: Sex on TV

Since the PTC was founded in 1995, we have released a number of studies looking at sex, violence, and foul language television.  With each new study, the PTC found more sleazy sexual content on television than ever before.  It seemed that downward spiral into the gutter would continue indefinitely. 

Well, today I am happy to announce that the trend has reversed itself.  This year for the first time the PTC found that there has been a general reduction in sexual content across the broadcast networks, and in some major cases it has been dramatic.

For years, conventional wisdom in Hollywood had it that "sex sells," and therefore,  more of it, the better.  But ratings data and survey results prove that's not true.  Parents don't want their kids to be exposed to irresponsible messages and explicit depictions of sex on TV – but more than that, parents don't want to see it, either.

A 2001 Family Circle survey showed that 93% of respondents had turned off the TV or changed channels during a program because of sexual content.  A Kaiser Family Foundation survey released the same year indicated that 80% of parents were concerned about their children's overexposure to sex and violence.

This general disgust over sleazy programming combined with the pressure brought to bear by a growing grassroots movement – equals a force the networks can no longer afford to ignore.  The numbers tell the story: this groundswell of opposition to raunchy programming is starting to impact program content. 

Every broadcast network except for the relatively small WB has experienced a decrease in sexual content during the Family Hour (8-9:00 p.m. ET/PT), and every network but the WB and UPN has shown improvement during the second hour of prime time (9-10:00 p.m. ET/PT).  Overall, sexual content is down during the first two hours of prime time.  This is a huge victory for families – and Hollywood.

Looking at the specifics:

• Sexual content on ABC during the Family Hour is down 67% from 1998, with a 60% decrease since 2000 alone. ABC has also shown a 75% decrease in sexual content during the second hour of prime time since 2000.   ABC was also the only network to show a decrease in sexual content during the last hour of prime time (10-11:00 p.m. ET).  Such material is 41% less frequent now on ABC than it was in 1998.

• Sexual content during the Family Hour on Fox is down 48% since 1998. Fox has shown a 79% decrease in sexual content during the second hour of prime time since 1998, and a 75% decrease in the past two years alone. 

• On CBS there has been a 6% decrease in sexual content during the Family Hour since 1998, and a 39% decrease in sexual content in the second hour of prime time since 1998.

• NBC's Family Hour has improved over the past two years by 34%.  NBC has shown a 37% decrease in sexual content during the second hour of prime time in the past two years

• Sexual content during Family Hour on UPN is down 13% from 1998.

• Although the WB showed some improvement during the Family Hour between 1998 and 2000 (sexual content was down by 36%), such content was 88% more frequent in 2002 than in 1998. 

• The WB and UPN were the only networks to show no improvement during the second hour of prime time (9:00 p.m. ET/PT).  Sexual content increased by 50% during that time slot on UPN and by 13% on the WB since 2000.

Can the networks do better?  Yes, they can and they should, but the results of this study show that the networks are at least moving in the right direction. 

Now the bad news:  While there is less sex on TV now than in 1998 – what's left is often more explicit.   During the Family Hour in 1998, 84% of all sexual content fell into the category of sexual innuendo.  In 2002, only 62% of all sexual content was innuendo, while other types of sexual content became more common, including vulgar references to genitalia and prostitution.  The same is true of the second hour of prime time.  In 1998, sexual innuendo accounted for 85% of all sexual content.  By 2002, sexual innuendo accounted for only 47% of all sexual content, while the remaining 53% was comprised of references to masturbation, oral sex, adultery, pornography, and the like.

So where do we go from here?

There's still work to be done.  There's still gratuitous sexual content on TV.  No one should rest until the innocence of childhood is being fully protected. 

1)      The public needs to remain vigilant and mobilized.  Since 1998, we've also seen a groundswell of support for family programming within the advertising and entertainment industries.  We've seen the formation of the Family Friendly Programming Forum, the creation of a "Happy Hour" on ABC. There is no doubt in my mind that the improvements that have been made would never have come about without pressure from grassroots activists around the country – and within the industry.  Those activists have put pressure on television sponsors who in turn have put pressure on the broadcast networks to tone down offensive content.   

2)      The FCC needs to come out of its coma.  Parents shouldn't be left to fight this battle alone.  There are laws against TV broadcast indecency already on the books.  The FCC needs to enforce those laws.   If the networks thought for one minute that the FCC was serious about decency enforcement – there's no question that we'd see the instances of sexual content on prime time broadcast TV fall even further.

That said, after years of criticizing Hollywood, today we're saluting them for what we hope is a serious change of heart. 

Full Report | Statistical Appendix  | Bozell Statement  | Senator Brownback Press Release