Letter to MTV Sponsors

Dear SALUTATION:

On a daily basis, we believe MTV bombards America's teens with programs that glorify binge drinking, misogyny, reckless stunts and irresponsible sexual behavior. On behalf of the Parents Television Council's 850,000 members I am writing you today to let you know that by advertising on the MTV cable network, you are underwriting some of the most harmful and offensive programming on television.  I ask you to consider this one question: At what cost are you willing to reach a desired demographic?

As you are undoubtedly aware, there is a national outrage against indecent content on television, particularly when children compose a significant portion of the viewing audience. This outrage stems in large part to the MTV-produced Super Bowl halftime show.  As a member of the corporate advertising community, it is important for you to be aware of the messages your advertising dollars are supporting, especially when those messages are influencing young children, as is the case with MTV. 

I am enclosing specific examples of salacious content from recent MTV programs so that you can see for yourself the outrageously offensive nature MTV's programming regularly contains.  Because [COMPANY] has purchased advertising time on MTV, you and your media buyers have funded glorified scenes of underage binge-drinking; inane and dangerous stunts; wet t-shirt contests and blurred full-frontal nudity; and sexually graphic behavior and dialogue. (See attached.)    

SALUTATION, our message to corporations on this important issue is clear: Sponsorship of sexually graphic content and foul language, especially when targeted at children and teens, is a reflection of corporate values.  We understand and appreciate your desire to reach a particular demographic, but does the programming on MTV reflect your corporate values?  Is this the type of content you want consumers associating with your corporate brand?  If the messages contained within MTV's programming are not what you wish to sponsor with your advertising, we urge you to reconsider spending your media dollars with this network until it no longer celebrates titillating sexual escapades, pixilated nudity, dangerous stunts, excessive foul language, and the misuse of alcohol.  

I hope that civic duty and corporate responsibility – not to mention good sense and taste – are reflected in your future advertising decisions.  Parents are fed-up with the constant stream of sex, violence and foul language that is bombarding their children day and night from television, but they simply cannot fight the battle alone.  Your corporate values and integrity are manifested by the television programming you sponsor. Business leaders like you must be mindful of the messages they are promoting through their media buys. 

Please do not hesitate to call me if you have any questions.  I am available to discuss this important issue with you. 

Sincerely,

L. Brent Bozell, III
Founder and President
Parents Television Council

Examples of MTV content

Wild Boyz

One of the show's co-hosts (either Steve-O or Chris) pulls down his pants and underwear and presses his bare buttocks onto a porcupine. A number of quills become embedded in his buttocks. The other co-host then slowly plucks the porcupine quills out of his partner's buttocks while the bare-bottomed one shrieks in pain.

The two co-hosts both lick dried/hardened excrement off the hind-end of an ox. The two then pick up fresh (wet) ox excrement and wipe it into each other's hair and then lick it off of each other. This causes one of the two hosts to become so nauseated that he vomits profusely.  The camera shows vomit exiting his mouth throughout his vomiting session.

Steve-O tries to teach wolves to eat humans by putting chicken in his pockets and hands and antagonizing wolves.  A wolf bites him.

Stevve-O: "Ow, bastard! Oh, you really nailed me."

Steve-O bleeds from the bite.  Steve's naked buttocks are shown when he wears a jock strap with chicken dangling from the waist band.  His goal is to have a wolf bite his buttocks.

Chris and Steve-O dance around a fire to drum music. As they dance, they wear nothing but thongs.  Chris's penis is pixilated, but both of their buttocks are shown.

Steve-O and Chris skip naked down the beach.  Their penises are blurred, but their buttocks are shown.

Steve-O wakes Chris up with a sock puppet. Steve is naked and his penis is pixilated.

Chris: "Oh my God, are you [bleeped 'fucking'] naked, mother [bleeped: 'fucker')?"

24 Hour Spring Break

Contest host:  "Do you like watching porn while you're (bleeped fucking) your man?"

Female Contestant:  "I think we all do."

Full Body Search: Miami

One contestant rubs whipped cream all over his semi-nude partner and licks it off her.

Real World: Las Vegas

Alton: "I did not have a [bleeped 'fucking'] threesome, man!  That would be cool as hell if I had a threesome in Australia, but I didn't.  I didn't.  I am, I do, I drink, I get girls, I have fun."

A video montage includes:

1. Alton in the hot tub with a one night stand.

2. Arissa and Irulan nude sunbathing with pixilated breasts.

3. Stephen spanking Brynn while dancing in a sexual way in the nightclub.

4. Irualan humping a sleeping guy through the covers on the bed.

5. Frank getting a lap dance from a stripper.

6. Irualan faking "doggy style" sex with Arissa in the parking lot by humping her backside.

7. Stephen kissing Brynn and Trishelle at the same time.

8. Alton lying in bed nude with a strange girl with his genitals pixilated.  Stephen voices over about the size of Alton's penis.

9.  Alton walks around naked with his privates pixilated.

10. Brynn and Trishelle kissing.

11. Brynn and Trishelle naked in the shower together.

12. Stephen biting a girl's buttocks at a night club.

MTV Video Music Awards

Chris Rock: "You got to watch out for Ashton Kutcher, because he will take your girl and your mother. Ashton Kutcher is literally a 'mother [muted 'fucker').'"

Chris Rock: "Just when Justin got so desperate, that he got on his knees, and he was ready to lick a man for $8."

Real World/Road Rules: Battle of the Sexes

Puck: "Eric wants to [bleeped 'bone'] her.  You want to park your [bleeped 'dick'] in her [bleeped 'pussy']."

Aneesa walks out into the room where Ellen, Dan, Anne and Tonya are hanging out.  She is topless and only covers her breasts with her hands.  In another shot, she moves her hands and is standing completely topless.  Her breasts are pixilated.

Real World/Road Rules: The Gauntlet

Veronica, Rachel and Abe are naked in a bathtub, hidden by bubbles, hugging.  Roni takes pictures of it.

There is a threesome in a shower between Veronica, Rachel, and Abe.

Theo, Darrel, Rachel, and Tina sit together naked in a bathtub.

Real World/Road Rules: Inferno

A flashback shows a threesome from a past season between Abe, Veronica, and Rachael.

They are shown in the bathtub and getting into the shower nude, pixilated in the breast and genital areas.  Veronica is shown in profile and her buttocks are not blurred.

While they are in the bathtub, Veronica is shown with her hands under the bubbles between Abe's spread legs. 

Abe says what was shown on TV was a little bit too PG-13.  Rachel says she would never regret the threesome.  Abe says when he watched it on TV he was very proud of himself.

Real World: San Diego

Cameran: "Brad's gonna have to be whacking it the whole time he's here."

Brad: "Why me?"

Robin: "Because you've had sex with somebody for five years, constantly on a base, haven't you?"

Brad: "Yeah."

Cameran: "This'll be the longest you've gone."

Robin: "This will be the longest you've gone without sex for 5 years."

Brad: "Oh, damn."

Robin: "Speaking of masturbation..."

Cameran: "I have my vibrator."

Cameran (in confessional): "Yes mother, I have a vibrator.  And he has seen me through some hard times."

Back in the conversation, everyone laughs and Jacquese claps and says: "Damn!"

In the living room at the house, some of the roommates are gathering to look at Brad's penis.

Cameran (in confessional): "Brad has bragged about his 8 inch stacked penis.  You know, if you're talking big, we want to see what it looks like."

In the living room, Brad has his jeans open and his penis out of his boxers.  There is a pixilation over his penis, in the shape of a penis.  (It is a small pixilation designed to be suggestive to the size and shape of his genitals.)

Brad: "I'm getting this over with right now.  Here's a limp one.  Seriously, here you go."

Brad (in confessional): "Cameran just kind of screamed and ran laughing."

Cameran: "We saw Brad's penis, saw that penis."

Jamie (in confessional): "I was not there to see Brad's penis.  I passed out, like I always do."

Frankie (in confessional): "I don't know, didn't see it, didn't care.  Robin was impressed, so I guess everything is good now."

Robin (in confessional): "Brad's a man of his word, he kept to his bet."

Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica

Jessica and her mom are shopping at Lisa Klein.  Jessica and her mom talk about 'tea bagging'.  ('Tea bagging' is a crass slang term for sucking a man's scrotum during oral sex.)  Jessica notices the clothing label at the store reads 'T-bags.'

Jessica: "This line's called 'T-bags.'  Do you know what that is?"

Mrs. Simpson: "No?"

Jessica: "It's sexual."

Mrs. Simpson: "Oh it's sexual?"

Jessica: "You know, when you suck on [bleeped 'balls'].

Mrs. Simpson: "I have no idea.  Teabags are [bleeped 'balls']?  You know what, Baby?  I never heard that before."

Jessica: "Yeah, when you suck on [bleeped 'balls'].  I think they call it 'teabags,' I'm not sure, 'tea bagging?'"

Mrs. Simpson: "When you're sucking [bleeped 'balls']?"

Jessica: "I don't know."

Mrs. Simpson: "Jessica, that's really weird."

Jessica: "Well, Mom, that's why I thought it was weird that this was called t-bags.  I'm probably wrong."

Mrs. Simpson: "No, I bet you're totally right, Jess.  I didn't know it had a name."

Jessica and her mom are still at the clothing store.  She is looking at a table of underwear and holds up a small thong. 

Jessica: "My favorite panties are here.  Aren't these cute?"

Mrs. Simpson: "You can teabag in those."

Jessica: "Mom!"

Mrs. Simpson: "Yum!"

The Osbournes

Kelly walks into Jack's room and he is watching internet porn.

Jack: "Hey Kelly, do you want to watch some midget porn we found on the internet?"

She tells him to turn it off.  Then Jack starts chasing her with a homemade dildo in his hand.  He runs after her with it, saying she smacked him with a dildo once so he owes her. (The dildo and computer screen are pixilated.)

Kelly talks back to her mother Sharon,

Kelly: "Get your head out of your ass, you [bleeped 'fucking'] evil woman!"

Ozzy: "You pissed on the [bleeped 'fucking'] couch, man!"

Kelly: "You sound like you've got a [bleeped 'fucking'] [bleeped 'cock'] in your mouth."