PTC Calls Out Entertainment Lobby Groups for Hypocrisy on TV Ratings System

LOS ANGELES (April 11, 2019) – The Parents Television Council called out entertainment industry lobby groups for putting broadcasters’ interests above the interests of American families when it comes to the TV Content Ratings System.

Members of the National Association of Broadcasters, NCTA-The Internet & Television Association, and the Motion Picture Association of America, recently met with six members of the FCC’s Media Bureau to discuss the FCC’s evaluation of the TV Content Ratings System (MB Docket 19-41), and in sum, told the FCC that the system is a “useful and successful tool” to help families make TV viewing decisions.

“Naturally, the Hollywood lobbyists swarmed the FCC in an attempt to thwart any hope for a better content ratings system. Everything works just fine, said the seven industry reps in their meeting with the FCC’s media bureau. Rather than feverishly spinning rubbish into a believable scenario, why wouldn’t they pledge to improve on a broken 22-year-old system? Because they profit from the broken system,” said PTC President Tim Winter.

“Make no mistake: we predicted the industry’s pathetic responses to Congress’ directive that the FCC review the TV Content Ratings System, and the industry continues to shirk any responsibility towards improving a system that consistently allows gun violence, explicit sexual content, bleeped f-words and other harsh language to air on programs rated for children 14-years-old and even younger. There is no broadcast TV programming that is given a TV-MA rating, despite episodes that may warrant this rating, because it would scare off advertisers. Time and again, despite being confronted with evidence that the TV Content Ratings System is broken, the industry gives every excuse to avoid modernizing the system.

“We hope the FCC will see through the industry’s excuses to fix the broken TV Content Ratings System as it continues its evaluation. Our children deserve a better system that will protect them from harmful media content.”

Research, video clips of misrated TV content, and other background about the TV Content Ratings System can be found here: www.ParentsTV.org/Ratings.