Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 22, 1995 TAG: 9504260020
SECTION: RELIGION PAGE: A-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAVID BRIGGS AP RELIGION WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The number of portrayals of religion in prime time more than doubled from 1993 to 1994 and the treatment was positive more often than not, according to a new study.
The average of one mention of religion for every seven hours of prime-time television still does not reflect its importance in American life. But the networks seem to be treating issues of faith with greater sensitivity, the study by the Alexandria-based Media Research Center concluded.
``We certainly had some internal debate on how to spin the numbers. I was more enthusiastic than others were,'' said Thomas Johnson, co-author of ``Faith in a Box: Entertainment Television on Religion 1994.'' ``I think it's pretty significant.''
In the study, researchers found 253 treatments of religion in some 1,716 hours of prime-time programming, a dramatic increase from 1993 when there were only 116 portrayals in 1,675 hours of programs.
More striking was the change in attitude. In 1993, the researchers found positive depictions of faith outnumbered negative ones by a 3-2 margin. Last year, the study said there were nearly twice as many positive depictions as negative portrayals.
``After scrutinizing 1994's sitcoms, dramas, telefilms and miniseries, we can report that prime time did, in fact, improve its coverage of religion,'' the study said.
The researchers noted that programs previously indifferent or hostile to faith mellowed, and that two new CBS series, ``Christy'' and ``Touched By an Angel,'' were ``decidedly pro-religion.'' Other series the research center deemed worthy of special praise for their handling of religion were ``Thunder Alley'' on ABC and ``L.A. Law'' and ``Homicide: Life on the Street'' on NBC.
When also taking into account the generally sympathetic attitude to religion and religious values of such shows as ``Home Improvement'' and ABC's family night of comedies on Friday, religious conservatives no longer need to view prime-time programming as a collective wasteland, Johnson said.
``It's certainly not a lost cause, and the improvement from '93 to '94 would indicate that,'' he said.
That does not mean television is by any measure ``religion-friendly yet,'' the study cautioned.
``With only 253 treatments in over 1,700 hours of programming, religion is not on Hollywood's radar screen to any meaningful degree, and in some quarters, the hostility - even bigotry - aimed at religion remains alive,'' it said.
Among the examples of negative portrayals reported in the study were a Feb. 17 episode of NBC's ``Wings'' in which a young woman hired to strip at a stag party discovers her minister in the audience and several incidences of ruler-wielding nun jokes and other variations of what the report calls ``prime-time's Catholic-clergy-as-violent-disciplinarians theme.''
But the report said even the show that was probably the most offensive to religious viewers - NBCs ``John Larroquette Show'' - did not make religion-bashing a habit.
Film critic Michael Medved, author of ``Hollywood vs. America: Popular Culture and the War on Traditional Values,'' called the study findings reflective of a general trend in the direction of more family oriented entertainment.
``There's no question that on the TV side ... there has been a move toward greater balance and fairness'' in the treatment of religion, he said.
Johnson said it would be difficult for the networks to win back some religious conservatives.
``They probably have been offended, and many of them have been offended to the point they just don't watch prime-time television anymore,'' he said.
But the Media Research Center report encourages broadcasters to try appealing to religious audiences, maintaining they can boost their audiences and advertising revenues without alienating the viewers they now have.
And Johnson's advice to religious individuals seeking suitable programs?:
``Just keep your ears open and your eyes open.''
by CNB