ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 9, 1996 TAG: 9602090077
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: Detroit Free Press
This won't surprise avid TV viewers, but there's been an explosion of foul language and sex in what the networks once called the ``family hour'' between 8 and 9 p.m.
Words once rarely heard on television, even late at night, are now common in early-evening comedies and dramas, according to a study released Thursday by the Media Research Center, a conservative watchdog group.
Depictions and discussions of sex are rampant, too. NBC and Fox led the way both in foul language and sex, followed by ABC and CBS. Cable networks weren't monitored.
Citing the study Thursday, several members of Congress challenged the networks to restore voluntarily the family hour and create a ``safe haven for the family.''
``Too much TV programming has grown ruder, cruder and lewder over the past few years,'' said Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., a leading critic of the entertainment industry. ``I don't think it's too much to ask, to make one hour of television junk-free.''
The family-hour study was released during a bad week for the networks in Washington. The other developments:
President Clinton on Thursday signed the sweeping telecommunications bill that, among other things, calls on the TV industry to set up a voluntary ratings system. The bill also requires TV sets to come equipped with so-called V-chips that parents can use to block out violent shows.
An industry-funded study of TV violence found violence to be pervasive in broadcast, cable and syndicated programs, and often presented in ways that lack context.
That study, produced by four universities and Mediascope, a Los Angeles-based research group, is even more critical. It says, among other things, that TV violence can teach aggressive attitudes and behaviors, can desensitive viewers to violence, and can increase the fear of becoming a victim.
The issues of sex and violence in the media will take center stage at a White House meeting, now scheduled for Feb. 29, involving President Clinton, members of Congress and entertainment industry leaders
The family-hour study was based on four weeks of viewing in September and October, 1995. During those weeks, NBC broadcast 29 obscenities, followed by Fox with 17, CBS with 14 and ABC with 12.
LENGTH: Medium: 51 linesby CNB