THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 5, 1997 TAG: 9702050056
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Larry Bonko
LENGTH: 91 lines
LET'S SAY you are a parent who has been wondering if it is OK for the kids in your house to watch ``Friends,'' a wildly popular NBC sitcom that airs Thursdays at 8 p.m.
To help you decide about ``Friends,'' you look to the new TV parental guidelines - the TV ratings not unlike those used by the motion picture industry. ``Friends'' on Jan. 9 came up TV-PG - ``Parental guidance suggested. May contain coarse language, limited violence, some sexual dialogue.''
May contain some sexual dialogue? ``Friends'' is wall-to-wall sexual dialogue with a little butt-grabbing tossed in.
The Jan. 9 episode featured Phoebe noisily having sex with an upstairs neighbor, and Chandler getting so drunk he didn't remember which of Joey's sisters he had seduced.
You as a parent need to know more about ``Friends'' than the TV-PG rating tells you. You need a better guide than the broad ratings endorsed by the networks, National Cable Association, National Association of Broadcasters, Motion Picture Association of America and the Association of Local Television Stations.
You need the 1996-97 ``Family Guide to Primetime Television'' published by the Parents Television Council, a project of the Media Research Center of Alexandria.
In the PTC booklet, ``Friends'' pops up with a red light next to the title. Nothing vague or general in PTC's assessment of the show about six attractive twenty-somethings.
``Its early timeslot notwithstanding, `Friends' may be the raciest sitcom in primetime. All six regulars have been sexually active, and the dialogue has contained vulgar language and explicit sexual content. The show endorses casual sex and gives the nod to homosexual marriage and parenting.''
Instead of that teeny TV-PG in the left-hand corner of the screen, NBC should have a red light blinking on and off when ``Friends'' signs on. Red! Stop! Red! While NBC hasn't done that, last week the peacock network switched on a yellow caution light, changing the ``Friends'' rating to TV-14 - ``parents strongly cautioned.''
Even with a TV-14 rating, ``Friends'' has no business on the NBC schedule at 8 here and 7 in the Midwest.
PTC's booklet rates all prime-time TV, and on pages 30-31 there is an easy-to-read primetime-at-a-glance chart.
More than 20 shows in prime-time appear in red on that chart. Red means stop. Stop and consider the sex, rough dialogue and violence in these shows before you expose your children to them. PTC rates most of prime-time TV in yellow. That's yellow for caution. Yes, most of prime-time TV has something that may offend you. Are you surprised?
The council is urging parents to be wary of what may seem like harmless primetime shows, from the animated ``The Simpsons'' (``the show has ridiculed religion, law enforcement officials, and has incorporated foul language into the dialogue``) to ``Cops'' (``some footage is too violent for young audiences``).
Let's talk about ``Martin,'' a Fox sictom that's also on at 8 p.m., which was once TV's family hour. Fox rates it TV-PG.
Not good enough, says PTC. ``Martin'' is also in TV's red-light district.
``Laden with obscenities,'' says PTC.
This show is on at 8. Shame on Fox. Fox doesn't have even one family-friendly show, says PTC.
It is irresponsible for the networks to show adult sitcoms such as ``Friends'' and ``Martin'' during the family hour, says Garland Waller, a Virginia Beach woman who is an expert in children's programming. She's a professor at Boston University who has produced many hours of children's programming.
In this space yesterday, Waller expressed opinions about the TV ratings' system that agree with those of L. Brent Bozell III, chairman of the Media Research Center. ``Today's parents must be the final arbiters in determining which shows will be broadcast into a family's living room. The parents must become activists on behalf of quality, family-friendly television,'' said Bozell.
Amen, says Waller. ``No matter what you hear about the V-chip, ratings or government guidelines, there is no substitute for being a responsible parent,'' said Waller. The Parents Television Council's ``Family Guide to Primetime Television'' helps parents accomplish that.
It costs $9.95. The guide is free to PTC members who pay $25 to join the council. Order the guide (Virginia residents add a 4.5 percent sales tax) by writing to Publications Department, MRC, 113 S. West St. Alexandria, Va. 22314. The phone number is (800) 346-BIAS.
What shows are endorsed by PTC? They include ``Home Improvement,'' ``Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,'' ``Sister, Sister,'' ``Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' and ``Early Edition.''
Be wary of ``The X-Files,'' PTC warns parents. It's on early enough (9 p.m. on Fox) to tempt youngsters. ``The X-Files,'' says the watchdog group in Alexandria, ``explores extremely disturbing subject matter and broadcasts grisly visuals and violent imagery.''
Even a TV-M rating - the industry's strongest - does not tell all you should know about this dark drama. Dear parents: The TV ratings will not relieve you of your responsibilities. You're the TV censor in your house.