The FCC has finally issued its long overdue report to Congress on TV violence. The report suggests further regulatory constraints are necessary to rein in TV violence.
The impetus for such regulation is the effect of media violence on the behavior of children, who are said to have spent the equivalent of three school years watching TV by the time they start first grade. The report cites studies from the Kaiser Family Foundation, the American Academy of Pediatrics and many others that indicate children are adversely affected by media violence. The results are in agreement with the Surgeon General's office, which finds a strong correlation between media violence and aggressive behavior in children who are exposed to it.
The FCC study also assessed the V-chip and other filter technologies that can be programmed to block out objectionable content. The upshot is that these technologies are not so effective, and the same goes for rating systems.
One of the problems with V-chips, for example, is fewer than half the TV sets in all of U.S. TV households are so equipped. The V-chip became mandatory Jan. 1, 2000. The average lifespan of a TV set is said to be around 10 years, although estimates go as high as 20.
The ratings system is just too clunky for some folks, the report said. In a 2004 Kaiser survey, only about one-fourth of parents of children aged two to six could "name any of the ratings that would apply to programming appropriate for children that age." A full 20 percent of parents surveyed had no idea a TV ratings system existed.
The report says that Congress would have to define violence in order to impose regulations, and it notes how historically difficult that is. The group Morality in Media, for example, defines violence as "intense, rough or injurious use of physical force or treatment either recklessly or with an apparent intent to harm."
However, the First Amendment think tank Media Institute asks what happens under such a definition to cartoons like "Road Runner," episodes of "The Three Stooges," or even "Schindler's List" and "Star Wars." The NAB noted that some of the most popular shows in TV history--"Hill Street Blues" and "Gunsmoke" for example, would be subject to "government restriction."
Possible suggested alternatives to content regulation include a voluntary industry initiative to make the first hour of primetime a "family hour." Further safe harbor type structures could be established, i.e., hours during which violent content could be aired. Or, the report concludes, a la carte channel pricing could be imposed. In an a la carte arrangement, cable subscribers could pick and choose individual channels. The cable industry has fought such a decree tooth and nail because it would so radically alter the business.
The report is in response to a directive from 39 members of Congress who asked the FCC three years ago to study TV violence and submit a report by Jan. 1., 2005. The FCC released the report at its regular meeting Wednesday, under increasing pressure from Capitol Hill, where Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.), continues to push his bill to regulate television violence.
