NATIONAL "TURN OFF TV DAY" FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1997The sixth annual "TURN OFF TV DAY" , sponsored by Morality in Media [475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115, 212-870-3222] will involve millions of people throughout this nation who will keep their TV screens darkened on FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1997, to protest indecency, profanity, and violence on broadcast and cable television. "TURN OFF TV DAY" is a great way to demand more social responsibility from network executives and television advertisers! Americans all across this country are up in arms over the steady and
deliberate decline in TV programming and the obvious contempt shown by TV
producers for traditional family values. "They are angry because they feel
our culture has been hijacked and replaced with something alien to their
lives, something that openly rejects rather than reflects the values they
try to instill in their families." [Sen. Joseph Lieberman, "Why Parents
Hate TV", Policy Review, May-June 96, pgs 19-23]
A 1995 New York Times poll revealed that half of the 1209 adults surveyed believe that portrayals of sex and violence on television, in movies, and in music lyrics contribute "a lot" to whether teenagers become sexually active or violent. [NEW YORK TIMES POLL, "Sex and Violence in Popular Culture", July 23-26, 1995, pgs 1-14] Even among social scientists, there is a broad consensus that there is at least an indirect relationship between popular culture and behavior. And, obviously, TV advertisers believe there is a link because they are willing to buy air time on TV programs to boost their profits. [Elizabeth Kolbert, "Americans Despair of Popular Culture", The New York Times, Sunday, 8/20/95, p 22] The "National Television Violence Study", a $1.5 million project conducted by researchers at four universities and funded by the National Cable Television Association, examined 2,500 hours of broadcast and cable television, including 2,693 programs, from October 94 to June 95. The study revealed that in "73% of all violent scenes, the perpetrators were not punished for their crime, leading researchers to say that viewers would be impressed that 'violence is successful'." [Los Angeles Daily News, 2/8/96] In addition, the study results stated that, "the risks of viewing the most common depiction's of televised violence include learning to behave violently, becoming more desensitized to the harmful consequences of violence, and becoming more fearful of being attacked." [Rocky Mountain News, 2/6/96 -- reported in The FORUM, publication of Colorado Eagle Forum, Spring 96, p 17] A report on "Sex and the Mass Media," funded by the Kaiser Family Foundation and released in September, 1995, concluded that the media's "love affair with sex and romance contributes to irresponsible sexual behavior among young people, including unwanted pregnancies." According to Dr. George Comerci, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, "In terms of modeling behavior, the older child particularly will repeat what he or she sees on TV, while the adolescent develops a personal attitude about the life and world he or she lives in as a result of what they're seeing on television." [The Los Angeles Times, 9/95, as reported in American Family Association Journal, 3/96, p 11] According to Michael Medved, film critic, "The public is being desensitized to film violence. It takes more to shock than it did a decade ago. Violence begins to seem acceptable. So does sex outside of marriage. Foul language no longer grates." [Michael Medved, Hollywood vs. America, 1993] "Through the power of television, millions upon millions of people are persuaded to buy this automobile or that automobile ... Are we so naive, then, as to assume that millions of viewers are not being swayed by this constant diet of foul language, debased behavior, outrageous violence, and sexual promiscuity?" [Congressional Record, 9/18/90, by U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV] A 1994 Family Channel Survey reveals that a vast majority of Americans (79%) believe that the current level of profanity on TV "strongly contributes" or "moderately contributes" to the use of profanity by children under 18. [1994 Family Channel/Gallup Survey of America's Television Viewing Habits, contact Doug Stuart, director of research, Family Channel, 804-523-7301] A national study reveals that six of 10 American children think TV
influences them to have sex when they are too young. The study also reveals
that 82% of children think TV should help teach kids right from wrong, but
instead, influences them to lie, cheat, fight and disrespect their parents.
[Children's NOW survey, a leading child advocacy group, 750 children polled,
ages 10-16, Jan 16-19, 1995]. The typical child watches about 25 hours of TV per week. Although many parents set some rules about their child's TV viewing, their input is minimized by the fact that over 58% of America's children have TV sets in their own bedrooms. [WORLD magazine, 5/11/96] The Psychological Association estimates that a typical child witnesses 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence on the screen -- all before finishing elementary school. The worse offenders are not cop shows, but cartoons. [CNN's Showbiz Today, Jim Moret, as reported in Ladies' Home Journal, 9/93] More than three of every four daycare centers use a TV as part of the daily routine. [WORLD magazine, 5/11/96] 95 million American households own televisions and 65% of those have at
least two TV's. [Sen. Joseph Lieberman, "Why Parents Hate TV", Policy
Review, May-June 96, pgs 19-23]
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