Posted: 5/30/03
Prime time sexual content declines
WASHINGTON (RNS)–Almost every broadcast network saw a marked decrease in sexual content during the evening “family hour” between 1998 and 2002, the Parents Television Council reports.
With the exception of the WB, every broadcast network decreased its sexual content from 8 to 9 p.m. in recent years. All the networks except the WB and UPN also showed a reduction in such content during the hour from 9 to 10 p.m.
“For years, conventional wisdom in Hollywood had it that 'sex sells,' and therefore the more of it, the better,” said Brent Bozell, president of the Los Angeles-based council.
“But ratings data and survey results prove that's not true. Parents don't want their kids to be exposed to irresponsible messages and explicit depictions of sex on TV. But more than that, parents don't want to see it either.”
Analysts for the council found sexual content during the family hour dropped 67 percent on ABC from 1998 to 2002. In that same period, similar content decreased 48 percent on Fox, 13 percent on UPN and 6 percent on CBS. NBC's sexual content during the family hour decreased by 34 percent from 2000 to 2002.
Researchers looked at 400 program-hours of prime-time entertainment on the major broadcast television networks during the first two weeks of the 1998, 2000 and 2002 November sweeps periods.
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