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Broadcast network programming is the primary focus of this study. Our monitoring has been concentrated on this aspect of television, which still accounts for a majority of what is watched on television. The other aspects of the television world--cable, syndication, home video and video games--have been sampled for the purpose of comparison.
Network television has been divided into five areas, each of which was thoroughly examined:
It is probably to the networks' disadvantage that 1994-95 is the first year of this study. Had this project commenced 10, or even 5 years ago, the amount of programming with problems with violence, especially series, probably would have been larger. The areas the networks control most, series and television movies, reflect some important positive signs. Two other areas, theatrical films on television and on-air promotions, do not. Children's television offers some promising signs but also some worrisome trends. For the purpose of this and future reports, the 1994-95 television season becomes the baseline of the study.
Series still make up the majority of a network's programming. They are what most distinguish network television from cable and other video media. More people watch television series than any other format. Some series such as Murder She Wrote, Married with Children, M*A*S*H or Cheers continue to attract viewers weekly for close to 10 years or more.
Of the television series we examined, there are 10 that raise frequent concerns about the manner in which they deal with violence. Five have already been canceled, although one may return as a mid-season replacement. A brief, unscientific look at past seasons shows that in some years, as many as 25 programs might have raised frequent concerns. Even some of the shows that raise frequent concerns in the 1994-95 season, such as The X-Files, go to great lengths to reduce some of the worst elements of violence. There is almost no killing in prime time series, but there still is a lot of fighting. The effort of the networks' practices and standards departments is what is most responsible for what we see as positive signs in series. Violent images that might have routinely been shown years ago, such as bullets entering the body, are in little evidence in 1995.
The television series discussed below deal with violence in a variety of different ways. The report makes a real effort to understand each show, its goals and style and the manner in which it deals with violence. Of particular importance is understanding the context of each show in which violence occurs. Placing the show on a top ten list with other shows without explaining its style and context, does a disservice to the viewing public.
Television movies also demonstrate some important positive signs. This season saw few television movies similar to those shown in the May 1993 sweeps. The influence of the practices and standards departments is also evident with television movies. Of the 161 television movies monitored (every one that aired this season), 23 raised concerns about their use of violence. This is less than 15%. Most raised concerns because of a variety of factors: lack of advisory, violent theme, violent title or inappropriate graphicness of a scene. Unlike theatrical films, television movies are a format over which the network has complete control. They decide what gets made and how it appears on the screen. Though there are still some television movies that raise concerns, it is clear the networks are using their power to make some improvements in this area.
Theatrical films on television do not demonstrate the hopeful signs seen in the above two areas. The problem is as bad as it has ever been. Of the 118 theatrical films monitored (every one that aired this season), 50 raise concerns about their use of violence. This is about 42%. Theatrical films are made for a different medium and have to be retrofitted into the world of broadcast television. This is a difficult, and frequently impossible, task and our findings verify that. Some of the films monitored contained well over 40 scenes of violence. Although the networks edit these films for broadcast, it is not always possible to edit them in a way that does not either leave in far too much violence or reduce the film to incomprehensible stories. Frequently, the result is that only the worst parts of the worst scenes are removed and the resulting film is still one whose theme remains very violent. There are also a number of problems with advisories and time periods. When one is talking about violence on television in the 1994-95 season, most of it, especially the most gruesome violence, is in theatrical films shown on television.
On-air promotions also reflect a continuing, if not worsening, problem. Some series may contain several scenes of violence, each of which is appropriate within its context. A promo for that show, however, will only feature those violent scenes and without any of the context. The result is a world of promotions and theatrical film advertisements filled with only the worst scenes of violence from all the programming. Often these violent promos are aired during programming for children or during completely non-violent programming. Even shows that contain no violence are culled for whatever "accident" or scene of comedic violence can be compiled into a promo.
Children's television reflects both promising and worrisome signs. On the positive side, only a few shows use intense violence or combat as part of their overall theme. Many shows are not about combat or fighting and whatever "violence" is used is very minor. More ominous and increasingly worrisome are a number of shows that do use what we call sinister combat violence, featuring combat as the theme of the show. The characters are usually happy to fight and frequently do so with little provocation. The promise of confrontation is the signature of these shows.
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