Local Independent Television Programming and Syndication
Broadcast network television is the major focus of this study. Every television series, made-for-television movie and theatrical film shown on broadcast television during the 1996-97 television season was monitored. There were no exceptions. Every series was examined at least four times and many were examined for the majority of the season or the entire season. Series were the only category in which we used any sampling and even there sampling was minimal. The number of hours examined and the minimal amount of sampling used place us in an excellent position to make a definitive analysis of the broadcast network season. None of that analysis is subject to problems of whether we sampled a typical week or an exceptional week.
From the beginning, we intended our analysis of local, syndicated and public television, as well as cable, home video and video games, to be supplemental to our broadcast network focus. Our goal was to offer a comparison with the broadcast networks to see if the content differed and, if so, in what ways. The supplemental programming was sampled in order to provide a snapshot of the content necessary for this comparison. Local stations, syndication and programming aired during the old Prime Time Access period were all examined for two randomly selected weeks. Eight cable networks and public television were also monitored for randomly selected two-week periods. The analysis of home video was based on the top ten rental titles each quarter during the past year. The top five video games of the year were also examined.
This sampling allows us to make informed and, we believe, intelligent judgments about this programming. But it does not allow us to make the definitive analysis we conducted in the broadcast network area.
It is all too common in the media world for broadcasters to claim that all the real problems in regard to sex and violence are in cable, or for cable programmers, in defense, to cite their higher level of First Amendment protection and pitch the bulk of the burden of reform back on broadcasters. Everyone easily faults the video game industry as one of the major sources of violence.
Our goal is not to place blame or responsibility for any of the media content problems on any particular medium. Each of these industries has different levels of protection and freedom. Some are subject to greater governmental regulation than others. Some are easier for parents to control than others. Using broadcast television as the base, we looked at other programming such as pay cable, not to judge whether that programming raises concerns for cable, but rather to see whether the its would raise concerns if judged by the standards we applied to broadcast television. For example, we look at an HBO or Showtime program to decide whether ABC, CBS, Fox or NBC could appropriately air the same program. The violence contained in the program might be of no concern in the world of pay cable, but of great concern in the broadcast network world. We use this approach of asking whether concerns would be raised if broadcast television standards were applied for all programming, including cable, home video and video games.
Local and cable television does contain more programming raising concerns about violence than is found on the broadcast networks. This is primarily due to the fact that theatrical films make up a larger portion of those channels' programming. Previous sections of this report demonstrate that theatrical films raise the most concerns about violence. Even when comparing the same films on each medium, we find that they tend to be edited more thoroughly and raise fewer concerns on broadcast network television than on basic cable or local television. Of course, pay cable does not edit its films.
The status of the non-network television media can be summarized as follows:
Local television raises more concerns than broadcast network television, both in its theatrical and original programming. As mentioned above, local television runs more theatrical films and edits them somewhat less than the networks. This may be because local stations do not have the large practices and standards departments found at the networks. Syndicated series also raise more concerns on a percentage basis than network series do. Syndicated series are mostly one-hour dramas, a format much more likely to contain violence than half-hour network comedies. This season 11 of 32 series created for syndication raise concerns about violence. This is a percentage far greater than that which is found on broadcast network television. Furthermore, these syndicated dramas also run in many different time periods throughout the country, including daytime when children may be in the audience. Even in a large city like Los Angeles with many television stations, prime time syndication is playing a smaller and smaller role each year. Of the three non-broadcast network stations in Los Angeles, two are now part-time affiliates of the emerging broadcast networks, UPN and WB. Whereas these two channels used to program all 14 nights (of our two-week sample) of prime time with syndicated or local shows, now, with both WB and UPN programming three nights, they independently program eight nights. This trend will most likely continue.
Public television is full of dramas, films and documentaries, but practically none of this programming raises any issues of concern.
Cable television also runs more theatrical films than the broadcast networks. Since pay cable channels do not edit their films, they contain more violence than is found on broadcast network television. Also of note is the fact that pay cable runs fewer original shows than the broadcast networks do. When pay cable airs original series with violence, that violence is likely to be much more graphic and raise considerably more concerns than the original programming of the networks. Our job is not to evaluate whether running unedited scenes of violence on a pay service is a problem, but instead to compare the content of the two media. Generally the issues raised in cable television have remained fairly consistent over the past three years.
Basic cable also runs theatrical films raising concerns about violence. These films are less likely to be as heavily edited as the same films shown on the broadcast networks. More graphic and gory scenes of film violence are found on basic cable. Basic cable has far fewer original series than the networks, but these series are more likely to raise concerns.
Home video features content mostly identical to that found in movie theaters. Over half of the videos examined would raise concerns if aired unedited on broadcast television. This area was also studied to provide a comparison with the content of broadcast television, not to make judgments about the environment of home video.
Video games represent a world that is different from other television programming. Games featuring deadly combat, such as Duke Nukem, raise considerable concerns about violence. Most games, however, display scenes of tame combat, such as characters chasing or bumping into each other.
This category includes all the programming that appears on broadcast television, except for public television, that is not controlled by the networks. Los Angeles is the second largest television market in the country after New York. No program can be successful unless it is sold in the Los Angeles market. Therefore, by monitoring local and syndicated programming in Los Angeles, we ensured examination of all significant non-network programming that is produced. We examined two-week samples of prime time and Saturday morning programming on the following stations:
KTLA Channel 5. KTLA is affiliated with the WB network on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday nights. On those nights, we treated its schedule as network programming, which is discussed in the previous section.
KCAL Channel 9. This station runs news during all Monday through Friday prime time hours so its programming was examined on weekends only.
KCOP Channel 13. KCOP is affiliated with the UPN network on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. On those nights we treated its schedule as network programming, which is discussed in the previous section.
KCBS Channel 2, KNBC Channel 4, KABC Channel 7 and KTTV Channel 11. These are the network owned and operated stations. Their prime time and Saturday morning programming is the core of broadcast network television and is examined in detail in the previous sections. Networks also program daytime, late night and sports schedules for their stations, but this programming is beyond the purview of our study. During the times when the networks do not schedule programming, these stations act as local stations and air programming most of which is purchased in the syndication market. We looked at the syndicated programming that is scheduled before and during the former Prime Time Access period.
This sample allowed us to pick up original syndicated programs on the independent
stations, such as theatrical films and the various versions of Star Trek and Baywatch. The
programming on the network stations in the non-network time slots was comprised of game
shows, entertainment and news magazine shows and original syndication such as Xena:
Warrior Princess and Real Stories of the Highway Patrol. This section of the report
focuses on programming that, if run on broadcast network television, would raise concerns
about violence. We divided the content into original programs for syndication, theatrical
motion pictures and children's television.
Fifteen years ago, syndication largely consisted of reruns of old network television series. As independent stations grew stronger in the 1980s they began forming ad hoc networks with one another to produce their own original programming. The syndication market, once every producer's second choice after the broadcast networks, soon developed new appeal. Game shows such as Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, and entertainment news and tabloid programs such as Entertainment Tonight and Hard Copy, became enormously successful in the world of syndication. Syndication now competes head-to-head with the networks in the area of original series, particularly dramas. Now the producers of a new Baywatch Nights or Xena: Warrior Princess can sometimes make more money selling their program to local stations than to a network. Occasionally, syndicators even produce made-for-television movies and mini-series for independent stations.
Unlike the broadcast networks, those programming syndicated shows have no large broadcast standards and practices departments that decide what gets made and ensure that programs meet certain standards. Every station makes decisions as to what is acceptable and whether anything should be cut, but they are forced to do this work with small staffs and even smaller budgets.
As compared to network programming, a much higher percentage of original syndicated
programming raises concerns about the use of violence. Many of these syndicated shows are
aired much earlier in the day than network shows, making it likely that the audience
includes many children. Of the 32 original series examined in the syndication areas, 11
raised concerns about the use of violence. The following programs would be classified as
raising concerns if aired on the broadcast networks:
Inspired by the enormous success of Hercules and Xena, Sinbad is an action-adventure
show which raises considerable concerns about its use of violence. Set in fifth century
Baghdad, the show chronicles the adventures of Sinbad and his crew as they sail the seven
seas. Although the characters all are highly moral, they do not hesitate to fight. The
shows monitored contained as many as ten prolonged scenes of violence in an hour. The
scenes usually feature Sinbad and his group dispensing with bad guys with an array of
punches, kicks and sword fights. The fighting is extremely glorified, always portraying
Sinbad as very heroic. In an episode that aired on 4/12/97, Sinbad battles a man on a
rooftop and ultimately slashes his gut. Despite the sometimes brutal character of the
violence, much of it is very antiseptic. Rarely are any consequences displayed. Airing at
3:00 p.m. in Los Angeles, Sinbad is likely to be seen by many children.
A spinoff of the very popular Baywatch, this program has a more threatening look and
feel than its predecessor. In this spinoff, David Hasselhoff is a private investigator by
night, solving cases on the Southern California streets, in addition to policing the
California coast in the daytime. This show raises concerns because, for an early time
period, there is an excessive amount of violence. The program's use of graphic violence as
a hook also raises issues. For instance, in one of the episodes monitored, four of the
show's seven violent scenes--including vicious attacks on children by a wolf-like
creature--took place before the title credits.
This series follows the exploits of a special effects artist whose talents are
marshaled to solve crimes and catch villains. The program presents an interesting issue in
that much of the violence it contains is presented as being "unreal." For
instance, the viewer may see a grisly gun battle, but will then learn after the fact that
the shootout was staged as part of a film that was being shot. Still, FX: The Series
raises serious concerns because the severity of the violence depicted is not necessarily
mitigated by the fact that "it isn't real." This rationale could be used to
justify virtually any type of action or violence. Moreover, much of the violence is
glorified with the use of slow motion and is needlessly prolonged. Certain acts are
surprisingly heinous, including a man having both his hands chopped off with a machete and
another man getting hit in the face with a cleaver which lodges squarely between his eyes.
Yet another reason this program raises issues is that the violence is often used as a hook
and is often shown without any context. Both episodes monitored began with an unusually
brutal sequence that had nothing to do with the ensuing plot. Finally, the violence in FX:
The Series may be especially worrisome as the show airs as early as 2:00 p.m. in Los
Angeles, a time slot sure to have quite a few youngsters in the audience.
Although raising fewer concerns than in previous years, this program continues to be
problematic in its depictions of violence. As might be expected in a series that is based
on the adventures of a warrior, much of the violence is glorified. Every episode features
glamorized combat, often in ways that are antiseptic. The weapons featured in Hercules
also lend themselves to fighting that is especially fierce, such as fists, clubs, branding
irons, swords, rocks and whips. Although the depictions of violence have improved over the
three years of monitoring, there is still room for improvement in this show.
Based on the old TV show of the same name, this program tells eerie tales of the
bizarre and inexplicable. It raises concerns for several reasons, most notably the tonnage
of violent scenes in many episodes. Some of the violence is lethal and surprisingly
brutal. In the episode that aired on 4/20/97, the program opens with a scene in which a
woman hijacks a truck, shooting both its passengers in the head at point blank range.
Although the scene is shrouded in darkness and not particularly graphic, it is extremely
vicious. Like many other syndicated programs, The Outer Limits also raises concerns
because it airs in an early time slot.
This program is a syndicated and somewhat edited version of a Showtime series of the
same name. As its title suggests, this series falls into the horror genre, often featuring
creepy or scary images. For example, in one of the monitored episodes an elderly woman is
severely beaten and then hanged, and the aftermath of an apparent stabbing is shown in
gory detail.
This reality-based series focuses on actual incidents encountered by state troopers and
highway patrol officers across the country. The program has raised issues of concern in
all three years of the monitoring process. The show raises issues from its start: the
opening montage which accompanies the title credits depicts several intense images, such
as a motorist leaping from his car as he is engulfed in flames and an officer beating a
suspect with the butt of his rifle. The most violent parts of the program occur within the
context of staged re-creations of selected incidents. Interestingly, these often feature
the actual officers involved. The most violent parts of each re-enactment--usually a
shootout between suspects and law enforcement--are often glorified through needless
repetition of footage, slow motion and the use of black and white images. An argument
could easily be made that this type of programming might contribute to the "mean
world syndrome."
This program showcases exciting, funny and often violent video clips that come from
hand-held video cameras. The scenes highlighted range from high-speed chases and various
car crashes to America's Funniest Home Videos-style clips. An episode that aired on
11/7/96 raises serious concerns about violence. In this episode, a man shoots his wife and
then attempts to take his own life before being gunned down by authorities. The scene is
then shown again in slow motion with a close up of the woman. The viewer sees the bullet's
impact very clearly. This image is accentuated by the addition of a gunshot sound effect
to the slow motion replay. The scene was shown three times during the segment. Although
the producers would more than likely make the argument that this is a compelling piece of
footage that the public has a right to see, it would seem that their intent was to
titillate and frighten the audience. Real TV elected to use a verbal advisory before the
footage was shown. Yet, interestingly, the scene of the man shooting his wife had already
been shown in a preview before this segment. While Real TV was not as disturbing as some
of the specials discussed in a previous section, it did use footage that was also seen in
some of these programs.
Based on the writings of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan is the story of the man-king of
the jungle, orphaned at birth and raised by apes. This action-oriented show contains a
fair amount of violence. There are still several scenes per episode which are prolonged
and glorified. In the episode that aired on 11/17/96, Tarzan battles a villain in a brutal
fistfight that culminates with Tarzan stabbing the man. The scene lasts over
one-and-a-half minutes. However, the episode examines the consequences of violence as
Tarzan learns that revenge does not bring satisfaction. Nonetheless, the length and
glorified nature of the scenes raises concerns. Airing at 5:00 p.m. in Los Angeles,
Tarzan: The Epic Adventures raised concerns both times it was monitored.
In many ways reminiscent of the old television show Knight Rider, this series follows
the adventures of a team of experts who use the special features of their futuristic car
to solve crimes and right wrongs. As one might expect from the show's premise, the program
is loaded with gunfire, explosions and special effects. These raise concerns primarily
because of their antiseptic nature. In an episode that aired 4/13/97, three incredibly
brutal deaths occur, but are not dealt with in any substantive way. In addition, the
series raises issues by glorifying much of the violence with fast-paced music and slow
motion. It is not uncommon for an episode to begin with the most violent scene in the show
as a way to hook viewers. Like many other syndicated series, Viper is more accessible to a
youth audience since it sometimes airs at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday in Los Angeles.
A spin-off from Hercules, Xena: Warrior Princess was identified in last year's report as a series that raised concerns about violence. This continues to be the case. Living in the "Golden Age" before the time of the Greeks and Romans, Xena is a former villain turned heroine who works to "free people from tyranny and injustice." Much like Hercules, Xena rarely shies away from a fight and combat is prevalent throughout the show. A typical episode contains numerous scenes of hand-to-hand combat, featuring punching, kicking and swordplay. Xena often displays super strength, punching villains so hard that they fly through the air. In the episode that aired 4/12/97, Xena and her partner dispense with a horde of drunken men in a glorified fight containing many of the elements of combat discussed above. Glorified and unrealistic, Xena: Warrior Princess raised concerns both times it was monitored.
Original syndicated series which raised no concerns about violence in the two-week sample are as follows:
Of the ten theatrical films that were monitored on independent stations, five would have raised concerns if aired on the broadcast networks. This is a higher concentration of problematic films than was found on the networks. More action films with intense violence appear in syndication than on the networks.
All of the films that did raise concerns were action dramas. Although many action films
raise concerns when aired on the broadcast networks, these types of films typically run
with far less editing on local television. It is unclear whether this is due to the
absence of large practices and standards staffs or to the more conservative standards
required to market a film nationally as opposed to locally. Violent films running locally
clearly contain more intense and graphic violence than those that raise concerns on the
networks. The films that raised serious issues are:
One in a series of films featuring Charles Bronson as an architect seeking revenge for the violence he suffered in his own life, Death Wish 2 raises serious concerns due to the graphic violence it contains. After his maid and daughter are both raped and murdered, Bronson's character, Paul Kersey, embarks on a vigilante mission to eliminate the gang members who perpetrated the violence. The violence in this film is extremely problematic, most notably because Kersey's killing spree is portrayed as justifiable revenge for the crimes committed against his daughter. Moreover, Kersey feels no remorse or hesitation whatsoever and receives no punishment of any kind for the heinous acts that he commits.
The film opens with a radio broadcast reciting unrealistic and exaggerated crime statistics, presumably to rationalize Kersey's subsequent need to take the law into his own hands. At the same time, the police are portrayed as either inept and ineffective or as co-conspirators in Kersey's vigilantism. One scene shows a group of New York cops discussing their decision to not prosecute Kersey for the murders he committed in the original Death Wish, but instead to ask him to just stop killing.
On a related note, Death Wish 3 and Death Wish 4, both of which were discussed in
previous reports, aired again this year and were found to be problematic for many of the
same reasons mentioned above.
This Chuck Norris action film stands out as one of the most blatant cases of glorified violence in the sample of syndicated theatricals. Norris plays Colonel James Braddock, a former POW in Vietnam who was held and abused for seven years. He eventually escaped and is now on a violent, no-holds-barred mission to rescue his fellow MIAs. Although a movie about war might be expected to contain a certain amount of violence, this film is entirely centered around the violent activities of its protagonist. In fact, this film is so saturated with severe violence that it probably could not be made suitable for broadcast by editing.
Most of the violent scenes are extremely prolonged and antiseptic. Braddock is fired
upon by hundreds of enemy soldiers yet never once is hit by a bullet. The violence in the
film also raises serious issues because it is glorified. In one especially brutal scene, a
threesome of Vietnamese soldiers fires an explosive at Braddock's raft, tossing him into
the delta. The soldiers giggle with delight at their sure-fire aim and Braddock's bad
luck. However, Braddock has the last laugh as he emerges from the water with his machine
gun and viciously shoots them all in slow motion. So much of Braddock's aggressive
retaliation is indiscriminate that it appears to represent only violence for the sake of
violence.
This film takes place in a fantasy world in which a baby, destined to overthrow an evil
queen, must be delivered to safety by a band of unlikely heroes. Despite what sounds like
a family-oriented premise, the movie is filled with acts of brutal violence. Even for a
good vs. evil struggle where the viewer would expect some degree of conflict, the combat
in Willow is especially fierce. In a world of sorcerers and castles, the variety of
violence consists of sword battles, hand-to-hand combat, the dumping of vats of hot oil on
helpless crowds and attacks by two-headed monsters. In one particular sequence, one of the
heroes uses a magic wand against a troll, reducing his attacker to a grisly, lifeless pile
of flesh. The depiction is unusually graphic, showing the troll's skin peeling back and
objects protruding from its exposed brain. In the film's climax, the heroes storm the evil
queen's castle. A major battle ensues in which numerous characters engage in prolonged
scenes of swordplay, culminating in a dual between the lead hero and a demon warrior. The
hero vanquishes the warrior by graphically running him through with a sword multiple
times. Music is used liberally to enhance the impact of the violence and rarely are
consequences shown.
Theatrical films on local stations and in syndication that did not raise concerns about
violence in the two week sample are:
Facing overwhelming competition from the broadcast and cable networks for children's attention on Saturday morning, local stations in Los Angeles do little to compete. In fact, only one non-network channel aired children's programming.
Disney's Sing Me a Story contains some minor slapstick violence which raises no
concerns. Madison's Adventures features some tame animal violence similar to that found in
National Geographic documentaries. Another show that contains minimal slapstick violence,
Bill Nye the Science Guy, has a strong educational focus. However, two other programs fall
into the category of sinister combat violence. Eagle Riders and Dragonball Z both contain
images of mean-spirited, glorified fighting. One episode of Eagle Riders shows a hero
viciously throwing metal stars in the faces of different villains.
In the 1920s, the young industry of broadcasting was regulated by the Department of Commerce and its secretary, Herbert Hoover. It was not at all clear how the new field of radio would be supported and who would pay for its programming. One option was to let the government own and control radio and underwrite the costs of programming. While this is the system used today in many countries around the world, it was unacceptable to most Americans because government control of radio would permit it to censor information it did not want citizens to hear and was inconsistent with the principles underlying the First Amendment.
A second alternative was to let those who were interested subscribe to radio programming and their fees would provide the economic foundation for radio. This funding mechanism was ultimately how pay cable became an important force in American life. A third alternative was to allow companies to buy radio time for a fee so they could sell their products. These monies would support broadcasting.
Advertising flourished and provided the economic structure for radio and then television. The goal of broadcasters was to attract the largest possible audience in order to be able to charge advertisers as much as possible to air their messages. From the beginning, almost all broadcasting was designed to appeal to large audiences. Networks were created so that programming could reach the entire country. (Without a network, a signal could not reach beyond the local metropolitan area in which a station was based.)
To meet the goal of capturing large audiences, broadcasters endeavored to create programming accessible and understandable to the largest possible audience. In practical terms, this meant no Shakespeare, ballet or opera, few documentaries and much popular entertainment. Radio, and then television, were enormously successful in creating programming that millions of people wanted to hear and see.
The problem with the system was the lack of an incentive to create educational or other programming less likely to appeal to large audiences. Economics compelled networks to attract huge audiences and give short shrift to programs that appealed to more specialized interests. While the needs of many people were met, the needs of some were not.
Public television was created to meet some of the needs not met by commercial broadcasting. It was not dependent on advertiser support or the need for enormous audiences. Public television was free to create high-quality programming regardless of whether it garnered high ratings. Public television had its biggest impact in the area of children's television. Programs such as Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Sesame Street became a regular part of children's lives.
Public television was always envisioned as an alternative to commercial television. While its ratings are small compared to the commercial networks, it fills an important void. Over the past few years PBS and its supporters have feared that Congress might cut funding for public television programming because of what some critics argue is its elite, liberal bias. Forced to contemplate operating without any governmental support, PBS has increasingly turned to the use of pledge drives to gain support from its audience and enhanced the role of corporate underwriting. It now appears that governmental funding for PBS is secure, at least for the moment.
We examined public television because this monitoring project looks at the entire world of television. Public television provides an interesting opportunity to examine whether the absence of advertiser pressure or demand for high ratings produces programming less dependent on violent themes.
Practically nothing monitored on public television during the two-week sample even comes close to raising concerns about violence. Some shows contain elements or scenes of violence, but they are usually so minimized or contextually appropriate that they are of little concern.
Programming on public television can be divided into four areas, three in prime time
and one on Saturday mornings: documentaries and news, arts and entertainment, nature and
science and children's programs. All four types of programming were found to contain
little, if any, violence.
Much of the programming on PBS continues to be in the form of documentaries. Although documentary programming sometimes requires the use of violent footage such as that containing war scenes, none of the programs aired during the monitored period raised any concerns.
A two-part series, Vote for Me: Politics in America, which describes politics and campaigning in America, contains some violent images. One segment that discusses negative ad campaigns shows a fictional spot for the Federalist party that might have aired if television had existed 200 years ago. The ad manipulates images such as riots, sword fighting and burning buildings in an appeal to voters to defeat Thomas Jefferson. However, this violence is neither prolonged, glorified nor graphic and is entirely appropriate within the context of the program.
Only one other documentary contains images that are even mildly violent. With God on Our Side: Rise of the Religious Right in America shows only minor violence in the arrest of anti-abortion protestors and raises no concerns.
All other documentary programming contains no violence at all. Wild World portrays the
plight of threatened elephants of the Addo Elephant Park, Great Railway Journeys takes
Buck Henry through parts of Argentina by train, and an episode of Frontline presents an
update on Hillary Clinton's classmates from Wellesley's graduating class of 1969. Other
non-violent documentary programming includes: Visiting with Huell Howser, California Gold,
Danny Boy and Huchooseday: Traditions of the Heart.
This category includes original productions, concerts and performer showcases as well as one feature film. Acts of violence are rarely featured in these productions. When violence is part of a show it is usually contextually appropriate. Restraint is evident everywhere.
The only program on PBS that raised any issues at all in last year's report was the popular show Mystery. This year, an episode of Mystery did show a few mild acts of violence including a woman tripping and falling down a set of stairs, but it did not raise any issues.
An episode of the Masterpiece Theatre series entitled "Bramwell" follows a female doctor running an infirmary during the nineteenth century. It raises no concerns.
The only feature film in the sample, Enchanted April, tells the tale of four women with very different personalities and backgrounds who spend a month together at a vacation retreat in Italy. The few acts of violence in the film are so minor that they are nearly unnoticeable (for example, one of the main characters pricks her finger on some grass). This film raises no concerns.
Among the other entertainment programming that is not problematic is Caesar's Writers, a tribute to and reunion of Sid Caesar's former writing staff, and Jackie Mason: Look Who's Laughing, a performance of stand-up comedy by the well known comic.
The monitoring period also featured performances by several musical artists, including
John Tesh, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Harry Belafonte, the dance troupe Riverdance and the
Cincinnati Pops. None of these programs raise any issues in regard to violence.
While there are acts of violence in some of these shows, they are never a central part of the story and never raise any issues of concern. In fact, one program in particular demonstrates that violence, when necessary to the plot or theme of a program, can be presented responsibly. An episode of Nature, documenting the various ways in which plants and animals have been helpful in solving crimes, features re-creations of a handful of violent crimes. In one instance, a woman falls backwards over a coffee table and is wrapped and dragged away by an attacker; in another, a thirteenth century Chinese field worker is attacked from behind and killed by another man. Both re-creations are handled very well. Neither one is overly graphic or prolonged, yet the essential details of each crime are effectively communicated.
The only other program in this category that depicted any type of violence is an episode of Nova, which showed various aspects and uses of lightning. None of the depictions raise concerns and, in fact, the program demonstrates responsibility in showing how dangerous lightning can be.
Two health-related programs, More Straight Talk on Menopause and Women's Health and
Straight Talk on Prostate Health, contain no violence at all. Other non-violent
programming includes Eyewitness: Prehistoric Life, which traces the origins of life on
Earth by looking at the creation and destruction of various life forms, and New Explorers,
which describes the state of the endangered manatee.
Saturday morning public television programming included Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow, Newton's Apple, Barney and Friends, Puzzle Place, Storytime, Tots TV and Big Comfy Couch. All of these shows are designed for pre-school children. In addition, each has an educational component and features a culturally diverse cast. None are animated, although Reading Rainbow and Storytime feature animated elements of the books which are read. Some of the shows include adults and children or adults as children, some feature puppets and some integrate puppets with children or adults. Themes which are presented by more than one show are sensitivity to the feelings of others, basic scientific explanations of everyday phenomena and the importance and enjoyment of reading and learning. There are no issues of violence in this programming.
Cable television began in the 1940s with a very simple purpose: to bring television signals to those who could not receive them with rooftop antennas due to mountainous terrain. As broadcast television became an important part of American culture, people living in areas blocked by mountains or other geographic barriers were denied the opportunity to watch television. Cable television, wiring the signal into homes, offered these people a chance to become television households. It is ironic that cable, the medium that would become so important in shrinking the broadcast audience, began as a medium that increased the strength and penetration of broadcast television.
Cable also offered the hope of greater channel capacity. The number of over-the-air broadcasting channels had always been limited by the scarcity of the electromagnetic spectrum. Cable did not use the electromagnetic spectrum and, therefore, imposed no inherent limit on the number of channels. As the physical cable improved and eventually became fiber optic, there were few limits to the number of potential cable channels.
Although cable possessed the promise of great channel capacity, it was a promise that was unrealized until the 1970s. This all changed with the advent of Home Box Office (HBO), which was introduced to cable systems in 1972 as a channel offering uncut, uninterrupted movies available long before they would appear on broadcast television. HBO demonstrated that there was a large potential audience for this programming. In 1975, HBO gambled on a new and revolutionary technology and put its signal on a satellite 22,300 miles above the Earth. This radically new distribution system allowed HBO to reach a national audience.
Satellite distribution was the spark that introduced a whole new host of players with original programming to cable. HBO soon faced competition in presenting recent theatrical films from another movie channel, Showtime. With so many available channels, cable networks were able to offer very specialized programming to more narrowly focused audiences. By the late 1980s, there were channels programmed exclusively for news, music, religion, shopping, governmental affairs, sports, weather and different ethnic groups.
Individual cable channels knew they could never compete head-to-head with broadcast television. Cable as a whole competes with broadcast, but even the single most successful cable channel could not gather more than a fraction of a network's audience. Broadcast television was, and still is, the medium that can appeal to everyone at the same time. It is still the only delivery system that can offer the whole nation at once to advertisers. The largest cable channels are still not available in millions of homes, whereas broadcast television is available in more than 98% of American households.
Cable challenges broadcast by offering content unavailable over the air. The first way it does this, as discussed, is through more specialized programming. But it can also offer programming that the networks, trying to appeal to everyone, cannot offer. Many critics today are shocked at the "semi-nudity" on NYPD Blue, but cable has been presenting full nudity for years. Words routinely used in movies and stand-up comedy on pay cable cannot even be considered on broadcast networks. Films like Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street, which have never appeared on network television, are regularly shown on cable. If cable did nothing more than replicate broadcast television, it would not exist. Cable must offer different programming and it does.
This project examined programming on eight cable networks for purposes of comparison to programming on the broadcast networks. The goal was not to determine whether the programming does or does not raise concerns in its native cable environment, but rather if it would raise concerns if it aired on broadcast television. A determination about the appropriateness of programming on cable itself would have to consider the greater freedom from regulation and the smaller audiences in the pay cable universe.
There are currently over 100 cable networks. Many of them have no relevance to a study about media violence, especially channels such as C-SPAN, the Home Shopping Network, the Weather Channel and the Food Channel. Our study concentrated on eight cable networks that most resemble broadcast networks, appeal to children or teenagers or create significant amounts of original dramatic programming. This project examines media violence and, therefore, issues surrounding sexuality, nudity and language did not factor into the report's conclusions. The eight cable networks examined over a two-week period are:
HBO and Showtime. Like the broadcast networks, both run many theatrical films as well as original made-for-television movies and series. Both are leaders in pay cable.
The Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and MTV (Music Television). All three appeal to young audiences, especially Disney and Nickelodeon. Disney, which began as a pay cable channel, has now largely switched to basic cable. The other two are advertiser supported. All run some original programming.
USA and TBS. These are the two cable channels closest in format to a broadcast network. They run a mix of theatrical films, television movies, sports, some series and more.
TNT (Turner Network Television). TNT runs theatrical films as well as some original television movies and mini-series.
All of the monitored cable networks except TNT run children's programming on Saturday morning. TNT runs programs with an Old West theme.
In 1996 the Federal Trade Commission approved the merger of Time Warner and Turner Broadcasting System. Now, of the eight major cable stations examined in this report, three are owned by the newly enlarged Time Warner.
Anyone who examines the majority of these channels can see that they run more explicit programming than is seen on the networks. They have more freedom and work within completely different business and regulatory structures. The intent of this section of the report is to examine ways in which cable and broadcast differ in content and to see whether the content of cable would raise concerns if broadcast on the television networks.
Founded as a movie channel by Time Inc. (now Time Warner) in the 1970s, HBO is the
largest pay cable channel in the country. In the beginning, HBO ran almost nothing but
recently released theatrical films. As other pay movie channels emerged, such as Showtime,
The Movie Channel and Cinemax (created by Time Inc. as a companion channel to HBO), HBO
began diversifying into other types of programming. Original television series such as
Dream On, Perversions of Science, OZ, Arli$$ and The Larry Sanders Show became an
important part of HBO programming. Sports, especially boxing, also became a regular item
on the menu. HBO offered stand-up comedians a forum in which they could showcase their
talents without having to curtail their language or subject matter. However, it has been
in the area of television movies that HBO has especially excelled. HBO has been able to
successfully tackle serious and historical subjects in such television movies as The
Tuskegee Airmen, Rasputin, Indictment: The McMartin Trial and even the semi-serious The
Late Shift.
Theatrical films continue to be the mainstay of the HBO prime time lineup. Seventeen
films were monitored during the two-week sample period and 15 would raise concerns if they
aired on broadcast television. The films raising concerns are:
Rick Moranis and Tom Arnold star in this dark comedy about a man returning to his
hometown to teach, only to be tormented by a bully from his high school days. While much
of the violence is minor slapstick, one lengthy scene is very mean-spirited. In the scene
Arnold's character torments Moranis with a nail gun and a blow torch. This scene would
need to be edited significantly before airing on broadcast television.
Roy Scheider stars as a good cop who uncovers a plan within the LAPD to use an experimental helicopter for illegal activity. While there is not a large amount of violence in the film, several scenes are prolonged and, in several cases, more graphic than is necessary. In a scene five minutes into the film, a suspect in a liquor store robbery is shot in the shoulder and the viewer sees the graphic impact. The film would require editing before airing on broadcast television.
In this sequel, Darkman returns to stop his archenemy Durant from developing a weapon
that would fuel a local gang war. The film is filled with more than 30 scenes of violence,
which comprise the bulk of the movie. Most of the violent scenes are prolonged and
graphic, making this movie one that would be difficult to edit sufficiently for broadcast
television.
A successful dentist loses his mind and goes on a killing spree after he discovers his
wife in a lustful tryst with the pool man. The main concern with this film is that the
scenes are extremely graphic and gory. In the most horrific scene, the dentist slits the
throat of the pool man and then repeatedly slashes his abdomen, causing blood to spray
everywhere. The dentist then forcibly extracts his adulterous wife's teeth and cuts out
her tongue, the results of which are depicted graphically. Because its plot deals with
little besides violence, this film would be nearly impossible to edit sufficiently for
broadcast television.
When a mother's 17-year-old daughter is raped and murdered and the police cannot bring
the culprit to justice, she takes the law into her own hands. The film contains two rape
scenes. Although the camera angle emphasizes the chaos of the situation in both cases,
both scenes are especially intense and somewhat bloody. In the final scene, the mother
guns down the rapist in her home and the impacts of several bullets are shown in graphic
detail. Despite these scenes, the bulk of the film explores the effects of the violence on
the family and what drives the mother to seek revenge. This film would need minor editing
to air on broadcast television.
Supermodel Cindy Crawford stars in this film about a civil attorney involved in a nasty
divorce settlement. As part of the settlement, Crawford's character demands that her
client receive certain items of property including a boat. Unbeknownst to her, the boat is
being used by former KGB agents to steal money. The movie is filled with violence from
beginning to end as the KGB tries to dispose of Crawford's character. In the most graphic
scene, a man riding with a KGB agent is shot in the crotch and then the back of the head.
The viewer sees blood splatter across the windshield. This sets off a shooting spree in
which several men are graphically shot. Because violence plays such a predominant role in
the film, it would be difficult to edit it sufficiently for broadcast television.
This is the compelling sequel to the Academy Award-winning original of the same name.
The film chronicles Vito Corleone's rise through the ranks of the Mafia and the subsequent
transfer of power to his son. As might be expected in a gangster film, there is a
considerable amount of shooting and killing. However, given the film's more than
three-hour running time, the number of violent scenes (13) is relatively small. Most of
the violent scenes are short and deal with consequences in a contextually appropriate and
intelligent manner. However, a few of the shootings and a particularly graphic
near-evisceration with a knife would require editing before the film would be suitable for
broadcast television.
Demi Moore plays a juror in a mob conspiracy trial who is pressured by associates of
the defendant to deliver an acquittal. While the film did not have a large amount of
violence (only eight scenes in a two-hour film), several scenes were brutal enough to
warrant concern. In a scene one hour and 40 minutes into the film, the villain blows up
another character in a car and shoots several others. The depictions are especially
graphic. In the climactic scene, Moore shoots the villain several times with a pistol.
Although these scenes are integral to understanding the plot and character, the film would
require editing before airing on broadcast television.
Steven Seagal is a cop bent on revenge in this action-packed film. As in all Seagal films, there are more than 20 scenes of Seagal doing what he is famous for, beating up bad guys. Most of the scenes are prolonged, glorified and graphic. During the climax of the film, Seagal blows off the lower leg of a man with a shotgun and kills the lead villain by stabbing a corkscrew into his head. Perhaps most troubling, however, is the fact that Seagal's character suffers no punishment for his actions. Although this is a film that would be difficult to edit sufficiently for broadcast, several stations have tried. The film aired twice on broadcast during the first two years of the study and raised concerns.
Three other big budget, action-oriented films with big name stars in the leading roles
aired on HBO. Assassins, True Lies and Virtuosity all contain as many as 30 glorified
scenes and would be all but impossible to edit sufficiently for broadcast.
A jealous former law school classmate attempts to frame a wealthy businessman for a
series of brutal murders. For the most part, the violence in this movie is not excessive
or graphic, especially given the plot. However, the last scene is a bit prolonged and
glamorized. A woman shoots the villain twice in the chest and he falls through a glass
window to his death. The scene would need to be edited considerably before it could air on
broadcast television.
As the world approaches the twenty-first century, virtual reality has replaced
narcotics as the newest addictive substance. Lenny, a local black market peddler of
"the wire," gets mixed up in a murder plot involving the police, a political
activist and his former girlfriend. This science fiction film is filled with action from
beginning to end and contains more than 35 scenes of violence. Several scenes contain
brutal murders and one depicts a graphic and unsettling rape. The film climaxes with a
brutal fight between Lenny and his best friend, featuring shooting, punching, a graphic
stabbing and Lenny's friend falling to his death from the top of a hotel. This is yet
another example of a film that would be difficult to edit sufficiently for broadcast
television.
A vampire from the Caribbean comes to Brooklyn looking for the last of his kind, a young woman who is half-vampire, half-human. This dark comedy starring Eddie Murphy is at times far more violent than many viewers might expect. The movie contains more than 25 scenes of violence. While many of these are minor scenes of grabbing, pushing, and shoving, there are several that are lengthy and graphic. In a scene ten minutes into the film, Murphy's character rips the heart out of a local street thug and then proceeds to dismember the thug's accomplice. Other scenes contain brutal punches and shootings. This film would need heavy editing before it could air on broadcast television, and could also benefit from an advisory warning for those who might assume that the film is basically a comedy.
The films that could air on broadcast television with little or no concerns about violence were:
Only one original HBO movie aired during the sample period. About a mad doctor who
genetically engineers an almost invincible monster, DNA is loaded with violent scenes that
are prolonged and occasionally graphic. In one scene, viewers see the vivid depiction of
the monster ripping through a man's chest with its claw and then dragging him away. The
climactic scene contains more than five minutes of gunfire which, combined with the other
violent scenes, make this a film that would be difficult to edit sufficiently for
broadcast television.
During the two week sample, HBO aired three original series. The Larry Sanders Show, the Emmy-winning program about a talk show host, is violence-free. Tracey Takes On..., Tracey Ullman's show of sketch comedy, contained only a few minor slapstick scenes and raised no concerns.
The third program, Tales From the Crypt, raises a few minor concerns about its use of violence. Based on the horror comic books of the 1950s, the show tells moralistic albeit violent stories of right and wrong. In one episode, there was a graphic shooting that would need to be edited before the program would be suitable for broadcast television.
HBO also aired two specials during the sample period, programs chronicling the making
of the theatrical releases Airheads and Fair Game. Both programs contain interviews with
the films' stars and feature clips from the movies and raise no concerns with respect to
violence.
Several stand-up comedians, such as George Carlin and Adam Sandler, were showcased
during our two week sample. HBO also aired two political satire specials, Not Necessarily
the Elections and Thirty Seconds Over Washington. In all cases these programs were free of
violence.
Early morning programming on HBO consists of several animated programs: Animated Hero Classics, The Neverending Story, Testament: The Bible in Animation and The Wizard of Oz. While some of the programs have a darker tone than might be expected, they all contain minimal amounts of violence that is contextually appropriate. HBO also aired three films on Saturday morning during the sample period: Bebe's Kids, Miss Evers' Boys and Racing with the Moon. None of these three films raise concerns of violence. Early morning programming consists of animated fairy tales like the popular Happily Ever After and The Neverending Story. The little violence these shows contain is tame, minor and raises no concerns.
Showtime, like HBO, runs uncut theatrical films. While Showtime does create some
original programming, it contains less than HBO and relies more on films.
During the prime time hours of the two-week sample, Showtime ran 17 theatrical films.
Of these, 13 would raise concerns on broadcast television if they were not edited. These
films include:
This visually impressive 1991 theatrical is Ron Howard's tale of two brothers who
battle fires and each other in pursuit of an arsonist. The majority of the violent scenes
involve the fighting of fires. However, one of the scenes depicts a fairly graphic, albeit
nonfatal, impalement that would require minor editing before it could air on broadcast
television.
An Irish terrorist escapes from prison determined to destroy the life of a former
associate who has left his radical past behind. While the total number of violent scenes
does not raise concerns, the climactic scene is prolonged and graphic. In the scene, the
hero pulls several nails out of his leg and stabs the villain in the neck. The scene would
need to be edited before airing on network television.
A renowned professor of psychology and female sexuality, who moonlights as a strip club
dancer, gets involved with a student who is suspected of a series of murders. While there
are not that many violent scenes in the film, several are very graphic. In a scene 30
minutes into the film, a man's throat is slashed and blood splatters onto his car window.
The graphic scenes would require significant editing before this film could be shown on
broadcast television.
A megalomaniac decides that there is not enough violent programming on television, so
he creates his own station where fighters battle to the death. In addition to thematic
problems, this film is loaded with more than 40 scenes of violence. The scenes, typically
involving hand-to-hand combat, are prolonged and often glorified. If all of the violence
was edited out of this film there would not be anything left.
This film stars Keanu Reeves as a courier in the not-so-distant future with the capacity for storing computerized information in his head. He is pursued far and wide when his cognitive cargo is the cure for a life-threatening disease. Containing more than 20 lengthy scenes of violence, the film is comprised of little else. It also contains exceptionally brutal acts such as decapitations, electrocutions and dismemberment. Clearly, this is a film that would be difficult, if not impossible, to edit for broadcast television.
A detective uncovers a trail of corruption that leads to his own captain. He risks the
lives of his family and himself in order to expose these wrongdoings. While there are only
11 scenes of violence in the film, most of them are glorified and prolonged, lasting up to
three minutes. A scene six minutes into the film features a lengthy shootout in which
several men are killed. This shootout is followed by a chase that culminates with two men
falling through a glass window into a swimming pool. Other scenes are very antiseptic.
This film would be difficult to edit for broadcast television.
A group of crooked businessmen hire a mercenary group to take over an island, only to
have the leader of the group side with the indigenous population and wage an all out war.
There is not much to this film beyond the 35 scenes of violence. Graphic shootings and
stabbings, and lengthy scenes of hand-to-hand combat make this film nearly impossible to
edit sufficiently for broadcast television.
Two con-artist brothers get involved in a credit card scam that gets out of hand and
ultimately threatens both of their lives. There is a considerable amount of violence and
action for a film that many might have assumed was a light comedy. The final scene is over
ten minutes long with several graphic gunshots, a fistfight and a hanging. This film would
likely require heavy editing before airing on broadcast.
This psychological thriller is about a female psychiatrist who believes she is being
stalked, only to realize that she suffers from multiple personality disorder as a result
of childhood abuses by her father, and, in fact, has been stalking herself. The final
shootout is especially graphic and gory as the psychiatrist shoots her father in the
groin. Due to its graphic nature, this film would need editing before appearing on
broadcast television.
Tim Robbins stars in this tale of a banker who is sent to prison for a crime he did not
commit. He befriends several inmates who come to admire his ability to get things done in
spite of a ruthless warden and merciless group of prison guards. Of the eight scenes of
violence in this film, all are used to establish character or develop the plot. Moreover,
the violence is not prolonged or portrayed in a glorified manner. However, a scene an
hour-and-a-half into the film depicting the shooting of a prison inmate is a bit more
graphic than what normally appears on broadcast television, and would need minor editing.
In this 1991 Academy Award winner, a young FBI agent enlists the help of a psychotic
criminal in order to track down a serial killer. As stated in the 1995 report, several
scenes in this film are more graphic and intense than would normally be shown on broadcast
television, especially the escape of Hannibal Lecter from the police. However, the film
did air in edited form that year on broadcast television and did not raise concerns.
An escaped convict takes his brother's wife hostage in order to get south of the
Mexican border. The only scene that raises concern in this film is the climax which
features a lengthy fistfight between the two brothers. The fight is graphic and glorified
and would need substantial editing before airing on broadcast television.
Keyser Söze, a criminal mastermind thriving in anonymity, contrives a clever and
tangled plot to kill the only man who can identify him. There is a great deal of violence
in this film, much of which appropriately furthers the plot. Some scenes, including a
flashback of Keyser Söze killing his own wife and children, are especially dark and
brutal. This film would require considerable editing in order appear on broadcast
television.
The following films could air on network television without raising any concerns about
violence:
Showtime ran six made-for-cable movies during the prime time hours of the two week
sample. Four of these films could not be shown on broadcast television without raising
concerns. They are:
A story set in the Old West, this made-for follows a revolver as it changes hands among
several men. Although there are 14 scenes of violence, most of these are of well handled
shootouts or minor fistfights that do not raise concerns. However, one scene did raise
concerns because of its graphic and brutal depictions of shootings. In the scene, a man is
shot, leaving a gaping hole in his chest. While he writhes in pain on the ground, his
killer fires a final round into the man's head, the results of which are vividly depicted.
This scene would clearly need to be edited before airing on broadcast television.
A young woman devises a manipulative scheme to make money. It culminates in the death
of three people including her ex-boyfriend. A scene depicting a very brutal stabbing would
require editing before being suitable for broadcast.
A chilling tale from director Roger Corman, this film details the life of the man for
which sadism is named, the Marquis de Sade. As is typical of Corman films, there is quite
a bit of sexually explicit content and violence; often the two are mixed together. There
are scenes explicitly depicting rape, beheadings, graphic gunshots and a man being burnt
alive. Clearly, this film would require an enormous amount of editing before appearing on
broadcast television.
A cynical emergency room doctor decides to take on the mob in order to rescue a woman in trouble. The amount of graphic, intense and gratuitous violence in this film raises serious concerns. Also troubling is the repeated mixture of violent and sexual content in scenes that are marginally relevant to the plot, especially one scene which shows a woman cutting herself with a knife in the shower. A wide shot reveals that her naked body is covered from head to toe in her own blood. It would be nearly impossible to broadcast this film on network television.
The two made-for-cable films that did not raise any concerns in terms of violence are:
Four original programs aired during the sample period. Two of these programs, Bedtime and Sherman Oaks, do not raise any concerns in terms of violence. A science fiction program that raised concerns last year, The Outer Limits, was monitored once this year and does not raise concerns. The one show that raises concerns is Poltergeist: The Legacy.
Based loosely on the movie Poltergeist, this original production chronicles the work of a group called "The Legacy," dedicated to protecting the human race from hostile paranormal activity. One episode of the show contains seven scenes of violence, the majority of which are integral to the plot's development. However, a scene 20 minutes into the show in which a nurse stabs her hand with a message spike is extremely graphic. In the climactic scene, the villain is electrocuted and impaled on a shard of glass. The scenes would need to be edited to be acceptable for broadcast television. Poltergeist: The Legacy was monitored twice during the sample period and raised concerns once.
In addition, Showtime aired two specials during the sample period. Clip Notes, which
previewed upcoming films, and Sex and the Silver Screen both utilized clips from feature
films. Neither show raises concerns about violence.
The early morning hours of Showtime's programming consist largely of animated shows
such as Richard Scarry, Paddington Goes to the Movies and Treasure Island. These shows
contain slapstick or minor acts of violence that do not raise concerns. Showtime also
aired two movies in the Saturday morning slot: Mad Love and A River Runs Through It. While
not specifically intended for children, neither film contains violence that raises
concerns.
The Disney name is famous around the world for family entertainment, and The Disney Channel offers an opportunity to view this kind of programming around the clock. The array of offerings on The Disney Channel is surprisingly diverse. Disney's animation is a staple of the channel, coming in half-hour and one-hour episodes as well as in theatrical films, both classic and new. Television movies and theatrical films appealing to an older audience are shown in the prime time hours. Also broadcast later at night are specials and educational shows ranging from documentaries to science programs.
Almost all of the monitored programming reflects Disney's commitment to wholesome family programming and raises no concerns. Many of the programs are entirely free of violent content. For the most part, the violence that does occur is appropriate within the context of the show and does not raise any issues. Three exceptions, which are discussed later, do raise issues partly due to the audience to which Disney normally caters--namely, children.
The only series aired during the monitoring period was Avonlea, which contained no violence at all.
As mentioned earlier, The Disney Channel offers a wide variety of made-for-cable movies, made-for-television movies and theatrical films. The overwhelming majority of these films deliver wholesome family fare that is at most minimally violent and does not raise concerns. The non-problematic films included in the sample are: Tom and Huck; The Black Hole; The Three Lives of Thomasina; The Flintstones Meet the Jetsons; Heavyweights; Real Genius; The Santa Clause; Splash; Splash, Too; A Boy Named Charlie Brown; The Happiest Millionaire; The Jungle Book; The World's Greatest Athlete; Picture Perfect; Balto; Felix the Cat; Gus; The Great Outdoors; Magic Island; Labyrinth; You Ruined My Life; Can't Buy Me Love; Just Like Dad and Much Ado About Nothing.
One of the three films that raises mild concerns is Dune. Although most of the film is free of violence, some scenes are rather graphic. The most notable of these is the climactic scene which contains a dagger fight culminating with the loser getting stabbed in the throat. Although the violent scene occurred almost three hours into the film and was slightly edited, it was still surprisingly brutal.
The second film that raises concerns is Ernest Goes to Camp, which follows the exploits of a dopey camp counselor in charge of a pack of juvenile delinquents at a summer camp. This film contains an inordinate number of violent scenes (32), many of which could be easily imitated by children (fingers slammed in a window; shoes set on fire; kicking, grabbing and slapping). Much of the violence is cartoonish and antiseptic. For example, a group of construction workers showered with explosives and flaming arrows emerges relatively unscathed. Too often this film presents serious, potentially lethal violence as inconsequential and comedic.
The third film that raises concerns is the theatrical release Kazaam, starring Shaquille O'Neal. The film tells the story of a problem child, Max, who rebels against his single mother and is often antagonized by bullies at school. In his quest to find his biological father, Max runs into trouble with some thugs with whom his father is dealing. Max is able to navigate his way through all of these problems with the help of a genie who befriends him. Some of the violence in the film is necessary to the plot's development and is contextually appropriate, but there is much that is extraneous and inappropriate as well. The intensity of some of the scenes is also troubling given that the film is aimed at a younger audience. For example, in one of the final scenes the genie, Kazaam, becomes angry at a group of thugs for having killed Max. Kazaam kicks, punches and throws the men around and then dispenses with their leader by squashing him into a ball and slam-dunking him into a metal chute. The violence in the film is often glorified through music and special effects. The film also sends confusing and inappropriate messages to children by mixing fantasy violence with real violence and by depicting characters who choose violence as an alternative over other non-violent means of resolving situations. Had this film been geared toward an adult audience, these issues would likely be of no concern.
All of the shows in the Saturday morning lineup contain some minor violence, but do not raise concerns because the violence is either contextually appropriate or is minimally slapstick. The programs in the sample consisted of the following series: Mouse Tracks, Tale Spin, Quack Attack, Goof Troop, Chip ‘N' Dale Rescue Rangers, Amazing Animals, Really Wild Animals and Animal Adventures.
Although there are some instances where the violence shown on The Disney Channel does
raise concerns, this is principally due to the fact that the channel draws a large youth
audience. Overall, The Disney Channel's programming is noticeably free of violent content,
especially when compared with other sources of programming examined in this report.
Nickelodeon also has a reputation for programming that is family-friendly and virtually free of violence. In all three years of this violence study, the network has largely lived up to that reputation. While some of its animated programming may have a harder edge than that found on The Disney Channel, this is mainly due to the network's effort to also attract a young teen audience by cultivating a "hip" image.
Prime time programming on Nickelodeon consists primarily of "classic TV" that was part of broadcast network lineups during the 1960s and 1970s. In the two week sample of "Nick at Night," Happy Days, I Love Lucy, The Munsters, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, The Odd Couple and Taxi were monitored. With few exceptions, these shows rarely feature any acts of violence. Although they may feature an occasional act of physical comedy, it is always appropriate within the context of the show and of no concern. The "Nick at Night" concept has been so successful that Nickelodeon has created an entire channel dedicated to classic television called TV Land.
In addition to classic TV, Nickelodeon has created a wide array of original programming, both animated and live action, which airs during prime time hours and is aimed at the youth and pre-teen audiences. These shows, which feature pre- and early teens in the leading roles, often deal with many of the problems that young adults face today. The programming is appealing, smartly written and raises no issues of violence. While an occasional episode may feature a scuffle or physical comedy, the acts are all minor and relevant to the plot. In fact, an episode of The Secret World of Alex Mack that aired on 2/27/97 sent an anti-violence message. Instead of fighting with a school bully, Alex talks her way out of the conflict. Ultimately, all of the children at the school unite in her defense. The following programs also did not raise concerns about violence:
Saturday morning programming on Nickelodeon is also predominantly non-violent. While shows like Doug, Rugrats and Tiny Toon Adventures do contain a few slapstick scenes of violence, they are all minor and appropriate within the context of each show. However, the one show raising concerns that airs during the Saturday morning lineup is Ren and Stimpy.
Airing at 11:30 a.m., Ren and Stimpy is about a dog and cat who live together and manage to get themselves into some interesting situations. Imbued with much of the irreverent spirit of The Simpsons, the animated show features crude humor and at times graphic violence. In the episode that aired on 3/1/97, Stimpy is tear-gassed, causing his eyes to pop out and tears to pour out of the sockets. As is the case in most cartoons, the characters suffer little permanent injury. It is clear that the violence is exaggerated and unrealistic; however, the sometimes graphic nature of the show is clearly out of character with the rest of the network's programming.
MTV is one of the most controversial channels available on basic cable. While it is a mainstay for many young adults, the station has also been accused of contributing to moral depravity and a decline in values on television. Both loved and hated, MTV single-handedly created the demand for music videos in the early part of the 1980s. The channel also pioneered the use of computer graphics, which are seen in its on-air promotions and logos. Throughout the 1990s, MTV has moved to create more diverse programming, featuring variety and reality-based series, news, documentaries, animation and sporting events. Perhaps responding to criticism that it has drifted from its original intent to show music videos, MTV has created a spin-off station, M2, that features music videos 24 hours a day.
Although MTV appeals to youth, its target audience is older than that of the
youth-oriented programming on Nickelodeon or The Disney Channel. A majority of the
programming would be lost on a viewer under ten. The criticisms directed at the station,
such as those referring to sexually explicit content or the debasing of women, are less
prevalent today than during the initial years of the station. An analysis of MTV's
programming must take into account the context of the channel as a whole and what the
station's brand name (much like Disney or Nickelodeon) means to the viewers.
While music accounts for a shrinking proportion of MTV's overall programming, it still comprises the majority of programming in prime time. During our two week sample, Jams Countdown, Prime Time, Yo! and Unplugged were monitored. The first three programs show videos (Yo! exclusively features rap and hip-hop) while Unplugged features artists playing live acoustic versions of their hits. Prime Time presents a wide array of music videos, some of which raise a few issues.
"Peaches" is a song by the alternative band Presidents of the United States
of America, a group with a penchant for humorous lyrics. Their video concludes with a
parody of kung fu movies, featuring quite a bit of punching and kicking. The action is
outrageous and clearly hyperbolic, but this could be lost on younger viewers. The video
for "Greedy Fly," a song by the grunge band Bush, is the most graphically
violent music video monitored during the past three years. The video is an artistic,
albeit dark, depiction of the inner struggle between good and evil. In the climactic fight
scene, "evil" rips the wings off the back of the angelic "good."
Viewers hear the joints popping as blood splatters across the screen of a television. In a
later scene, flies burrow out of the arm of a man and blood pours from the gaping wound.
In all, this video may leave even some of the most jaded of viewers unsettled. Several
videos by Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails, while containing no actual acts of violence,
have a dark tone and various graphic images that could be frightening to younger viewers.
Five years ago, MTV's programmers put a 1990s spin on the An American Family concept when they created the immensely popular Real World series. Intended to be completely non-fictional, the program examines how well a group of total strangers handles day-to-day life while living together for six months. The show has been based in major metropolitan cities: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London and, this past year, Miami. The format has been so popular that it has yielded a spinoff series, Road Rules, which features a group of young adults traveling together. Neither of the two programs raises any concerns about violence.
In addition to reality-based programming, MTV has several variety series airing in
prime time. During our sample we monitored two: The Rodman World Tour and The Jenny
McCarthy Show. The Rodman World Tour features the escapades of Dennis Rodman and his
special guests. This program is free of violence. The Jenny McCarthy Show features sketch
comedy. While some of the skits contain acts of minor physical comedy, they are all
appropriate within the context of the show and raise no concerns.
One game show aired during the two week sample: Singled Out. Essentially a 1990s
version of the ever-popular The Dating Game, the show features young men and women
selecting a date through a frequently humorous process of elimination. Not surprisingly,
this program is completely free of violence.
MTV has its own version of Candid Camera called Buzzkill. Three young men travel the
country looking for unsuspecting victims for their pranks and practical jokes. While the
show contains marginal amounts of violence, the acts fit within the context of the
featured practical joke and are used for humorous effect.
Sports broadcasting, like much of the other programming on MTV, does not fit the usual mold. Two sports programs aired during our two week sample: MTV's Rock-n-Jock and MTV Sports. Rock-n-Jock pairs sports and entertainment celebrities in a basketball game benefitting the Pediatric AIDS Foundation. MTV Sports profiles high-risk "extreme sports" activities such as sky diving, in-line skating and snowboarding. The one episode monitored featured cross country biking. Several crashes were shown to illustrate the inherent danger of the sport. Neither show raises any issues in terms of violence.
Several documentaries aired during the sample period. Smashed and Straight Dope looked, respectively, at the perils of underage drinking and drug abuse. Both programs were intelligent, informative and were virtually violence-free. Tupac Shakur-In His Own Words examined the tragically short life of the slain rapper, using old interview footage and clips from movies in which he starred. Interestingly, MTV chose to show non-violent footage from films in which violence was prevalent. This creative choice is commendable.
Specials on MTV are generally related to the premiers of movies. During the sample
period, specials aired for the premiers of That Thing You Do and Howard Stern's
"Private Parts." Each special features interviews with the stars of the films
and preview clips, none of which raised concerns. Star Wars: An MTV Movie Special looks at
the 20-year anniversary re-release of the film and what it has meant to the genre of
science fiction. Several scenes from the film are shown that highlight battle scenes and
light saber duels. However, these scenes are what Star Wars is about and must be seen in
order to understand the movie.
Animated programming on MTV is decidedly not for children. Beavis and Butt-Head is
perhaps the most famous and controversial program the channel has ever aired. Parodies of
the stereotypical MTV viewer, Beavis and Butt-Head are a pair of moronic, social misfit
buddies who watch videos and get into trouble. Known for crossing the line, the subject
material is often crude and tasteless. Most of the episodes monitored contain scenes of
Beavis and Butt-Head beating each other up. In one episode, Butt-Head tries to pierce
Beavis' ear by using a compass and a drill. This scene would have raised considerable
concerns if it had aired at an earlier time slot or in the morning when a higher
proportion of children are in the audience. However, during the sample period, the program
aired no earlier than 10:00 p.m. Beavis and Butt-Head, aired in a time slot when few
children are in the audience, does not raise concerns.
TBS was the first of the Turner cable channels. Now that Turner has joined Time Warner, even more channels are on the way. TBS is very different from other cable channels in a rather significant way: it is licensed as a local UHF station, WTBS, in Atlanta. This means that it is regulated like a broadcast station rather than a cable channel and, therefore, must serve the public interest, convenience and necessity. In the 1970s, Turner transformed both broadcasting and cable by taking his over-the-air Atlanta station and beaming it up to a satellite to create a "Superstation." He took WTBS, with its weak signal, and transformed it into a national television station.
Turner was able to broadcast the games of Atlanta's baseball and basketball teams on TBS because he owned the teams. Over the years, TBS has developed like a network, with a mix of different programming types. It runs far fewer original programs than a network and more theatrical films. In 1985 Turner purchased from MGM one of the biggest and best movie libraries in the world, and that library has become a source of much programming on all of the Turner cable channels. Turner runs more television and theatrical films than any other source on television. The Turner networks air over 700 films per month and, now that the company has merged with Time Warner, that figure is sure to rise. TBS also runs more documentaries than the broadcast networks. Ted Turner's interest in both scientific exploration and the environment is well represented by the National Geographic and Jacques Cousteau documentaries.
TBS is also different from other cable channels because it does not have separate East
and West Coast feeds. Almost all cable networks use two separate transponders on the
satellite so their programming can appear "at the same time" on both coasts.
While the East Coast feed is used to send a program out to the East at 8:00 p.m., the
other feed sends out the same program three hours later to the West. The result is a
schedule that resembles that of a broadcast network. TBS, since it also exists as an
over-the-air station, must send all its programs out at the same time. Therefore, the
definition of prime time differs with TBS. A program that begins at 6:00 p.m. in Los
Angeles is simultaneously playing at 9:00 p.m. in the East. Accordingly, some programs may
raise concerns because they appear too early in one time zone, while simultaneously
raising fewer concerns at the later hour in another time zone.
During the two-week period TBS was monitored, it ran 21 theatrical films. Of these,
seven would raise concerns about violence if shown on a broadcast network, including:
In this film, Kurt Russell plays a truck driver who helps save his friend's fiancee
from an evil, supernatural being. The being wants to become mortal by marrying and then
sacrificing her. This film raises serious issues of concern because of the antiseptic but
brutal nature of many of the violent acts. Though tongue in cheek, many of the sequences
are prolonged and glorified. In the few instances in which consequences are shown, they
are unrealistic. This film could only be aired on network television after substantial
editing.
A man indicted for murder has a love affair with his lawyer, who participates in a plot
to help him escape from prison. The escaped murder suspect holds a family hostage while he
waits for his attorney. Although many of the violent scenes in the film are relevant to
the plot's development, a few are overly graphic and gratuitous. The climactic scene, in
particular, shows police gunfire that is excessive and unrealistic. With some minor
editing, this film could be shown on a broadcast network.
After being traumatized by the pointless deaths of several fellow servicemen, a Navy pilot flies his own covert mission to bomb Hanoi. Although it is not surprising to find that violence plays a prominent role in a war movie, this film raises issues due to the graphic nature of certain key scenes, most notably a needlessly explicit stabbing of a North Vietnamese soldier. This film could be made suitable for broadcast television with some minor editing.
After a mother of four is left penniless following the death of her husband, she moves
her family into her parents' home. Though her parents had previously disowned her, the
mother plans to win back the love of her wealthy and dying father. However, her scheme
ultimately results in the confinement and suffering of her children as well as her own
gruesome death. This film is intense and disturbing. While the violence is not glorified,
its central role in the story raises concerns. The hanging of the mother is shown from
different angles, exemplifying the mood and intensity that the film tries to build through
violence. This film could be aired on broadcast television by editing this one scene.
A divorcee and her two sons move to a coastal town which, unbeknownst to them, is
inhabited by a group of vampires. The oldest son falls under the vampires' influence and
can only be released from their spell by killing the head vampire. Although it aired with
an advisory, this film raises concerns because of its unnecessarily graphic depictions.
Moreover, many of the scenes are prolonged and glorified, especially the climax of the
film depicting the demise of several vampires. This sequence features scenes of burning
and melting skin, multiple impalements and an exploding head. With editing, this film
could suitably air on broadcast television.
Before retiring, two Chicago police detectives are determined to capture a
drug-dealing, long-time nemesis. The sheer volume of violence in this film (27 scenes) is
the primary concern. However, almost as troubling is the very cavalier attitude toward
violence displayed by the film's two main characters. This is especially so when the film
is aired at 7:35 p.m. on the West Coast, when the audience might contain a large number of
children. Editing would be required before airing this film on broadcast television.
A master of martial arts returns to his hometown to avenge his friend's murder, and in the process must take on the Korean mafia. Despite an advisory which claimed that the film had been "edited for content," the violence in this film is excessive and graphic. Many of the scenes are prolonged and glorified, relying upon slow-motion, music and sound effects to underscore the brutality. Violence is even used as a form of barter in this film, as the protagonist offers to allow an eager threesome the chance to fight him "full contact, no protection" in exchange for information. Airing this film on broadcast television would require major editing.
Of the theatrical films monitored, those that could be aired on a broadcast network without any changes are:
Several different documentary-style programs aired, none of which raised any concerns. National Geographic Explorer investigates the natural world, while The Power of Angels and Haunted deal with the supernatural. The Incredible Life and Times of Robert Ripley presents a biography of the famed entertainer. The only prime time series that aired on TBS during the monitoring period, Matlock, raised no issues. Although the episode of Matlock monitored contained five scenes of violence, they were all handled well and were not graphic.
The Saturday morning lineup on TBS consisted of several animated programs including
Taz-Mania, Tom and Jerry's Halloween, Bugs Bunny's Halloween, The Jetsons and Scooby Doo.
Most of the violent scenes contained in these programs were slapstick. Two theatrical
films aired on Saturday morning during the monitoring period, Bill and Ted's Excellent
Adventure and Airborne. Both films contained minimal amounts of violence that were
appropriate within their contexts.
In both look and feel, the USA network is the closest thing to a broadcast channel available on basic cable. With original series, made-for-cable movies and theatrical motion pictures accounting for the bulk of the prime time hours, programming very closely parallels that of the four major networks. Reaching 70 million homes, USA is one of the most successful cable stations. But much of the programming, both original series and movies, contains scenes that are far more intense than what is found on broadcast television.
Five theatrical films aired during our two week sample. Three would raise concerns if
shown on broadcast television. The two not raising concerns, Kindergarten Cop and Mr.
Baseball, are lighthearted comedies containing minor acts of violence. They could air on
broadcast television without editing. The three films raising concerns are:
A remake of the 1962 classic, Cape Fear is about a recently released ex-con who vows to
make life a living hell for the family of the lawyer whom he blames for sending him to
prison. Even though much of the abuse is psychological, the last twenty minutes is full of
intense physical violence. In the climactic scene, viewers see a brutal fist fight and the
villain being burned alive. With some editing, this film could be made suitable for
broadcast television.
The second twisted tale in a series from horror guru Clive Barker, this theatrical
tells the story of a young woman who re-enters hell in a search for her deceased father.
Airing at 7:00 p.m. on the West Coast, the film is filled with extremely graphic violence
from beginning to end. In one scene, the viewer sees a man torn apart with meat hooks.
Other acts of violence include neck slashings and decapitations. While there is clear
evidence of editing, this is the archetype of a film that would be impossible to edit
sufficiently for broadcast television.
Coining the phrase "I'll be back," this 1984 theatrical starring Arnold
Schwarzenegger is about a cyborg from the future who is sent to kill an unsuspecting
woman. Action and violence is non-stop throughout the film. In a scene a little more than
an hour into the film, the cyborg storms a police station, shooting and killing everyone
in his path. This film would require significant editing before airing on broadcast
television.
Only two made-for-cable movies aired during the sample period, and neither raised
concerns about violence. We the Jury, a film about the trial of a woman accused of killing
her abusive husband, was free of violence. In Any Place But Home a young couple kidnaps
the son of a wealthy businessman. Although there were 12 scenes of violence in the film,
they were all well handled and used to develop the plot. The film also aired with an
advisory.
USA aired seven original series during the sample period and three raised concerns
about their use of violence. All of the series contained scenes of violence, but differed
significantly in the ways they treated the violence. The series raising concerns are:
Based loosely on the 1990 French film, this program is about a young woman serving a
life sentence for a crime she did not commit. She is coerced into working for
"Section One," a highly secret anti-terrorist group that works outside the
boundaries of the law. There is quite a bit of fighting and gunplay in this show. Much of
the action is antiseptic and glorifies the heroine. In one episode, the heroine crashes
through the ceiling of a room, kicking the gun out of the hand of a man ready to kill a
hostage. Others shoot the remaining terrorists. Although the violence is not continuous
throughout the show, its violent premise and failure to depict any real consequences would
raise frequent concerns on broadcast television.
This action show revolves around police officers who patrol a beach strip on bicycles.
The show contains quite a bit of action and violence. The main concerns raised by this
program are the quantity of violence--as many as ten scenes--and the glorified nature of
the violence in those scenes. They were often unrealistic and accompanied by music, making
the violence look and feel very exciting. This show also does little to examine the
consequences of the violence.
This action program stars Lorenzo Lamas as an ex-cop on the run. After being framed by his fellow officers, he works as a bounty hunter. The show is filled with glorified violence that is unrealistic and lacks consequences. Lamas' character is often involved in big fight scenes and shootouts. As mentioned in last year's report, the plot of Renegade is rarely about anything other than violence.
Silk Stalkings, a program that raised concerns last season, was monitored five times and did not raise any concerns during this year's sample period. Last season this detective-thriller often relied on very graphic images and violent climaxes to further the storyline. This season the show appears to have toned down the use of graphic images. The violence used was integral to the story and not excessive. Other original programs that aired on USA during the sample period and did not raise issues in terms of violence are:
The early Saturday morning hours of USA's programming are dedicated to infomercials and
WWF wrestling. The children's programming consists largely of cartoons airing after 11:00
a.m. Three of the four programs monitored fall into the sinister combat violence category:
Street Fighter, Mortal Combat and Savage Dragon. All of these action-adventure shows focus
on martial arts fighting. The fight scenes are frequently unrealistic and very glorified.
Wing Commander Academy also contains violence, but falls into the tame combat violence
category. The emphasis in this show is not on hand-to-hand combat and the characters often
express remorse for their actions.
Created as a venue for Turner Broadcasting's vast library of films, TNT's programming
consists largely of theatrical and made-for-television movies. Since its inception, TNT
has also financed and/or produced several large scale productions. However, the channel
has also become a venue for sports, including NBA basketball, boxing and WCW wrestling.
But in general, the standard TNT prime time lineup is dominated by films. Like TBS, TNT
does not have a separate East Coast and West Coast feed and therefore runs its programming
at one time for the entire country.
Sixteen films aired on TNT during the two-week sample period, and all of them contained
some violence. Several of these films monitored ran violence advisories much like those on
network television. Of the 16 films that aired, five would raise concerns if they aired on
network television. Those films are:
A sorcerer's apprentice takes on the challenge of slaying a dragon, but soon realizes
that he has taken on more than he can handle. As expected from the fantasy-adventure
genre, there is plenty of action and violence. While no single scene stands out as a
problem, there are more than 20 scenes of violence in this two-hour film. Some of the
violence is graphic, such as the dragon blowing fire on a foe. In addition, several scenes
of combat are lengthy. However, this film could be made suitable for broadcast television
with minor editing.
In the sequel to the 1973 hit theatrical, a priest investigates the causes behind a
girl's demonic possession. The main issue with this film is that, in several scenes, the
violence is far more graphic than is necessary to tell the story. In one scene, the priest
steps on a bed of spikes that pierce through his foot. In the film's climax the priest
rips the heart from a demon's chest in order to save a child. These images are extremely
graphic and grisly, even for cable. To the channel's credit, it ran four advisories for
adult content during the film. At a later time slot (the film aired at 7:30 p.m. on the
West Coast) and with minor editing, this film could air on broadcast television.
This 1980 horror film from director John Carpenter is about a small California coastal
town haunted by the inhabitants of a 100-year-old shipwreck. While there are only seven
scenes of violence, one occurring 18 minutes into the film is extremely brutal. The viewer
sees one man stabbed through the mid-section by a sword and several others mutilated with
a large fishermen's hook. In the final scene, a man is decapitated. Although both scenes
are integral to the plot, they would require some editing before being aired on broadcast
television.
In a remake of the 1968 cult classic, several people barricade themselves inside a
house in order to avoid a horde of brain-eating zombies roaming the countryside. This film
is filled with virtually non-stop violence from beginning to end. In the first ten minutes
alone, a zombie is stabbed in the hand with a metal rod and a man's head is crushed on the
side of a tombstone. In addition to the numerous fistfights in the film, zombies are shot
frequently in the head. TNT ran three advisories with the film. However, even with
advisories, it would be difficult to edit this film sufficiently for broadcast television.
In this film based on the DC comic book, a young scientist develops a formula which transforms him into the "Swamp Thing," a half-man, half-plant creature. He endeavors to keep the formula away a from an evil genius while, at the same time, saving the woman he loves. Despite the seemingly high number of violent scenes (27), most of them involve minor acts of aggression that do not raise concerns. Many are chase scenes which may feature gunfire that misses its target. However, in a scene occurring in the second hour of the film, the Swamp Thing's arm is chopped off by a henchman with a machete. The Swamp Thing then kills the man by squeezing his head until blood gushes out of his mouth. This film would likely be edited before airing on broadcast television.
The theatrical films airing during the sample period that raised little or no concern with regard to violence are:
TNT aired two made-for-cable movies during the sample period. In Mother Trucker: The
Diana Kilmury Story, a female trucker organizes a movement against the Teamsters Union and
their questionable practices. The film contains only a few acts of violence, all of which
are handled well and integral to the story. The second movie, The Hunchback, an adaptation
of Victor Hugo's timeless tale, did raise some concerns. A few scenes are slightly more
graphic than is necessary for the plot's development. In one scene the villainous priest
Frollo stabs one of the king's advisors. The viewer sees a close-up of the knife twisting
in the advisor's gut as blood pours from the wound. In another scene later in the film,
Quasimodo is hit over the head with a cat o' nine tails, causing blood to stream from his
forehead. In both instances minor editing would be needed before this film could air on
broadcast television.
Only one special aired during our sample period, Inside the Academy Awards. The show
featured clips from several movies nominated for Oscars this year, including Fargo, Sling
Blade and The English Patient. In all instances, these selected clips were not overly
violent and did not raise concerns.
The TNT Saturday morning lineup is not geared toward children. The early morning hours
feature the Western action-adventure shows Brisco County Jr., How the West Was Won,
Lazarus Man and The Wild, Wild West. The police drama In the Heat of the Night also aired
once during the sample. Typical of these genres, the programs all have some degree of
violent content, usually fistfights or an occasional shootout. In most instances, these
scenes are integral to the plot and rarely portray violence in a glorified or graphic
manner. However, one episode of Lazarus Man contains a graphic gunshot that does raise
concerns, mainly because of the 9:00 a.m. time slot.
Home video, an industry that barely existed 15 years ago, now generates revenues exceeding box office ticket sales. Home video is heavily dependent on the publicity and promotion surrounding a motion picture's release in theaters. While there has also been very successful non-theatrical home video content, such as exercise tapes and old television shows, most of the home video rental business comes from theatrical films.
Home video is divided into the purchase and rental markets. More and more people are purchasing home videos rather than renting them. Prices for purchasing videos tend to be either in the $13-$20 range or over $80. Increasingly, blockbuster motion pictures such as Independence Day and The Lion King are offered for sale at $15. Coupons for special promotions lower the price even more. Nevertheless, there seems to be a limited number of films that people want to own. The Disney animation classics and very popular films do well in the purchase market. Most viewers rent their home videos at their local video store.
In the areas of sex, language and violence, home video offers at least one level of protection for children not available in the other television distribution systems. Home videos are not available by merely clicking on channels on the television set. The viewer has to make an active decision to go to a video store, select a film and rent it. The situation varies from store to store, but young children often cannot easily rent films because a cash deposit or, more frequently, a credit card is needed. Ideally, the video is watched in whatever room and at whatever time the parent decides. Films with sex or graphic violence can be viewed when the children are asleep. The video is small enough to be hidden or locked away from children who should not watch it. These controls have significantly contributed to the growth of pornography in the home video market and the spread of that material into CD-ROM.
With few exceptions, the content of theatrical films on home video exactly duplicates what is seen in the theater. When this is true, the MPAA rating is still applicable and can guide viewers as to the content of the video. Occasionally, the home video differs from what is seen in the theater. Sometimes additional footage is added to the film. Motion picture studios belonging to the MPAA require directors and producers to deliver to them films that will be rated no stronger than "R." In some cases, scenes have to be edited or completely eliminated to receive the "R" rating. Home video provides an opportunity to restore these scenes. But in most cases, home video replicates theater content.
Although home video is a system directly linked to the film business, the videos are shown on a home monitor and become part of the television system. Therefore, home video becomes a part of this monitoring project. We examined the top ten home video rental titles each quarter as determined by Billboard magazine. The monitoring began with an early August 1996 list and continued every three months in November, February and May. While we arbitrarily chose the initial week in which to begin, we were bound by the lists that followed at three-month intervals.
Once again, the goal of monitoring video rentals is not to determine whether these films raise concerns about their use of violence in their native environment of home video, but rather to determine whether they would raise concerns if shown in the same form on the broadcast television networks. Film is a medium that especially targets an adolescent and young adult audience more tolerant of graphic or intense violence. As a result, one would expect many of the most popular video rentals to be action films that feature violence as part of the story. In 1995, 22 out of 40 home videos would raise concerns if shown without change on broadcast television. Last year 24 out of 40 videos would need to be edited, if this could be done sufficiently, before appearing on the networks. This year the total number that would not be broadcast without minor or significant changes increased slightly to 25. Interestingly, of the 24 films in 1996 that would not appear on network television without change, six, or 25%, have titles promising action or intense themes. This year, of the 25 films in the same category, only two have such titles (Rumble in the Bronx and A Time to Kill). Of the 15 that would not raise concerns about violence, not one had a violent title. Note: This year there are 39 films rather than 40 on the home video monitoring list because Fargo appeared as the third most rented tape in November 1996 and was still in the ninth position in February 1997.
Some of the films could be easily modified or edited to air on broadcast television without raising concerns. These films do not feature violence throughout, but do occasionally use violent scenes to develop the storyline. The length and most graphic moments of these scenes could be edited for broadcast without affecting the integrity of the story. A Time to Kill, based on John Grisham's first novel, is about a black man accused of murdering the two white men who raped his daughter. Both the rape and the murder are central to this story about justice and racism in the South. The few scenes of violence could be easily edited for broadcast television.
Also requiring minor editing for broadcast television is Courage under Fire, starring Meg Ryan and Denzel Washington. This story, about the first woman to win the medal of honor in combat, contains scenes of war used to establish the drama in the film. The Craft, a story about four high school girls who become fascinated with witchcraft, contains one very intense scene at the conclusion that would need to be edited before broadcast. The Arrival, starring Charlie Sheen, is about aliens coming to Earth. One scene, in which an alien's arm is cut off and shatters, would likely require a small amount of editing.
Several of the home video rentals are action films similar to those described in the broadcast television section on theatrical film. These movies are dominated by violent action, containing as many as 20-40 scenes of violence. It is impossible to edit out the problematic violence without removing huge portions of the film or destroying its storyline. These films in their unedited form raise more concerns about violence than any appearing on broadcast television. Broken Arrow, starring John Travolta and Christian Slater, is the story of a soldier who plans to detonate the nuclear bomb he stole from a military jet. Containing more than 35 scenes of intense violence (it is directed by popular Hong Kong action filmmaker John Woo), it is filled with fights, explosions and shootings. One man is sliced apart by the blades of a helicopter. Although it will be a likely choice to air on broadcast television, editing it sufficiently will prove a Herculean task and will considerably shorten the film. Escape from L.A. also contains more than 30 scenes of violence and raises some of the same issues. Reprising the role he made famous 15 years ago in Escape from New York, Kurt Russell is sent on a search and destroy mission that produces countless dead bodies. A dead man is pinned to a wall with knives, another man is gunned down after missing a basketball shot and a third man is decapitated with shears. This film would also require substantial editing. With even more scenes of violence (42), The Long Kiss Goodnight stars Geena Davis in the type of action role usually reserved for men. In this film, throats are slashed, a needle is stuck in a man's eye and a man's neck is broken. The final scene is filled with even more carnage. The Rock, which is about a terrorist takeover of Alcatraz starring Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage, contains fewer scenes of violence, but these are very intense and graphic. In a scene in which several Navy S.E.A.L.S. are killed in a mass shooting, one is graphically shot in the head. In later scenes, a knife is thrown into a man's throat and a man thrown through a window is impaled on a rusty fence pole. The last 20 minutes of the film contain little else besides intense action. Fled, with 28 scenes of violence, raises the same issues.
All of the above-mentioned films are the type of action movies that are frequently purchased by the broadcast networks. They will be very difficult to edit without interfering with the integrity of the story. The broadcast practices and standards departments will be working overtime to prepare these films for network television.
Four of the films that could not appear on broadcast television without raising
concerns about violence bring forth some interesting issues about different types and
styles of violence. These films warrant more detailed discussions. They are:
The story of a Las Vegas casino from distinguished director Martin Scorcese, this very violent film makes the point that violence is a normal and natural part of the lives of the mobsters who run the casino. There are well over 20 scenes of very brutal and ugly violence that are used to establish the nature of the characters and the lives they lead. This film raises some of the same issues one would find in The Godfather. To tell this story without the intense violence would not only be hedging the truth, but also imply that these ruthless gangsters are better people than they really are.
In scene early in the movie, a man caught cheating in a casino is taken by security to
a back room. His hands are smashed with a hammer to teach him a lesson. The message the
viewer receives is that the casino, rather than relying on the police, enforces its own
rules. Later, one of the gangsters has his head placed in a vice which is then tightened.
Ultimately his throat is slashed. In the climactic scene, several men are shot in the head
and another is suffocated, while one of the lead characters and his brother are beaten and
buried half-alive. This is not violence for the sake of violence. It has a point and is an
essential part of the story. Nonetheless, this is an extraordinarily brutal film that
would be heavily edited before airing on broadcast television.
The film that sent martial arts expert Jackie Chan and director John Woo to the top of Hollywood's "A" list, Rumble in the Bronx is somewhat different from typical action films. As viewers of the film are likely to know, Jackie Chan performs all of his own stunts. The film is filled with nonstop action and violence, almost all of which is glorified. Most of the action showcases Chan's martial arts skills and involves kicking and punching.
Filled with the humor sometimes found in the Die Hard or Terminator films, Rumble in
the Bronx never takes itself seriously. Although the violence is never instigated by Chan,
fighting is an essential element of his character. Therefore, this film does raise many
concerns, making it extremely difficult to edit for broadcast television.
The winner of the 1996 Oscar for best actress and original screenplay, Fargo is an intensively violent story about a kidnapping that horribly backfires. The film contains several very graphic scenes of shootings featuring much blood. In one scene, one killer turns on his accomplice and kills him with an axe, feeding his body into a wood chipper. In this disturbing scene, the audience sees only a leg protruding from the wood chipper.
Despite the horrible violence, this is actually a dark comedy about the cultural quirks
of life in the rural Midwest. Not only would it be difficult to remove the graphic
violence from the film, to do so would be to stray from the artistic vision of the film's
creators, Joel and Ethan Coen. This film is what it is and, for that reason, will probably
never appear on broadcast television. If it did air, it would need to be heavily edited.
The much anticipated film starring both Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, and directed by
Miami Vice's creative leader, Michael Mann, Heat is the story of a bank robbery gone awry.
Caught in the middle of the robbery, the criminals engage in a full-scale quasi-military
battle with the police, who are seriously outgunned. The pivotal gunfight after the foiled
robbery lasts over ten minutes. Bullets fly everywhere and the scene is filled with
graphic footage. In addition to the gunfight, there are several scenes of execution-style
shootings that vividly depict the bullets' impacts on the victims' bodies. As in Casino,
the violence is essential to the story. However, since it is concentrated in just a few
scenes (even though one is very long), it probably could be edited for television.
The other home video rentals that would raise concerns on network television are:
The video game business, like home video, is a relatively new industry. In the last 20 years video games have become an important force in the media world. In the early days of video games, most were played at commercial machines in restaurants and other places of business. Then video arcades opened and attracted many young customers.
Video games spread from the arcades to units that attached to consumers' televisions and did not require coins to play. The industry has gone through much turmoil. Atari, a highly successful company in the early 1980s, has today become a minor force (though it is still competing in the 1990s with a new system). The standard has been 16-bit machines and that market has been divided between Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. The equipment for this format attaches to a television set and becomes part of the world of television. Most titles have been licensed to both platforms, but some are developed by one of the companies and thus are not available to its competitors. Donkey Kong Country 3, a game developed by Nintendo and a top seller this past year, is not available on Sega.
The video game business is currently going through another transformation. Compared to new systems that are becoming available, the current 16-bit standard is slow and offers only adequate graphics. With the addition of CD-ROM technology, there is a move to 32- and 64-bit machines, such as the 3DO or CD-I systems, as well as the Sony Playstation. During the holiday season of 1996, Nintendo's Super 64 platform was one of the biggest selling gifts in the nation. This transition to new and better formats is causing great confusion in the industry as consumers are not yet sure which systems will survive and therefore which systems they should purchase. The whole business is changing and the only thing that is clear is that the economic stakes are high, as customers are certain to purchase much hardware and software. Many observers of the industry believe that the platforms connecting to traditional television sets will eventually be completely replaced by CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs attached to computer systems. A significant move in that direction has already occurred, and for the first time in the monitoring process, a CD-ROM video game has been examined.
Although video games appeal primarily to young people, many of the users cannot afford the equipment without financial assistance from others, usually their parents. The current price of the hardware for the less expensive systems begins at around $100. This is more than most kids can afford. More complex systems cost as much as $300. The software can also be expensive. While there are less costly titles available, the most popular games cost about $50.
Because of the high costs compared to television or home video, parents are almost always a primary part of the purchase process in video games. Kids simply cannot acquire the hardware or most of the software without help. Parents must acquiesce in their children's desires by giving them the money for the equipment or buying the titles they want.
Since the parents are usually part of the purchase process, they have an obligation to become informed. It is their responsibility to find out about a game and how it is played. Almost any video game store will demonstrate the game. Parents should not passively hand over the money for the games or acquire the video packages without investigating them. More so than with any other media system described in this report, parents have a responsibility and an opportunity to learn about the video games that interest their children.
To help with this parental role, the video game industry has developed a rating system. Devised by the Entertainment Software Rating Board for the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA), the ratings are administered by Dr. Arthur Pober. As of summer 1997, video games are rated for one of five audiences:
EC: Early Childhood titles that do not contain material parents would find inappropriate.
KA: Kids to Adult titles that may contain minimal violence or some crude language.
T: Teen titles are for those 13 and older; they may contain violent content, strong language or suggestive themes.
M: Mature material for ages 17 and older; these products may include more intense violence and language with more mature sexual themes.
A: Adults only titles; these may include graphic depictions of sex and/or violence and are not to be sold to those under 18 years of age.
This ratings system deals with different levels of violence. The IDSA is addressing parents' concerns in a responsible way. The ESRB has rated over 2,000 video game titles. It maintains a Web page (http://www.esrb.org) and an 800 number (800-771-3772) for parents or anyone else seeking ratings or further information.
In 1995 it was noticed that, whether by accident or design, a number of retailers had placed a price tag over the games' ratings. An unscientific sample of retail stores in the Los Angeles, New York and Washington areas indicates that over the past two years this occurred less frequently.
All of the other forms of media discussed in this report have some relation to each other. Theatrical films, for example, become the content of home video, cable and network and local television. Television series become the content of the syndication marketplace. While video games do attach to the television set and become a part of the home television environment, they are really a very different part of that world. Some game titles, however, do come from television programs and, on at least one occasion, a video game, Mortal Kombat, has been made into a motion picture (although many motion pictures are made into video games). We looked at video games in a very tangential way and do not imply that our findings apply to all games in the industry. We did, however, look at the most successful games.
We examined the six top-selling video games of the year as compiled by the NPD
Group--which, according to the IDSA, is accepted as the best source of retail sales data.
The NPD Group's listings separate games by type of game system. Ignoring the distinctions
between different game systems, we established the list of games to be monitored as
follows:
There is great similarity between last year's list and this year's. Super Mario 2 was on the previous list and now the list of best-sellers is headed by Super Mario 64 designed for the new 64-bit platform. Last year Donkey Kong Country 2 topped the list of best-sellers and this year continued