From staff and wire reports
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Television content today has become unsuitable for consumption, The Parents Television Council says.
"What parents will find on broadcast television today is literally crap -- a word that was used 41 times during a four week period last fall as compared with only five times during a similar period in 1989," said Brent Bozell, council chairman, at a news conference Thursday
The group released its latest television content analysis study, "What a Difference a Decade Makes: A Comparison of Prime Time Sex, Language, and Violence in 1989 and '99. The report compares and contrasts four weeks of prime time programming from the fall of 1989 with four weeks of programming from this past fall.
According to the study:
??? In terms of sexual content, coarse language, and violent material combined, the per-hour figure almost tripled from 1989 to '99.
??? On a per-hour basis, sexual material was more than three times as frequent.
??? The level of violence on television has remained about the same.
So far, the TV industry, including CNN's corporate parent, Time Warner, has not commented on the report. The National Association of Broadcasters, which represents the industry on Capitol Hill, said it was still studying the contents of the study and may comment later.
While network television ratings are down, overall TV viewership -- including cable and satellite programming, remains high -- on average, more than 7 hours a day.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Television content today has become unsuitable for consumption, The Parents Television Council says.
"What parents will find on broadcast television today is literally crap -- a word that was used 41 times during a four week period last fall as compared with only five times during a similar period in 1989," said Brent Bozell, council chairman, at a news conference Thursday
The group released its latest television content analysis study, "What a Difference a Decade Makes: A Comparison of Prime Time Sex, Language, and Violence in 1989 and '99. The report compares and contrasts four weeks of prime time programming from the fall of 1989 with four weeks of programming from this past fall.
According to the study:
??? In terms of sexual content, coarse language, and violent material combined, the per-hour figure almost tripled from 1989 to '99.
??? On a per-hour basis, sexual material was more than three times as frequent.
??? The level of violence on television has remained about the same.
So far, the TV industry, including CNN's corporate parent, Time Warner, has not commented on the report. The National Association of Broadcasters, which represents the industry on Capitol Hill, said it was still studying the contents of the study and may comment later.
While network television ratings are down, overall TV viewership -- including cable and satellite programming, remains high -- on average, more than 7 hours a day.
