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PTC
Sept 5, 2008 19:54:18 GMT -5
Post by creationist on Sept 5, 2008 19:54:18 GMT -5
Statistic of the Week:
In a 2007 Yankelovich poll, 68% of respondents said there are not enough shows parents and children can watch together, because of TV's coarsening content. (AdAge.com, July 19, 2008)
Media Quote of the Week: "I definitely stick by my morals and say, watch it first and make the decision as a parent whether you want your young kids watching." -- actress and mother of three Jennie Garth, star of the 1990s TV series Beverly Hills 90210, speaking about the CW's new sequel series 90210. When asked whether she would let her own daughters watch the new show, Garth replied, "H*** no!" (CBSNews.com, September 2, 2008)
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PTC
Sept 5, 2008 20:00:34 GMT -5
Post by creationist on Sept 5, 2008 20:00:34 GMT -5
S.C. Johnson Drops Gossip Girl...And the PTC Made It Happen!
Household product giant S.C. Johnson has announced that it will not air advertisements on the CW's Gossip Girl...and the PTC's intervention made it happen!
The PTC wrote to S. C. Johnson on July 28, 2008, asking the company not to support Gossip Girl, a program which often features teens engaging in sexual activity, underage drinking, and drug use. In an August 29th letter to the PTC, S.C. Johnson's Vice President of Global Public Affairs and Communication Kelly Semrau responded, "After careful consideration of Gossip Girl's program content, we chose not to purchase any ad time...Thanks for taking time to bring to our attention something that is important to you and your members."
The PTC commends S.C. Johnson, a family company, for its responsible advertising practices, and hopes that other advertisers who find their ads in Gossip Girl will follow S.C. Johnson's lead by not supporting the show with their advertising dollars.
► To learn more about our Advertiser Accountability Campaign click here.
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PTC
Sept 12, 2008 15:56:21 GMT -5
Post by creationist on Sept 12, 2008 15:56:21 GMT -5
Statistic of the Week:
Teens with MySpace or Facebook sites are far more likely to be contacted by strangers than those who don't have them. Forty-four percent of teens who have personal profiles on social networking sites have been contacted by people they don't know, compared to 16% for teens who don't. -- Pew Internet and American Life Project (AP, October 15, 2007)
Media Quote of the Week:
"Parents ought to approach MySpace as if they were sending the child or teenager to an unchaperoned party." -- family therapist James Thomas, Director of the Denver Family Institute (Denver Post, April 4, 2008)
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PTC
Sept 12, 2008 16:18:31 GMT -5
Post by krell on Sept 12, 2008 16:18:31 GMT -5
But, but, but, but, you want all these parents to give up one of the babysitters??? That's un-American. By gosh, mom and dad have to watch the whole episode of "Who Wants to be a Mindless Moron" and MySpace holds the kids attention. Afterall, these poor kids are getting burnt out on X-Box, texting, and watching t.v. on cell phones. You know that kids can have such a short attention span. So just leave the MySpace babysitting service alone.
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PTC
Sept 12, 2008 16:26:11 GMT -5
Post by creationist on Sept 12, 2008 16:26:11 GMT -5
They could always get a Yak Bak! ;D Then they can always have something to talk to and listen to!
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PTC
Sept 12, 2008 16:33:56 GMT -5
Post by krell on Sept 12, 2008 16:33:56 GMT -5
They could always get a Yak Bak! ;D Then they can always have something to talk to and listen to! I think most of them already have those ;D
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PTC
Sept 13, 2008 12:31:27 GMT -5
Post by bradwisconsin on Sept 13, 2008 12:31:27 GMT -5
Ah see this is what happens when over the years we have allowed the liberals to beat into our heads the need for dependency. The result is loss of personal responsibility and actual use of discipline. You know the "It's not my responsibility to have something constructive for my children to do" or the "It's not my responsibility to take care of myself or plan activities to do with my family" all because it is so much easier to turn them over to the computer or boobtube or heck just let them run wild.
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PTC
Sept 19, 2008 13:56:34 GMT -5
Post by creationist on Sept 19, 2008 13:56:34 GMT -5
KFC Reprimands Ad Agency Over 90210 PTC Chapter Thanks Congressman for Video Game Bill Darden Restaurants Awarded PTC Seal of Approval PTC Chapter Directors Fighting for America Disney Channel's Minutemen Wins PTC Seal of Approval PTC Movie Picks PTC TV Picks
Statistic of the Week:
According to the internet tracking service comScore, in one month, Americans spent 302 billion minutes online -- equivalent to approximately 6,760 lifetimes. (Forbes.com, August 20, 2008, via Focus on the Family's Plugged In Online)
Media Quote of the Week:
"I've never bought the argument that a video game's content was likely to influence one's actions, but after several days spent playing Grand Theft Auto IV and a recent trip out of town, I'm no longer quite so sure... As I approached a stop light at an empty intersection, the thought flashed through my mind that I should just drive right on through it…No responsible person is going to double the speed limit simply because he or she spent the afternoon behind the virtual wheel. But what about an irresponsible person?" ---Wired contributor Susan Arendt (Wired.com, May 12, 2008, via Focus on the Family's Plugged In Online)
KFC Reprimands Ad Agency Over 90210
Last week's premiere episode of the new CW series 90210 opened with a scene of a teenage boy receiving oral sex in the front seat of his car -- in the first few minutes of the Family Hour! We asked you to contact the show's sponsors, McDonalds and KFC, and protest their support of this outrageous show. Thousands of you took the trouble to go to KFC's and McDonalds' websites and protest, and thousands more hand-delivered letters to the managers of your local McDonalds and KFC outlets. Your response was overwhelming -- and got results!
The PTC has received word that local KFC managers and franchise owners took your action to heart, and let KFC's corporate headquarters know about your concerns. Many local KFC managers themselves were outraged that their company would sponsor such a show.
Because of your protests, YUM Brands -- the parent company of KFC -- has reprimanded its advertising agency for buying commercial time on a program that was not family-friendly. This stands as proof that your actions, and those of the PTC's 1.3 million members, do make a difference!
The PTC applauds KFC for its rapid and thorough response, and for showing responsibility and concern for families in its advertising practices. If you want to thank KFC for its responsible behavior, contact them at: KFC (Parent Company YUM Brands, Inc.) Mr. Jonathon Blum, Chief Public Affairs Officer 1441 Gardiner Lane Louisville, KY 40213 Phone: (502) 874-8300 Fax: (502) 874-8790 And don't forget to thank your local KFC manager for the company's actions!
► To learn more about our Advertiser Accountability Campaign click here.
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PTC
Sept 19, 2008 14:14:53 GMT -5
Post by strat on Sept 19, 2008 14:14:53 GMT -5
Apparently micky d's don't care.
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PTC
Sept 26, 2008 18:29:06 GMT -5
Post by creationist on Sept 26, 2008 18:29:06 GMT -5
Media Quote of the Week:"The one place that kids are left uneducated is the emotional intensity of sex and sexually charged relationships early in life. It's still glorified, it's still romanticized and it's such a big piece that's missing in the conversation with kids about why you should wait to have sex. I'd love to see that addressed, in some way, by the film industry." -- pediatrician Cara Natterson, speaking about recent movies like Juno and Knocked Up, which deal only with the physical consequences of sex like pregnancy and childbirth. (ABCNews.com, May 14, 2008 via Focus on the Family's Plugged In Online) Statistic of the Week:Adolescents who consume media containing large amounts of sexualized content are more than twice as likely to have sex before age 16 than their less-exposed peers. -- study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Time.com, September 15, 2008, via Focus on the Family's Plugged In Online) FX Drama Features Bloody Castration Scene -- and YOU Paid for It! The FX network has a history of showing some of the most extreme programming on basic satellite and cable TV. The network's newest drama is Sons of Anarchy, a program which makes heroes of gun-running, law-breaking bikers. On Wednesday, September 17th, the program showed main character Clay using a cattle castration knife to remove a rapist's testicles, which are then shown lying in a pool of blood on the ground. And this was just the latest disgusting scene; Sons of Anarchy is only four weeks old, but in that time viewers have been shown shootings, stabbings, corpses run over with cars, and a man killed by an axe to the head (with blood shown gushing from the wound and down the victim's face). The program has also featured open sex, burned corpses, drug use and dozens of instances of profanity, including words like "s***" and "ass****." That FX shows this shocking programming is bad enough; far worse is the fact that if you subscribe to cable TV you are paying for it! Families and other consumers should be able to pick and pay for only the cable and satellite networks they want. The cable industry could provide this solution if they wanted to; but instead, they spend countless millions of dollars fighting against their customers' best interests. If YOU are tired of paying for nauseating shows like Sons of Anarchy, go to www.HowCableShouldBe.com to learn about the PTC's Cable Choice campaign. Activist of the Month: James Schul The battle for media decency is a difficult one, and it is often tempting to think, "I'm just one person. What difference can I make?" But one person can make a difference; and a perfect example of that difference can be found in James Schul. James' passion for holding businesses accountable for the TV content they sponsor is legendary within advertising and family-advocacy circles. James sends dozens of letters each year to the advertisers that sponsor the worst shows on television. By responding to every PTC E-Alert and sending letters to the advertisers spotlighted in the PTC's e-mailed Weekly Wrap and monthly newsletter the PTC Insider, James informs businesses that sponsoring degrading and depraved programming reflects poorly on their company, and that consumers do take notice...especially when children are in the audience. The PTC can confirm that several companies, including Toys "R" Us, Re/Max, Weight Watchers and New York Life pulled commercials from programs with problematic content due specifically to James' efforts. James' constant letters have played an important role in encouraging many other sponsors to re-evaluate their advertising decisions as well. Particularly helpful is the fact that James also makes certain to notify the PTC of the results of his efforts. The information provided by James enables the PTC's Corporate Relations Department to thank those advertisers which choose to stop sponsoring inappropriate content, and assists the PTC in confronting problem advertisers who continue to sponsor shows with explicit sex and gratuitous violence. James has also been a PTC donor as well. As a past member of our Leader's Circle, he has given generously to the PTC for ten years. Through his constant and passionate involvement in outreach to advertisers and his financial generosity, James Schul stands as a great example of the difference one person can make...a little bit at a time. ► To learn more about our how you can make a difference in your area click here.
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PTC
Sept 27, 2008 0:02:01 GMT -5
Post by bradwisconsin on Sept 27, 2008 0:02:01 GMT -5
While I haven't watched the show if it depicts despicable criminals getting what they deserve then good. While it pushes the envelope doesn't FX also tend to broadcast these shows outside the "family time" window.
Also this show is on cable. My cable package has over 200 channels I think (as do most subscibers' packages). So you do have the choice not to watch it. And if you're concerned about your children seeing it - practice and promote personal responsibilty. And utilize the parental controls to block it if need be.
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PTC
Oct 2, 2008 9:00:52 GMT -5
Post by creationist on Oct 2, 2008 9:00:52 GMT -5
CBS Shows Nudity on Survivor Premiere The premiere episode of Survivor: Gabon, airing on CBS Thursday, September 25th, featured a scene in which contestant Marcus Lehman's genitals were shown falling out of his shorts as he ran. The episode began during the Family Hour at 8:00 p.m. in the Eastern and Pacific Time zones -- only 7:00 p.m. in the Central and Mountain Time zones. This was not an accident. This event was not occurring live. CBS actually had to edit this scene into the program. The contestant's genitals can clearly be seen, and were not blurred or obscured in any way. CBS deliberately chose to air nudity in front of millions of families! To let CBS know don't want YOUR children exposed to nudity on prime-time TV, TAKE ACTION NOW! www.parentstv.org/ptc/action/survivor/main.asp
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PTC
Oct 3, 2008 15:01:58 GMT -5
Post by creationist on Oct 3, 2008 15:01:58 GMT -5
Statistic of the Week:
Forty-one percent of 15- to 17-year-olds say viewing pornography online is "no big deal." -- Pamela Paul, author of Pornified: How Pornography is Transforming Our Lives, Our Relationships, and Our Families (Macleans.ca, June 18, 2008)
Media Quote of the Week:
"[Teenagers are] experimenting with sex, but they aren't integrated in a holistic way that would be better for their self-esteem if they really understood what love was." -- sex therapist Joyce Joseph, on the phenomenon of "sexting," or teenagers sending sexual messages via cell phone. (CBS3springfield.com, May 12, 2008, via Focus on the Family's Plugged In Online)
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PTC
Oct 10, 2008 17:25:41 GMT -5
Post by creationist on Oct 10, 2008 17:25:41 GMT -5
In this issue October 10, 2008 Statistic of the Week:According to a 2007 Yankelovich poll, 63% of parents with children say the content of programs forces parents and children to watch TV separately. -- Advertising Age, June 19, 2008 Media Quote of the Week:"On TV ... fickle men and their trashy urges are still supposed to be funny and not tragic. Soulless and smug, they follow their desires into one lewd and humiliating situation after another, yet we're meant to love them in spite of great faults. The assumption that these characters will appeal to mainstream Americans should probably be blamed on a handful of middle-aged creative executives in Hollywood, surrounded by hot aspiring actresses and trophy wives but still painfully aware of their fading sex appeal. Little do they know that most American men aren't half as depraved as they are." —Salon TV critic Heather Havrilesky (Salon.com, September 28, 2008, via Focus on the Family's Plugged In Online) BET's Rap City Cancelled! The Parents Television Council, the Enough is Enough Campaign for Corporate Responsibility, the National Congress of Black Women, and Industry Ears jointly praised the announcement that BET has cancelled the music video show, Rap City. This move comes on the heels of a recent announcement that BET President Reginald Hudlin resigned. Earlier this year, the PTC, in partnership with the Enough is Enough Campaign, undertook a research study regarding BET's and MTV's daytime music video programming. The study concluded that as recently as March 2008, children who watched BET's Rap City and 106 & Park and MTV's Sucker Free on MTV were bombarded with adult content - sexual, violent, profane or obscene - once every 38 seconds. PTC and the Enough is Enough Campaign announced the findings of the study at the National Press Club in Washington DC with the participation of Industry Ears and the National Congress of Black Women. The following is a joint statement by PTC President Tim Winter; Enough is Enough Campaign Founder Dr. Delman Coates; National Congress of Black Women Chair Dr. E. Faye Williams; and Industry Ears Co-Founder Paul Porter: "We are heartened by the recent changes at BET, and we are gratified that our collective efforts were a catalyst for this positive change. It is apparent that our voices were heard by the public, by the corporate sponsors who underwrite television programming and by BET network executives. Parents across this country want a cessation of marketing harmful, graphic and offensive images to children. But let us be clear about our goal: we are not trying to get a particular show cancelled or a particular executive fired. Rather, our goal is a reduction in the harmful and offensive messages on BET and MTV programming – especially when the programs are targeted at children. We have called for the networks to take responsibility for their products, and this program's cancellation is evidence of a step in the right direction." ► more Ford Repeats: No Advertising On Swingtown! Thanks to the PTC's relentless action with advertisers, CBS' program celebrating ‘70s drug use and extra-marital sex orgies, Swingtown, failed miserably on broadcast television. When the series ended its run on broadcast TV, it had lost nearly 70% of the viewers it had at its premiere! Understandably, advertisers deserted the perverse program in droves. CBS has been trying to sell the series to cable in a desperate attempt to recoup some portion of the massive revenue loss the sleazy show inflicted on the network. Entertainment Weekly has announced that basic cable network Bravo has agreed to fill time by rerunning Swingtown this fall; but the network has been careful to state that it has no plans to produce new episodes of the tawdry drama. Bravo should know that there is one major advertiser who will not be sponsoring the program: Ford Motor Company. In an email to the PTC, Ford Manager of Media Planning Susan Venen-Bock stated, "we are reissuing our warning about this property," meaning that all Ford dealerships will be made aware that Ford wants nothing to do with Swingtown. The PTC congratulates Ford for upholding family values – and good taste. ► Click Here to learn more about our Advertiser Accountability Campaign. Levi's Commercials: Using Sex to Sell to Teens Blue jeans manufacturer Levi Strauss has launched a new – and sexually suggestive – advertising campaign for its Levi's 501 jeans. Called "Live Unbuttoned," the campaign has included a number of innuendo-laden TV commercials. In one, a teenage boy and girl undress in front of one another, the camera focusing on their crotches as they open their pants. The scene is accompanied with sexually suggestive dialogue like, "You've never done this before, right?," "I'm scared" and "Don't you trust me?" Though the teens are actually talking about jumping off a pier into a lake, the imagery and dialogue are clearly meant to suggest their first time having sexual intercourse. Another television ad features an underwear-clad teenager sitting beside a bed staring at a sleeping woman, clearly after a sexual encounter. A narrator asks, "What's it gonna be? Ya gonna wake her up? Kiss ‘er goodbye? Tell ‘er you love ‘er?" When the teen puts on his jeans and leaves without a word, the narrator approvingly states, "That's what I'm sayin'! Some things are better left undone." A final tagline encourages the presumably-teen audience to "Live unbuttoned" – and, apparently, irresponsibly. Now, Levi's is extending its edgy "Live Unbuttoned" advertising to the internet. In a new campaign aimed at boys, Levi's urges jeans wearers to "Unbutton Your Beast." A visitor to the website Unbuttonyourbeast.com can choose from a variety of animated phallic symbols, which then emerge from the fly of a pair of jeans. Choices include "Trout Troutman," a fishlike phallus; "Sock Nasty," a trash-talking stuffed sock; and the knight-like Sir Reginald Mighty Pants, who proclaims, "My sword may be tiny, but my poke is mighty!" "It's provocative and interesting," boasts Doug Sweeny, Levi's director of brand marketing. But not everyone is interested; Advertising Age magazine reports that reactions from internet bloggers have included "shocking," "tasteless," and "crude." In a world where TV programs like Gossip Girl and 90210 relentlessly depict teens having sex without consequences, Levi's "Live Unbuttoned" campaign is irresponsible at best. The PTC has received many letters and emails from parents concerned about this advertising campaign, and has reached out to Levi's repeatedly in hopes of urging them to modify or drop such ads. Levi's has refused to return the PTC's calls. Levi's claims that it has not received any complaints about its new campaign. If you think that the "Live Unbuttoned" TV and internet campaign is inappropriate for teens, you can TAKE ACTION! Contact information for Levis is provided below. Levi Strauss and Co. 1155 Battery St. San Francisco, CA 94111-1230 Phone: (415) 501-3939 Website Form: www.levistrauss.com/Company/ContactUsForm.aspx?loc=1 Email: questions@levi.com What We're Seeing: Teens Having Sex Last year, the fall premiere season of the broadcast networks' new programs was characterized by an overwhelming emphasis on bizarre sexual practices. This fall, broadcast TV is again focused on sex…with several disturbing trends emerging. One of these is an overwhelmingly positive focus on teenagers having sex. To those in charge of the entertainment industry, teenagers having sex with one another seems to be the ideal state of affairs. Of course, those who would argue that it might be best for teens to defer this most intimate and personal of experiences until they are older are portrayed as clueless and hopelessly old-fashioned…not only by the programs, but by the teenage characters in the programs themselves. ► To read examples of this latest TV trend click here. ► Click here to read more TV Trends columns.
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PTC
Oct 12, 2008 15:06:39 GMT -5
Post by rinoHUNTER on Oct 12, 2008 15:06:39 GMT -5
THE sick vs THE WELL, are we battling this kind of thing???
Class surprises lesbian teacher on wedding day Jill Tucker, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, October 11, 2008
A group of San Francisco first-graders took an unusual field trip to City Hall on Friday to toss rose petals on their just-married lesbian teacher - putting the public school children at the center of a fierce election battle over the fate of same-sex marriage.
The 18 Creative Arts Charter School students took a Muni bus and walked a block at noon to toss rose petals and blow bubbles on their just-married teacher Erin Carder and her wife Kerri McCoy, giggling and squealing as they mobbed their teacher with hugs.
Mayor Gavin Newsom, a friend of a friend, officiated.
A parent came up with the idea for the field trip - a surprise for the teacher on her wedding day.
"She's such a dedicated teacher," said the school's interim director Liz Jaroslow.
But there was a question of justifying the field trip academically. Jaroflow decided she could.
"It really is what we call a teachable moment," Jaroflow said, noting the historic significance of same-sex marriage and related civil rights issues. "I think I'm well within the parameters."
Nonetheless, the excursion offers Proposition 8 proponents fresh ammunition for their efforts to outlaw gay marriage in California, offering a real-life incident that echoes their recent television and radio ads.
"It's just utterly unreasonable that a public school field trip would be to a same-sex wedding," said Chip White, press secretary for the Yes on 8 campaign. "This is overt indoctrination of children who are too young to have an understanding of its purpose."
The trip illustrates the message promoted by the campaign in recent days, namely that unless Prop. 8 passes on Nov. 4, children will learn about same-sex marriage in school.
"It shows that not only can it happen, but it has already happened," White said.
California Education Code permits school districts to offer comprehensive sex education, but if they do, they have to "teach respect for marriage and committed relationships."
Parents can excuse their child from all or part of the instruction.
On Friday, McCoy and Carder, both in white, held hands on Newsom's office balcony overlooking the rotunda and recited their vows.
"With this ring, I thee wed!" Carder said, shouting the last word for emphasis.
After traditional photos, the two walked out City Hall's main doors where the students were lined up down the steps with bags of pink rose petals and bottles of bubbles hanging from their necks. McCoy, a conferences services coordinator, was in on the surprise and beamed as the children swarmed around Carder.
The two said they have participated in the campaign against Proposition 8 and planned to travel around San Francisco on Friday afternoon in a motorized trolley car with "Just Married" and "Vote No on 8" banners.
The two met on a dance floor two years ago.
"This is one girl I can honestly say deserves happiness, and it came in the form of Kerri," said Carder's friend Dani Starelli.
Creative Arts administrators and parents acknowledged that the field trip might be controversial, but they didn't see the big deal. Same-sex marriage is legal, they noted.
"How many days in school are they going to remember?" asked parent Marc Lipsett. "This is a day they'll definitely remember."
Carder's students said they were happy to see their new teacher married.
"She's a really nice teacher. She's the best," said 6-year-old Chava Novogrodsky-Godt, wearing a "No on 8" button on her shirt. "I want her to have a good wedding."
Chava's mothers said they are getting married in two weeks.
The students' parents are planning to make a video with the children describing what marriage is to them.
Marriage, 6-year-old Nolan Alexander said Friday, is "people falling in love."
It means, he added, "You stay with someone the rest of your life."
As is the case with all field trips, parents had to give their permission and could choose to opt out of the trip. Two families did. Those children spent the duration of the 90-minute field trip back at school with another first-grade class, the interim director said.
"As far as I'm concerned, it's not controversial for me," Jaroflow said. "It's certainly an issue I would be willing to put my job on the line for."
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