Turn back the clock on TV?

[Faithless]

Out of this past election, came the term "red state". Now, there's talk of this country entering a "red state era". Trying to capitalize on this idea is a 10 year old conservative media watchdog group called the "Parents Television Council".

Together with the National Religious Broadcasters Association another group not known for being clued in to popular culture, it came up with a dreary report titled "Faith in a Box: Entertainment Television and Religion."

Not surprisingly, the tsk-tskers conclude that "Hollywood still has virtually no respect for religion."

Never mind that the range of spiritual, religious and faith-based story lines and characters on network TV is growing, reflecting America's diverse, pluralistic culture. Not only have more characters been talking to a higher power on TV these days (Joan of Arcadia, Wonderfalls), but the cultural divide between fundamentalists and ordinary religious folks is dramatized (Jack & Bobby) and the importance of faith is a recurring theme (Everwood).

But that's not good enough for the activists, who now see a red-state-era opening. "NBC is by far the most anti-religious network, with a shocking 9.5 negative treatments for every positive treatment," the supposedly scientific study concluded. The unchallenging Pax network came out a winner, with no "negative depictions."
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America broadly believes in God and, in particular, the divinity of Christ. A 2003 Harris poll found 90 percent believed in God and 80 percent believed in the resurrection of Jesus. To see how Hollywood reacts to that norm, the Parents Television Council, along with the National Religious Broadcasters, conducted a study of one year of prime-time television treatments of religion on the seven broadcast networks -- ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, UPN, WB and Pax -- from September 2003 to September 2004.

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They've been pushing hard. Broadcast indecency complaints have risen dramatically, from fewer than a thousand in 2001 to more than a million this year. Major factors contributing to the increase have been Janet Jackson's breast-baring Super Bowl broadcast and the efforts of the PTC, which has generated the vast majority of non-Jackson complaints.

PTCers are not advocating censorship, they say. But they do want to turn the clock back to a time when amoral sex and violence weren't so in-your-face.

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Do they have enough clout to get the TV media to change its evil ways?
Ellen Gray | Parents Television Council carries a big stick with FCC

As the Federal Communications Commission continues its crackdown on so-called indecency on TV, one group, the Parents Television Council, has emerged as America's No. 1 complainer.

In fact, as Mediaweek reported this week, an FCC analysis found that with the exception of complaints about the Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction," 99.9 percent of the indecency complaints the commission received this year were tied to the PTC. (The PTC yesterday called for an investigation of FCC accounting practices.)

In 2003, the year when complaints to the commission rose from 14,000 the previous year to 240,000, 99.8 percent of the complaints came from, yes, the PTC, according to Mediaweek.

[hooligan]

Haha, FCC = the Federal Censorship Committee?

[AliBabaIncorporated]

shows on cable TV seem to have a lot more religious references in general, as compared to broadcast TV sitcoms which on the whole are just beating around the bush. not necessarily evangelism or even a positive portrayal of religion, just it being a lot more present as a background element to the story.

[Faithless]

Originally Posted by AliBabaIncorporated

shows on cable TV seem to have a lot more religious references in general, as compared to broadcast TV sitcoms which on the whole are just beating around the bush. not necessarily evangelism or even a positive portrayal of religion, just it being a lot more present as a background element to the story.

But according to the Parents Television Council it's not enough.

Funny, Leave it to Beaver never had a bible.

[AMWD]

Unrelated but I rented DVD for "The Passion of the Christ", hoping to see bloopers on Special Feature but there wasn't even any extra feature in it. I guess I should have known better.

Hope you're having a nice Christmas Day.

JF

[Yeahman]

Bloopers for the Passion? hahaha. That would've been interesting. There any bloopers for Schindler's List?

Seriously though, there is little position treatment of orthodox religions on TV. Even 7th Heaven is disappointingly PC. It's supposed to be a show about a Christian minister and his family but there is virtually no mention of Jesus.

I don't really have too much beef with anything on TV though. Just don't attack or misrepresent religion. For that reason I have a beef with the 700 Club which regularly attacks Islam.
Americans have an irrational fear of nudity. We should have more boobgates to rid our culture of anti-nudism.

[Faithless]

Originally Posted by AMWD

Unrelated but I rented DVD for "The Passion of the Christ", hoping to see bloopers on Special Feature but there wasn't even any extra feature in it. I guess I should have known better.

Hope you're having a nice Christmas Day.

JF

Passion might be too graphic for TV -- if and whenever it comes out on TV.

Just imagine -- the Ten Commandments followed by the Passion of the Christ.