2007 Annual Report - Parents Television Council

Table of Contents
A Message from PTC President Tim Winter
1
The PTC’s Year in Review
2
Research and Publications
4
Holding Corporate Sponsors Accountable
8
Public Policy and Advocacy
10
“How Cable Should Be”
13
PTC Grassroots Campaign Activism
14
PTC’s Online Activism
16
The PTC Seal of Approval™
18
PTC In the News
20
PTC Advisory Board
22
PTC Board of Directors
24
Honor Roll of Major Benefactors
24
Statement of Financial Activity
27
A Message from PTC Founder
L. Brent Bozell III
28
Staff and Lovelace Internship Prorgram
29
© 2008 Parents Television Council, Inc, All Rights
Reserved. The Parents Television Council owns all right,
title and interest in the trademarks Parents Television
Council, PTC, the PTC Seal of Approval logo, Family
Guide to Prime Time Television, www.ParentsTV.org,
and all other such marks appearing in the PTC 2008
Annual Report.
“Almost single-handedly, the PTC
has become a national clearing
house for, and arbiter of, decency...”
TIME magazine
Since 1995, the Parents Television Council has been
leading the national effort to restore responsibility and
decency to the entertainment industry. Now more
than one million members strong, the PTC is gaining
worldwide recognition as America’s largest and most
influential media watchdog organization.
Every day, the Parents Television Council is on the
front lines, combating the violent and vulgar content
rampant in entertainment. Why? Because more than
fifty years worth of research and more than one
thousand scientific studies have proven that children
are strongly influenced by what they see on television,
in the movies and in video games. Yet in spite of the
overwhelming evidence of the negative effects of
offensive programming, the entertainment industry
continues to produce and aggressively market sexually
explicit, violent and vulgar entertainment products to
children; and they do so all the while insisting that they
bear no responsibility for the destructive behaviors
those products inspire in impressionable youngsters.
While the PTC believes that parents have the
greatest responsibility when it comes to monitoring
the viewing habits of their children, the entertainment
industry and the advertising community also must take
responsibility for the vital role they play in shaping
America’s culture.
For over a decade the PTC has been the voice of
American families, demanding that the entertainment
industry stop promoting inappropriate entertainment
products to children. Through its research, publications and website (www.parentstv.org); by recruiting
and mobilizing a grassroots army of activists; and by
targeting the advertising community, Hollywood and
public policy leaders, the PTC is directly confronting the
behemoth of indecency which is the entertainment industry. The PTC also seeks to encourage the development of wholesome fare by publicly applauding those
producers, actors, broadcasters and advertisers who
are committed to providing quality entertainment that
the whole family can enjoy. Finally, the PTC seeks to
remind the American public of the need for television
to return to its roots as a socially responsible medium
– because our children are watching.
The Parents Television Council is headquartered in
Los Angeles, California at 707 Wilshire Boulevard.
“I invite you to peruse this report and see for yourself how our
daily efforts yield a direct and positive effect on every family in this
nation – even those families who have never heard of the PTC.”
Dear Friend of the PTC:
The Annual Report is one of the most important documents that any corporation produces during the course
of a year. This is true with publicly-traded companies that appear on the Fortune 500 list. And it is equally
true with not-for-profit corporations like the Parents Television Council. Why? Because the Annual Report is the
primary means for senior management to explain to investors how the company performed last year, while
offering a vision for what the company intends to do in the coming year.
As the President of the PTC, I take very seriously my responsibility to communicate to our our “investors”
– whether they be investors of their time, their effort, their financial resources or their moral support for our mission. Our “investors” deserve a “return on investment” every bit as much as stockholders in big companies like
IBM, GE, AT&T or Wal-Mart. I am proud of the return on investment we provided this past year, and I believe
we are positioned for another year of outstanding achievement in the coming year.
During 2007 the PTC achieved extraordinary success with every one of its initiatives. The following pages
provide specific examples of that achievement. I am particularly proud of our performance last year because
we were able to accomplish so much while facing some very serious financial pressures. The economic uncertainties affecting many Americans resulted in a number of our members reducing – or even eliminating – their
financial contributions to the PTC. So we tightened our belts and charted a course for our business operations
that yielded maximum impact at minimal cost.
Last summer I was amused to read a quote from the CEO of one of the world’s largest media companies.
He denounced the PTC as a “well-funded opposition group.” Of course he failed to mention that he personally
earned $22 million the preceding year – an amount that would have funded the entire operation of the PTC for
several years! But with amusement I also found pride and delight in his comment. The only reason he would
attack the PTC is because we have such an impact.
I invite you to peruse this report and see for yourself how our daily efforts yield a direct and positive effect
on every family in this nation – even those families who have never heard of the PTC. Broadcasters know that
they cannot violate the indecency laws because we are watching their every move. The Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) knows that they must uphold those laws or else they will be exposed for dereliction of duty.
Advertisers know that we will publicly hold them accountable for the television programs they
underwrite. The cable industry knows that we will not rest unless and until consumers
can pick and choose – and pay for – only the cable networks they want coming into
their homes. And most importantly, parents are becoming more informed about the
quantity and degree of the undermining messages so prevalent in our entertainment today. They are making more informed choices because of the PTC.
As we look to the future, the PTC is committed to protecting children and
families from harmful and offensive material that is beaming across new and
emerging distribution platforms like the Internet, cell phones, and other digital
technologies. More Americans each day consume their video entertainment outside of traditional broadcast and cable TV. This is particularly true for children,
which means it is particularly troublesome for parents. In the coming year you will
be hearing a great deal about the PTC’s focus on emerging technologies.
Please read our Annual Report from cover to cover. Gain a greater understanding and appreciation for our initiatives. Share our pride in the many accomplishments of 2007. And push us to achieve even more in 2008. I look
forward to reporting back to you next year!
Sincerely,
Tim Winter
President
1
2007 • The PTC’s Year in Review
more than fulfilling their obligation to the public by
informing parents about program content. In 2007
the PTC punched holes in that argument by releasing
the results of two separate Zogby polls that revealed
79% of American adults agree there is too much sex,
violence and coarse language on television; 88% of
respondents don’t use their V-chip or cable box parental controls; and only 8% of respondents could
correctly identify content descriptors in response to
a multiple-choice question where the correct answer
was given to them. The PTC powerfully proved that
ratings alone are inadequate tools for parents wishing to protect their children from TV’s excesses.
The PTC struck a major blow for Cable Choice
and consumer rights in 2007 by launching its How
Cable Should Be campaign. The campaign’s website,
www.HowCableShouldBe.com, allows consumers to see for themselves just how much
they are paying for the cable networks they
don’t want or don’t watch. The website also
allows visitors to calculate what their cable
bills should be, if they were allowed to “vote
with their wallet” by selecting only the cable
networks they wanted.
Efforts by broadcasters to circumvent indecency laws were met
head-on in 2007, when the PTC
urged the Federal Communications Commission to hold broadcast networks accountable for
their behavior. In 2004, Viacom
— the owner of the CBS television
network — signed a
consent decree with
the FCC agreeing to
comply with federal
broadcast indecency
regulations. But the
network broke their
promise by re-airing
a teen sex-orgy scene on the public airwaves before
10:00 p.m. When CBS-owned TV station KUTV in
Salt Lake City came up for a renewal of its broadcast
license, PTC members urged the FCC to withhold renewal.
The PTC filed multiple indecency complaints with
the Federal Communications Commission about
the airing of obscene language. In particular, the
PTC chastised Fox for deliberately displaying the “fword” during the January 13th broadcast of the NFL
playoff game between the New Orleans Saints and
The PTC had an unprecedented impact in 2007.
Making headlines coast-to-coast in newspapers and
on news programs, the PTC solidified its position as
the proven leader in the fight against TV violence,
sex, and profanity. In countless meetings with entertainment industry leaders, advertisers, network
executives, broadcasters, FCC commissioners, and
with state and federal legislators, the PTC continued
its relentless battle
for enforcement of
broadcast decency
laws and led the fight
for true consumer
choice in cable programming. Groundbreaking Special Reports, work with advertisers and
stockholders, and the ceaseless
efforts of Grassroots members
and our celebrity Advisory Board
members all contributed to the
PTC’s stunning record of success.
The PTC’s ground-breaking
study of violence on TV, Dying to
Entertain, found shocking levels of violence
on prime-time network television and was
endorsed by representatives of the American Psychological Association, the Pacific
Institute for Research and Evaluation, the
American College of Pediatricians and
by Federal Communications Commissioner Michael J. Copps. The study garnered massive media attention, and led to a greatly
increased focus on the issue of media violence.
The PTC’s Advertiser Affairs Department scored
huge triumphs in 2007, encouraging more than 150
advertisers to withdraw sponsorship from television’s
most offensive programs. By working closely with
television sponsors, the Advertiser Affairs Department urges corporations to support decent, familyfriendly programming while demonstrating to them
the harmful effects of sponsoring shows filled with
explicit sex, gratuitous violence and extreme foul
language. The PTC scored particular success in opposing offensive cable programming, causing multiple sponsors to withdraw support from grotesquely
violent and sexualized content on series like FX’s The
Shield, Dirt and Rescue Me, MTV’s Scarred, and the
A&E network’s reruns of The Sopranos.
For years the Entertainment Industry has hidden
behind a faulty ratings system, insisting that they are
2
the Philadelphia Eagles. During a cutaway
shot to the stadium spectators, the camera
focused directly on a woman wearing a tshirt clearly inscribed with the words “F--k
Da Eagles” (without the dashes). The shot
stayed focused on the woman and her shirt
for several seconds. Fans on the East Coast
saw this obscenity televised during the Family
Hour — 8:30 p.m. ET - and it aired at 5:30
p.m. on the West Coast.
The PTC also launched major campaigns
against foul programming on cable TV.
Among the PTC’s targets were the FX network’s sexually explicit and graphically violent
mainstay programs The Shield, Rescue Me,
Nip/Tuck and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, as well as its disgusting new series Dirt
and Damages; Comedy Central’s raunchy
series South Park and The Sarah Silverman
Program, and its execrable Roast of Flava
Flav; the depraved sexual antics of the E! network’s The Girls Next Door, I Love New York
and the explicit nudity and graphic surgical
violence of Dr. 90210; and the constant sex
and profanity aimed at teens by MTV.
In addition, the PTC intensified its efforts
to increase public awareness of the impact
of violent video games and their effects on
children, encouraging legislators in statehouses across the country to prevent the sale
or rental of adult video games to unaccompanied minors.
The PTC’s Special Reports hit home in
2007, revealing the profoundly disturbing increase in foul TV programming. In addition
to the violence study Dying to Entertain, the
PTC’s examination the TV ratings system, The
Ratings Sham II: TV Executives Still Hiding
Behind A System That Doesn’t Work, demonstrated the ineffectiveness and outright
fraudulent nature of the TV ratings system.
And The Alarming Family Hour: No Place for
Children showed the extent to which extreme
violence and perverse sexual content have
become dominant in the Family Hour, the first
hour of prime time, when many children are
in the viewing audience. In addition, the PTC
released mini-studies on the Top 20 Most
Popular Prime-Time Broadcast TV Shows
Watched By Children Ages 2-11 and the Top
Ten Best and Worst Advertisers on TV.
PTC President Tim Winter called
on the airline industry to set and adhere to family-friendly guidelines for
in-flight entertainment. Coming on
the heels of legislation introduced in
the U.S. House of Representatives,
the PTC’s statement condemned the
growing number of violent or sexually charged in-flight programming
shown on monitors throughout airplane cabins with no realistic way
to shield children.
The PTC also addressed the
increasingly important issue
of media consolidation. PTC’s
Public Policy Director, Dan
Isett, spoke out at the FCC’s
October hearing on media
ownership, and PTC President Tim
Winter testified before the U.S.
Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science & Transportation Committee. The PTC’s message was that
media ownership consolidation has
led to community standards of decency on broadcast television being
ignored: with very few exceptions,
network-owned television stations do
not consider community decency standards, even though the terms of their
broadcast licenses demand it. When
station general managers in cities
and towns across the country take
their orders directly from the network headquarters in New York
or Hollywood, it comes
as no surprise that they
would toe the company
line with programming.
But when local programming decisions are
dictated or prohibited by
a corporation often thousands of miles away, the
public interest cannot be
served.
3
2007 Research and Publications • PTC Research Documents
PTC Research Leads the Way
Much of the PTC’s reputation as America’s TV watchdog is rooted in
its painstakingly-gathered and documented research. With over 17,000
VHS tapes containing over 115,000 hours of programming, the PTC’s video library and research capabilities are unrivaled, making the PTC the
nation’s foremost authority on television content.
Government agencies like the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal
Communications Commission, Congressional and Senate staff and committees, advertisers, press outlets and other non-profit organizations have
come to rely upon the PTC’s videotape archive as a valuable resource in documenting marketing practices and program content, and reviewing complaints about broadcast and cable indecency.
The PTC uses customized technology to scientifically track and monitor television content. Every evening all
entertainment programming on the six major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, CW, Fox and MyNetworkTV), as
well as original cable programming on networks like MTV, FX, Comedy Central and VH1, is recorded. The following day, trained analysts set about the arduous task of cataloguing in vivid detail or transcribing verbatim every
obscenity, sexual scene or situation and act of violence. PTC analysts also keep track of every product advertised
on monitored programs.
This data is stored in the PTC’s custom-designed ETS database. The detailed and complex data is then used to
generate Special Reports and studies; to publish weekly online E-alerts and stories for the PTC Insider; to generate
FCC complaints; to raise accountability for companies that sponsor television programming; and to document the
evidence which demonstrates the disturbing trend toward more graphic and gratuitous material on television.
Ground-Breaking Research and
Special Reports
broadcast television. PTC analysts examined nearly
1,200 hours of prime time programming on the six
major broadcast networks from the first two weeks
of the November, February and May sweeps during
the 2003-2004, 2004-2005, and 2005-2006 television seasons. Their findings showed that violence on
prime-time broadcast television has increased 75%
since 1998. Furthermore, the study showed that violence has shifted from being incidental to being the
major focus of TV stories. More and more programs
show graphic gore such as autopsies,
medical procedures or
extensive torture sequences, or include a
sexual element. Rapists, sexual predators
and child molesters are
cropping up with greater
and greater frequency on
prime-time programs.
“Broadcasters are facing a renewed battle over
regulating televised violence [and] the Parents Television Council stoked the
fires,” the Los Angeles Times
said in reaction to the study.
Each of the PTC’s studies helps establish where
our media culture stands today, how it compares to
years past, and where it is headed. Industry insiders know that the PTC’s studies instigate change by
helping set the agenda for the PTC’s members, for
lawmakers on Capitol Hill, for a multitude of likeminded organizations, for advertisers and
sponsors, and ultimately for Hollywood itself.
The PTC’s Special Reports are built on solid,
comprehensive data analysis and painstaking accuracy. For that reason, when the PTC
releases a study it makes waves nationwide. In 2007 the PTC released a number
of ground-breaking studies, each of which
generated national attention.
Dying to Entertain:
Violence on Prime Time Broadcast Television 1998-2006
The PTC exploded onto the media
scene with Dying to Entertain, its report
on the overwhelming amount of extreme violence prevalent on prime-time
4
Violence, Sex and Profanity on TV
But the Times was only one of the many media outlets which devoted
attention to the issues of media violence raised in the report. Throughout
the year, the news media referred repeatedly to this ground-breaking
study. The study also made headlines in many of the major newspapers
and media industry sources in the U.S., and was covered by nationwide
cable distributors Cox and APTN as well as the C-SPAN cable network.
The PTC’s reputation for providing timely, relevant, and reliable
data has spread, and in 2007, several media outlets contacted the PTC
in pursuit of original research on TV violence. The Associated Press
called upon the PTC for original data on the depiction of torture on
prime-time broadcast television. The New Yorker magazine’s story on
violence on the Fox series 24 also relied heavily on PTC research.
The Ratings
Sham II:
TV Executives Still Hiding Behind a System
That Doesn’t Work
At the annual gathering of the
National Association of Broadcasters in April, PTC President Tim
Winter unveiled the PTC’s newest
study, The Ratings Sham II: TV
Executives Still Hiding Behind a
System That Doesn’t Work. This
exhaustive study proved what the
PTC has been saying for years:
TV ratings are a sham and actually prevent the V-Chip from
functioning properly. Because every network rates its own programs,
the ratings are hopelessly inaccurate.
Ever since the TV ratings came into effect, PTC studies have shown
a dramatic increase in both the frequency and explicitness of sexual
content, violence and foul language on prime-time broadcast television.
Public opinion surveys taken since the adoption of the TV ratings also
show growing outrage over TV content, and unfamiliarity with the meanings of TV ratings and the workings of the V-Chip.
The PTC examined all prime-time entertainment programming on
the six broadcast networks during the November 2006 and February 2007 sweeps, not including sports and news programs. The study
showed that content descriptors are not being consistently used by any
of the broadcast networks during prime-time viewing hours. Two-thirds
of the shows on in prime time contained offensive content and lacked
one or more of the appropriate descriptors. Furthermore, not a single
one of the programs received a TV-MA rating. This means that, according to the networks, EVERY program in prime time is appropriate for a
child under the age of 18!
5
“There is an absolute
objective consensus in
the scientific community
regarding the effects of exposure to a violent media
environment on children. If
you have a child that is enveloped in a violent media
environment, psychological science demonstrates
that your child may become more aggressive and
learn violence as a manner
by which they will solve
conflict. They may become
desensitized to acts of
violence.”
— Jeffrey McIntire,
spokesman for the American
Psychological Association
“Given that on average
American youth witness
more than 1,000 murders,
rapes, and assaults per
year on television…media
violence is clearly a risk
factor. In fact, findings
from research that combines the results of hundreds of individual studies
suggest that about 10 percent of real-life violence
may be attributed to media
violence.”
— Deborah A. Fisher, Ph.D.,
Pacific Institute for Research
and Evaluation
“I hear alarm about the
desensitization this kind
of violent programming
can produce…I hope that
reports like the one PTC is
releasing today will really
focus the spotlight on what
has been creeping into our
living rooms for too long.”
— Federal Communications
Commissioner Michael J. Copps
In The Alarming Family Hour: No Place for
Children, the PTC studied all entertainment programs
airing on the six major broadcast networks in the
Family Hour during three separate two-week periods
of the 2006-2007 television season: November
2-15, 2006; February 1-14, 2007; and April 26May 9, 2007. The study found that one instance of
objectionable content occurs every 3 ½ minutes of
non-commercial airtime, on average. More than
¾ of all the programs airing in the Family Hour
contained foul language, while well over half of all
programs contained sexual content and almost half
contained violent content.
The Alarming Family Hour:
No Place for Children exposed
prime-time network television’s
abandonment of the Family
Hour, showing that the broadcast
networks are cramming ever
more violent and raunchy
adult programming into the
early hours of the evening. By
choosing to air such content
during the Family Hour, the
networks are sending so-called
“mature” content, featuring
graphic sex, gore, and foul
language, into the minds of
young children. This report
met with unprecedented
media coverage, being discussed in hundreds of media
outlets worldwide via Reuters news service and
the Los Angeles Times.
The Ratings Sham II exposed the entertainment
industry’s hypocrisy for all to see, and proved once
again that TV ratings and the V-Chip are useless
for protecting children and families from offensive
content.
The Alarming Family Hour:
No Place for Children
A Content Analysis of Sex, Foul Language
and Violence During Network Television’s
Family Hour
For many years, the networks aired television
shows between 8 and 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time
(7-8 p.m. Central and Mountain time) that offered
suitable viewing for the entire family. But today, the
broadcast networks are cramming ever more adult
programming into the early hours of the evening.
Prime-time television — even in the Family Hour — is
no longer safe for children to watch.
Since the PTC’s last major study of Family Hour
programming in August 2001, violent content during
the Family Hour has increased by more than half,
and sexual content by almost a quarter.
Not only do the networks deliberately schedule
new programs featuring raw language and sex during the Family Hour; they also show reruns of steamy,
gore-filled programs in the early evening, even when
they originally ran in a
later timeslot!
What Are Your Children
Watching?
Rating the Top 20 Most Popular Prime-Time
Broadcast TV Shows Watched by Children
Ages 2-17
In accordance with its mission of protecting America’s children from violence, sex and profanity, the
PTC prepared its own analysis of the 20 most popular
prime-time broadcast shows with children ages 2-17.
This study found that some of the best and most ageappropriate shows for children to watch today are
non-scripted reality shows. The PTC’s analysis also
found that none of the scripted shows in the top 20
are appropriate due to the high levels of sex, violence
and profanity.
6
The PTC Insider
The PTC Insider is one of the PTC’s most
effective vehicles for educating and mobilizing its massive grassroots network. Every
month the Insider is sent to tens of thousands
of PTC supporters. The newsletter gives PTC
members an in-depth look at how the PTC is
working to protect children from sex, violence and profanity in entertainment, alerts
members to future battles and reports on
battles already won.
The Insider provides members with the
tools and information they need to challenge
the entertainment industry directly, featuring detailed accounts of ongoing campaigns,
exclusive celebrity interviews, “insider”
reports on PTC events and press conferences,
examples of indecent programming and the action the
PTC is taking against them, details of PTC studies and
special reports, and articles concerning the influence of
television on American culture. Its growing distribution
network now extends to new audiences at libraries, community events, houses of worship,
Kiwanis and Rotary Club meetings, advertisers, reporters and broadcast affiliates nationwide.
Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2007
Advertising Age • Jan. 11, 2007 • “A new report from
“...The FCC report found that such technology
[the V-Chip and other blocking technology] is
helpful but is not enough because of inconsistent
ratings and other flaws, the official said. The report
follows the release of a study last month by the
Parents Television Council that said TV violence
had reached epidemic proportions, increasing 75%
in six years.”
the Parents Television Council claims broadcast TV
violence has increased dramatically and the group wants
marketers to demand full refunds when their ads appear
next to content that is deemed too violent…PTC President
Tim Winter said the group doesn’t want to censor content,
but to point out the violent programming is sending the
message that violence is normal in society. ‘We are not
calling for a ban on anything. We are calling for some
responsibility and restraint by broadcasters,’ he said.”
Minneapolis Star Tribune • Jan. 17, 2007
“Last week the Parents Television Council released
a study that documents the tidal wave of TV violence
sweeping through American homes…Today, says
the study, the average American kid sees over 1,000
acts of murder, rape and assault on TV each year.
Moreover, TV violence is increasingly graphic and
features extensive torture sequences and grisly
autopsy scenes. Frequently it also includes a sexual
element. Rapists, sexual predators and fetishists
are doing their worst on prime-time shows such as
Law and Order: S.V.U., CSI and Crossing Jordan.”
Reuters • Sept. 5, 2007
“...A new Parents Television Council study of Family
Hour programming conclusively shows that children
watching television during the first hour of prime time are
assaulted by violence, profanity or sexual content once
every 3.5 minutes of non-commercial airtime. During the
2006-2007 study period, almost 90% of the 208 television
shows reviewed contained objectionable content...”
For more of the PTC’s research and publications,
please visit our website at www.ParentsTV.org.
7
Holding Corporate Sponsors Accountable in 2007
Since its founding, the PTC has recognized that corporate advertisers share accountability for the tide of
graphic and gratuitous sex, violence and profanity on television. Advertisers play a critical role in determining how far producers are able to push the envelope with shocking and gratuitous programming. With their
advertising dollars, they can choose to underwrite family-friendly television programming, or they can elect to
sponsor programs filled with graphic content. In 2007 the PTC targeted several raunchy programs, but maintained a focused and aggressive attack on the original programming airing on advertiser-supported basic
cable network FX’s flagship series The Shield, Rescue Me, Nip/Tuck and its new series Dirt, in addition to foul
broadcast programs like Fox’s Family Guy and American Dad.
The PTC also confronted advertisers with the disgustingly violent and sexual content they sponsored. The
results were superb, with more than 150 advertisers removing their sponsorship of graphic programming after
being contacted by the PTC. In many instances, advertisers who supported these programs would not even
have been aware that their commercial spots were airing during these shows if not for the efforts of the Parents
Television Council. After being informed of the foul content on the programming they sponsor, many advertisers vowed to reevaluate their media buys. Multiple sponsors promised to review each episode of series they
sponsor, to make certain the program does not conflict with corporate policies against advertising on indecent
programs.
Advertisers Pull Out of Offensive
Broadcast Programs
for advertising on clean, family-friendly broadcast
network programs like Extreme Makeover: Home
Edition, 7th Heaven, American Idol, Deal or No
Deal, Dancing With the Stars, and the Family Friendly
Programming Forum show Friday Night Lights.
After being contacted by the PTC, candy
company Cadbury Adams announced that will begin
prescreening all Family Guy and American Dad
episodes “for sensitive content, and [will] position
our advertising away from unsuitable content.”
Michelin tires announced that because of the PTC’s
notification regarding a raunchy episode of NBC’s
Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Michelin will
now prescreen the program prior to making any
further media commitment. Nissan North America
faxed the PTC with a message of apology for
Nissan’s sponsorship of the CBS series Two and a
Half Men: “We at Nissan are very concerned about
acceptable advertising environments for programs,”
a company spokesman said. After the PTC informed
the company of its sponsorship of the October 3rd
episode of CBS’ Criminal Minds, in which a serial
killer used a little boy to lure women to their death,
Senior Vice President Greg Gable of the brokerage
firm Charles Schwab wrote to the PTC, saying, “We
respect your organization’s efforts and the passion
that you bring to your mission…[Charles Schwab
will] review our advertising placements on network
television.” And in a tremendous coup for decency,
protests by PTC members caused General Motors to
announce that, as of December 31, 2007, GM would
no longer sponsor Fox’s Family Guy.
Throughout the year, the PTC also applauded
companies which acted responsibly. The Parents
Television Council congratulated the Campbell
Soup Company , FedEx, McDonald’s and Staples
PTC Gets Advertiser Action Against
Foul Cable Programs!
The PTC’s Department of Advertiser Programs
scored huge triumphs in 2007. In nearly 50 face-toface meetings with television sponsors, the Advertiser
Programs Department urged corporations to stop
sponsoring basic cable programs filled with explicit
sex, gratuitous violence and extreme foul language.
FX’s ultra-violent series The Shield, which had 99
total advertisers at the beginning of its season, saw
22 advertisers withdraw, among them Gerber Life
Insurance. In a communication to the PTC, Gerber
stated, “Please accept our assurance that we are
looking into the specific airing to which you refer to
prevent any recurrence, and that we’ll be strengthening our efforts to prevent our commercials from
being shown in this type of tawdry context again.”
Similarly, FX’s raunchy and profane drama Rescue Me saw 14 of its original 77 advertisers withdraw. One such sponsor, Dairy Queen, stated in
a letter to the PTC, “After evaluating the content of
Rescue Me we have placed this show on our ‘do not
air’ list.” And FX’s new sex-and-sleaze-filled program
Dirt lost almost half its advertisers (83 total, with 37
withdrawing) after the PTC made sponsors aware of
the program’s content. One sponsor, a Mazda deal8
er, thanked the PTC for informing
sponsors after the PTC publicized
them about the placement of their
the violence on the series.
ads on such a program: “Your
And the PTC’s success at conletter is making us take a much
vincing advertisers to withdraw
closer look at our future media
from disgusting programming
choices, and we certainly will susis ongoing. Within weeks of the
pend all advertising support of
program’s fall premiere, two mathat program. Thank you for being
jor sponsors had already pledged
so vigilant in monitoring what our
to stop sponsoring FX’s filthy Nip/
children are watching on televiTuck. Epson replied to the PTC
sion. It is only through diligent efregarding their sponsorship, sayforts from people and groups like
ing, “As a socially responsible
yours that we can be completely
company that prides itself on beaware of what is truly happening
ing a good corporate citizen, we
in the world.”
are guided by principles of corThe PTC’s success was not
porate behavior that are deeply
limited to the FX network. Nearly
rooted in the management phia third of advertisers withdrew
losophy of our company… Your
from the A&E network’s rerunning
letter has prompted us to go back
of the profane and violent HBO
and review the profile and content
What children are watching:
drama The Sopranos. In addiof each show that will be carryNip/Tuck, Scarred and
ing our television commercials.”
tion to withdrawing their sponsorSouth Park, just a few of the
ship, Choice Hotels International
And BMW of North America anobscene shows the PTC brought
stated: “We agree that content
nounced in a letter to the PTC that
to the attention of advertising
on this show is not representative
”…we did not intend, nor do we
executives and shareholders
of the values of our company and
plan in the future, to advertise on
in corporate America.
this program…[our] advertising
we will no longer be an advertiser
on this program.” Similarly, MTV’s
team has taken deliberate action
to instruct the network on future placement of BMW
reality show Scarred – which encouraged teens to inbonus spots.”
jure themselves on camera – lost 28 of its original 84
Demanding Corporate Responsibility at Shareholder Meetings
In an advocacy outreach program unprecedented among family groups and media
advocacy organizations, the PTC purchases common stock both in companies that
regularly sponsor grossly inappropriate television programming, and in companies
that consistently sponsor family-friendly programs. This provides the PTC with an effective platform to impress on the company’s senior management, board of directors
and fellow stockholders the need for responsible advertising policies. PTC staff and
Advisory Board members attend annual shareholders’ meetings and publicly confront
corporate management of companies that underwrite offensive programming, while
praising companies that behave responsibly by purchasing advertising on wholesome,
family-friendly programs.
In 2007, PTC representatives attended national corporate shareholder meetings
and demanded they reconsider their sponsorship of the offensive content on broadcast
television programs like CSI, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Criminal Minds, Family
Guy, American Dad and House, and cable programs like South Park, The Shield and
Nip/Tuck. Radio Shack, YUM! Brands (owners of Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell, A&W and
Long John Silver’s), JP Morgan, Allstate, Brinker International, Circuit City and eBay
were among the shareholder meetings at which the PTC challenged advertisers to review and ultimately change their media buying behavior.
9
Public Policy and Advocacy • PTC Gets Government Action
A major part of the PTC’s battle to keep the airwaves free of offensive content is enlisting America’s representative government in helping to protect our children. Since the first days of broadcasting, U.S. law has allowed broadcasters to use the public airwaves, providing they operate “in the public interest.” The PTC ensures
that the government enforces that public interest provision, which is mentioned more than 100 times in the
original federal statute. By filing formal complaints against broadcast indecency, the PTC demands the government uphold established broadcast decency laws, which restrict the hours in which offensive content can air.
These formal complaints can result in individual TV stations and broadcast networks being fined for breaking
the law, thus discouraging the airing of indecent content in the future.
The PTC also encourages Congress to strengthen laws against broadcast indecency, and it applauds Cable
Choice legislation that would give Americans the ability to purchase only those cable channels they actually
watch, so that they no longer have to subsidize cable programming they find offensive. The PTC has also been
active in promoting laws prohibiting the sales of M-rated video games containing graphic violence and sex to
minors. Through its activism, the PTC has been at the forefront of persuading the government to protect American children from graphic sex and violence in the media.
PTC Led the Way on FCC’s Accountability
Throughout 2007, the Parents
Television Council’s advocacy
blazed the trail for the actions taken by the government’s Federal
Communications Commission on
a gamut of communications issues.
PTC Holds Viacom to its
Decency Promise
In November of 2004, Viacom – the parent company of the
CBS television network – agreed
that they had been responsible
for undefined indecent programming, and signed a consent decree with the FCC admitting their
wrongdoing, paying a fine and
committing to a detailed plan of
future compliance with federal
broadcast indecency regulations,
including an agreement to suspend employees responsible for
any future airing of indecent material. In exchange, the FCC dismissed all the outstanding indecency complaints against Viacom.
The network then proceeded to
break their promise by re-airing
an indecent episode of the drama
Without a Trace. When the CBSowned station KUTV in Salt Lake
City came up for a renewal of its
broadcast license, the PTC urged
the FCC to withhold renewal until
CBS kept its promise to suspend
those responsible. CBS disingenuously stated that they thought the
consent decree only applied to
live broadcasts. CBS ultimately
agreed to abide by the original
consent decree, and they paid a
fine to the FCC for violating the
terms of that agreement.
FCC’s Report on Violent
Television
In April, the Federal Communications Commission released
its long-awaited report on violent
television programming and its
impact on children – and the PTC’s
research led the way. The PTC’s
determined and relentless efforts
at publicizing the increase in TV
violence raised concern about the
issue in Congress, which then ordered the FCC to prepare a report
on the issue. The FCC’s report
agreed with the PTC’s conclusions
and those of medical experts,
that exposure to media violence
can increase aggressive behavior
in children, and urged Congress
to take action to address violent
programming – echoing what the
PTC has been saying for over a
decade.
10
FCC’s Report on TV ratings
PTC research also anticipated
the FCC’s report on the issue of
TV ratings. The PTC’s ratings study
showed that the ratings system
and V-Chip are practically worthless and that parents cannot rely
on blocking technology to protect
their children. The FCC’s report
virtually repeated the PTC’s conclusions word-for-word, saying
that the V-Chip and the voluntary
TV ratings system are “of limited
effectiveness in protecting children
from violent television content,”
and that the FCC “is skeptical that
they will fully serve the government’s interests in promoting parental supervision and protecting
the well-being of minors.”
Cable Choice
The FCC also endorsed the
PTC’s push for Cable Choice.
The PTC believes that, while cable
networks are not as yet subject
to government regulation and so
may be able to show offensive
programming, customers who
object should not have to pay
for it. Cable customers should be
able to pay for only the channels
they want, without being forced to
subsidize programming they find
objectionable. The FCC’s report
Against Indecency
agreed whole-heartedly, saying
that cable companies “could provide consumers greater choice in
how they purchase their programming so that they could avoid violent programming. (e.g., an a la
carte regime would enable viewers
to buy their television channels individually or in smaller bundles),”
and that if cable operators refuse
to do so Congress could mandate
cable choice through legislation.
The PTC consulted with and advised the FCC on all matters related to indecency & Cable Choice
throughout the year.
FCC’s Consumer Advisory
Committee
In 2007, the PTC accepted an
invitation to serve on the FCC’s
Consumer Advisory Committee.
Dan Isett, Director of Corporate
and Government Affairs, represented PTC on the committee. Because the PTC is uniquely qualified
to provide opinion and insight into
how consumers think about a wide
range of communication issues,
the organization’s participation on
this committee was beneficial for
all Americans.
Joint Congressional/FCC
Childhood Obesity Task Force
The PTC also served on the
joint Congressional/FCC Childhood Obesity Task Force, providing it with crucial information. The
PTC’s report studied 86 hours’
worth of children’s programming,
and analyzed nearly 2,600 commercials for sponsor information
and content which might encourage unhealthy eating habits.
Because of the unique nature
of the PTC’s archive of television programming, no other
organization in the world
was able to produce this
data and accompanying analysis.
PTC Gets Results from Congress
On Capitol Hill, PTC President Tim Winter testified at two major
Senate committee hearings in 2007. On June 26th, Winter testified
before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on the issue of television violence and the impact of media
violence on children, providing graphic examples of how brutal and
gruesome television violence has become and taking the industry to
task for not dealing with the problem responsibly. The PTC delivered
riveting proof of the escalation of violent content affecting children
across the country.
In November, 2007, Winter was again called upon to testify before
Congress on the harmful effects of media consolidation, stating that
the increasing concentration of control over TV programming in fewer
and fewer hands cannot be in the public interest. Winter urged Congress to re-establish the FCC’s power to regulate the use of “fleeting
expletives” on broadcast television.
Another major PTC initiative during 2007 was its action against
the June 4th decision by two judges from the U.S. appeals court in
New York City that cleared the way for television networks to use the
“F-word” and “S-word” in front of children at any time of the day. The
court made this decision in spite of the fact that in 2006 the House of
Representatives passed a bill by a 10-1 margin which authorized the
FCC to increase indecency fines for indecent language on television
ten-fold – and the Senate passed the bill unanimously! To combat this
reckless court decision, the PTC called on Congress to pass a new law
once again empowering the FCC to limit indecent language on television. The PTC organized a national “call-in” day, during which supporters and members of multiple other like-minded organizations phoned
Congress to voice their concerns about explicit language on broadcast
TV. The PTC’s efforts bore fruit when the Senate Commerce Committee released a bill introduced by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WVa) that
affirmed the FCC’s ability to restrict the use of profanity and indecent
images during times of day when children are most likely to be in the
viewing audience. The PTC also supported a House Cable Choice bill
co-sponsored by Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.),
and Rep. John Fortenberry (R-Neb.).
11
FCC Report Paves the
Way for Cable Choice
In early January 2007 the FCC
released its annual report on cable
industry prices. Rates for cable service
— including basic and expanded
basic cable programming services
— increased by 5.2% over the 12-month
period ending January 1, 2005, and
by 93% since the period immediately
prior to Congress’s enactment of the
Telecommunications Act of 1996.
The PTC welcomed the findings as
evidence of the need for Cable Choice.
“This FCC report affirms what we’ve
been saying for the past few years: Cable
prices are accelerating at exorbitant
rates, and the key driver behind the
price increases is programming —
programming that is being forced onto
consumers who have no say in the
matter.
The cable industry continues to be
the only industry I know of that actively
and openly lobbies the government in
order to prevent its own customers from
getting what they want. Can you imagine
walking into a Wal-Mart with a shopping
cart and having the store employees, not
you, determine what to put in your cart?
If that were the case, you wouldn’t shop
at Wal-Mart. But [with cable] you have
no option.
If the cable industry continues to
force such anti-competitive practices onto
the consumer, then we have no choice but
to urge the new Congress to act quickly
to provide consumers with Cable Choice,”
said PTC President Tim Winter.
PTC Acts Against Violent Video Games
Throughout the year, the PTC took action against violent video
games, demanding responsible behavior from game manufacturers and urging government action against those retailers who refused to comply with the game industry’s own policies.
In February, the PTC praised Senator Sam Brownback for reintroducing the Truth in Video Game Rating Act to the Senate. The
Act would help correct the current video game ratings system, in
which a video game’s producers and distributors submit segments
of their choice to the Entertainment Software Ratings Board for
review. “Clearly, the ratings based on these hand-selected clips
are often an inaccurate representation of the full playable content,”
said PTC President Tim Winter. The same month, the PTC and the
Campaign for Commercial Free Childhood called on the Denver
Regional Transportation District to stop advertising video games
rated “Mature” or “Adults Only” on their buses and trains. In September, the PTC’s six California grassroots chapters applauded
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for appealing a
judge’s ruling that overturned popular legislation criminalizing the
sale or rental of violent video games to minors. And in November,
the PTC denounced the decision of the Entertainment Software
Rating Board to rate the explicitly violent videogame, Manhunt 2,
a softer Mature (M) rating rather than the more restrictive original
Adults Only (AO) rating, and demanded that the ERSB reinstate the
stronger AO rating.
PTC Makes Tremendous Strides Toward Establishing Cable Choice Among Cable
and Satellite TV Providers
Also in 2007, the XM and Sirius satellite radio networks began
plans to merge into one company in the coming year. The PTC took
advantage of the situation to leverage the proposed merger into
meaningful discussion about consumer choice in subscription entertainment. As a result, XM and Sirius modeled their proposed new
subscription plans on ideas put forward in conversations with PTC.
With consumer choice now established as
the norm among subscription radio, the
PTC has made tremendous strides toward
establishing Cable Choice among cable
and satellite TV providers.
Thanks to the PTC’s leadership, there
is now near unanimity of opinion in the
pro-family community on the importance
of establishing á la carte Cable Choice. Consumer’s Union, Citizens
for Community Values, Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for
America, the American Decency Association, the American Family
Association and the Kids First Coalition, among others, have now
joined with the PTC in pressing Congress and the cable industry to
give viewer the ability to pay for only the channels they watch.
12
HOW CABLE
SHOULD BE
For years, the Parents Television Council has
taken the lead on the issue of Cable Choice
– the idea that consumers should be allowed
to purchase and pay for only those cable channels they actually want to watch. In 2007 the
PTC launched its latest initiative in favor of consumer rights and family values. The “How CaThe PTC website www.HowCableShouldBe.com
ble Should Be” campaign shows consumers just
allows visitors to calculate what their cable
how much they are being overcharged for cable
bills
would be if they were allowed to “vote
and satellite programming — and exposes the
with
their
wallet” by selecting only the cable
truth about the cable industry’s multi-billion dolnetworks they wanted.
lar scam.
Most cable and satellite subscribers pay
Cable Choice. The cable industry suggests that
about $50 per month for so-called “expanded
if their channels were “unbundled” customers
basic cable,” a “package” or “bundle” which inwould pay more, not less. This defies the entire
cludes local TV stations and cable networks like
history of free market economics.
ESPN, Fox News, CNN, FX, Nickelodeon, the
Disney Channel, the Discovery Channel, and
The PTC website www.HowCableShouldBe.
others. Under this system, customers are forced
com allows consumers to see for themselves just
to pay exorbitant prices every
how much they are paying for
month for undesired, offenthe cable networks they don’t
sive, and even harmful prowant or don’t watch, showgramming in order to receive
ing the approximate amount
the few cable networks they
each network receives from
actually want to see.
every subscriber’s monthly
bill.
Most of the basic cable networks are owned by a handful
The website also allows
of huge media conglomervisitors to calculate what
ates, and those conglomertheir cable bills would be if
ates force cable companies
they were allowed to “vote
to bundle all their networks
with their wallet” by selecting
together. The PTC believes
only the cable networks they
this practice, called “tying”, is
wanted. After voting for the
The How Cable Should Be website
not only anti-competitive and
features an amusing online video,
channels they would prefer to
“Tad’s Bundling Bummer,” which
unfair to consumers, but may
keep, the site automatically
humorously demonstrates the
actually be illegal.
calculates what a given cusabsurdity of the cable industry’s
tomer’s cable bill should be if
An AP-Ipsos poll found that
business practices.
they were allowed to pay for
78% of respondents would
only the cable networks they want. The website
rather buy their TV programming through an á
also offers more information about the elabola carte arrangement. And the Federal Comrate scams the cable and satellite industries run
munications Commission estimates that Amerion their customers.
can cable and satellite subscribers would save
about $100 million every year if they could pick
With its How Cable Should Be campaign,
and pay for only the channels they want!
the PTC is striking another blow for Cable
Choice, and embracing the freedom for conIn defending family and consumer rights,
sumers to pay for what they want to buy – not
the PTC has been the strongest voice against
what some media boss wants to sell us.
the cable cartel’s dishonest arguments against
w w w. H o w C a b l e S h o u l d B e.c o m
13
Grassroots Activism in 2007
Much of the PTC’s strength comes from its army of Grassroots activists. These Grassroots chapters
help to educate parents, grandparents, neighbors, churches, local PTA groups and civic/fraternal organizations about media choices. Grassroots chapter members enlist their communities’ support in spreading
the powerful PTC message of reducing graphic and gratuitous sex, violence and profanity in the media;
persuading advertisers based in their community not to sponsor indecent programming; meeting with
local station managers and encouraging them to uphold community standards; opposing FCC license renewals for broadcasters who are not operating “in the public interest;” conducting surveys; serving as
PTC spokesmen; and participating in press conferences and public hearings on the local level.
The PTC launched eight new chapters in Pittsburgh, Dubuque, Omaha, Silicon Valley, Virginia
Beach, Cache Valley Utah and Southern Utah,
and Connecticut, for a grand total of 46 chapters
nationwide, in 2007. This is nearly an 8-fold increase
from the 6 grassroots chapters operating at the end
of 2002.
Chapter directors were effective both locally and
nationally, speaking out via op-eds, blogs, print, radio
and television interviews, as well
During the PTC’s Annual Grassroots Conference,
PTC Director of Corporate and Government Affairs
as speaking before thousands
Dan Isett briefed the attendees about the PTC’s
of people in live gatherings. In
successes with Congress and the FCC.
addition, in 2007 Grassroots
members distributed more
hearings in Chicago and Little Rock, and with many
than 130,000 PTC brochures,
congressional and state legislative staffers in support
and 6,000 copies of the PTC’s
of Cable Choice and other PTC issues in Chicago,
Special Reports and monthly
Jacksonville, Orlando, Nashville, Los Angeles,
newsletter, the PTC Insider
Portland, Miami, Atlanta, Illinois, Arizona, Omaha
– in addition to distributing
and Utah. This action by Grassroots members led
copies of the Grassroots
to state resolutions in Arizona, Minnesota, Missouri,
department’s newsletter,
and Nebraska, while in Houston, the city’s mayor proTaking Root.
tempore agreed to serve on the local PTC chapter’s
Advisory Board.
Many chapters worked
with other pro-family groups, organizing
But by far the PTC’s most significant Grassroots
events alongside PTAs, law-enforcement groups
victories have been in the area of advertiser
and religious networks.
The
outreach. Local chapters have
Omaha chapter hosted a booth
convinced advertisers to change
at Nebraska’s Louis Palau
their policies as a result of chapter
Festival, which was attended by
members bringing foul television
over 100,000 people, while the
content to local advertisers’
PTC’s Miami chapter signed up
attention. In Chicago, the local
308 new members at a single
chapter’s outreach resulted in a
community event!
Toyota dealership refusing to sponsor FX’s raunchy drama Rescue Me;
PTC chapter directors assisted
while in other cities, chapter directors
in maintaining pressure on CBS
spoke at shareholder meetings for
and the FCC during the Viacom
Clorox, Morgan Stanley, NewsCorp,
PTC Advisory Board member Tim
consent decree case and the license
Conway treated Grassroots conferand other companies, encouraging
renewal evaluation of KUTV’s
ence attendees to one of his hilarious
those companies to sponsor familybroadcast license in Salt Lake
comedy routines. (Above: Conway,
City. Chapter directors also met Advisory Board member William Blinn friendly programming and cease
advertising on offensive shows.
with FCC commissioners at local
and his wife, writer, Patricia Rust.)
14
PTC Grassroots Chapters 2007
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Washington, D.C.
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“The diversity of our chapter directors shows the widespread support for our mission.
We have multi-millionaires and struggling single moms, people of all different faiths, retirees
and those fresh out of college, men and women of all races and backgrounds working towards
the same goals. They have all been moved to join together and try to protect our children
from the inappropriate entertainment they are confronted with every day.”
~ Gavin Mc Kiernan • PTC National Grassroots Director
More than sixty activists from
legendary comedian Tim Conway,
twenty different states participated
and PTC Board Member Pat Boone.
in the third annual PTC Grassroots
At a panel on the entertainment
Conference. The theme of this
industry, PTC Advisory Board
year’s conference was “Planting
members
and
entertainment
the Seeds of Success.” Chapter
industry insiders William Blinn and
members met PTC national staff
Coleman Luck discussed why they
members as well as President Tim
are involved with the PTC, and how
Winter and Founder Brent Bozell.
Hollywood really works.
Veteran chapter directors led panels
Many Chapter Directors were
and exchanged information on the
awarded
for their work on behalf
most effective means to accomplish
PTC Founder Brent Bozell and
of
the
PTC.
Nashville Director Kelli
the PTC’s goals, while seminars on
Grassroots Director Gavin McKiernan
Turner received the first annual
topics including media training,
presented Nashville Chapter
L. Brent Bozell Activist of the Year
lobbying state legislatures, and
Director Kelli Turner with the
Award, recognizing outstanding
holding advertisers accountable
first annual “L. Brent Bozell III
provided attendees with the knowGrassroots leadership, involveActivist of the Year Award.”
how to create successful chapters.
ment and achievement.
Through the generous support of the Robert
Attendees were also treated to presentations by
D. Stuart Family Foundation, the PTC’s Grassroots
PTC Founder L. Brent Bozell, keynote speaker Dr.
Truman Anderson of the Stuart Family Foundation, 15 achieved tremendous impact in 2007.
15
The Power of PTC Online
The PTC website continues to be the “go-to” spot
tion tools and numerous interactive components, infor online activism against television violence, sex and
cluding a Parents Guide that offers advice on how
profanity. In 2003, the PTC created and launched
to effectively monitor a child’s TV access; a guide to
the first-ever web-driven FCC complaint form. A
the television, movie and video-game ratings systems;
cornerstone of the PTC’s campaign to hold the FCC
frequent articles on Parenting and the Media by Parresponsible for enforcing indecency laws, the PTC
ent Previews author and critic Rod Gustafson; weekly
website empowers viewers to file complaints with the
columns on the Best and Worst Shows of the Week
FCC against offending
(broadcast), Worst Cabroadcasters. In 2007
ble Show of the Week,
thousands of Americans
and So You Think You
utilized the easy-toCan Rate A TV Show?,
use Internet forms and
which points out examfiled complaints with
ples of programs misthe FCC, resulting in
rated by the networks,
fines against television
along with video clips
broadcasters for airing
highlighting typical conprofanity and indecent
tent; PTC family-friendly
material.
Weekly Viewing Picks; a
Many improvements
TV Trends column, which
were made to the PTC
keeps parents and other
home page in 2007,
viewers informed about
making it easier to
harmful or questionable
navigate. Added were
prime-time
programa drop-down menu
ming; periodic Culture
for movie reviews; a
Watch columns exam“New to the PTC” page,
ining issues related to
which shows readers
media decency; links
how to use the site; an
to other websites with
archive of past PTC
useful information; inE-Alerts; and a redesign
formation on current
which makes the latest
PTC campaigns against
columns written by the
broadcast, cable and
The PTC’s website empowers the public by providing an
PTC’s Research Devideo game indecency,
easy-to-use form for filing complaints about indecent
partment more visible
advertisers and Cable
programming with the Federal Communications
Choice;
nationallyand easier to find.
Commission, and also provides information on how
syndicated
entertainThe PTC website
to fight offensive TV content.
ment columns by PTC
has become a valuable
Founder L. Brent Bozell III; and guidance on joining
resource for PTC members, public policy leaders,
or starting a grassroots PTC chapter.
entertainment industry leaders, advertising executives, lawmakers and the media. With the click of
The PTC also partnered with the Dove Foundaa mouse, visitors can secure one-of-a-kind research
tion in creating Family Entertainment Central, a famand access to resources, including comprehensive
ily-centered on-line resource dedicated to supporting
information regarding program
and promoting wholesome entertainment.
sponsorship. Through the PTC site
The Family Entertainment Central website
s
i
visitors
can
learn
which
businesses
(www.familyentertainmentcentral.org)
brings togethTC
The P ’s
sponsor indecent television proer in one location a select group of contributing partEC
gramming.
ner organizations — each with expertise in a particuthe F e
v
i
s
The
website
is
also
the
home
lar medium — and provides easy access to in-depth
exclu r for
Family
Guide
to
of
the
PTC’s
information for current entertainment media include
provid ent
Prime-Time
Television.
ing movies, DVDs, electronic games, television, and
nt
The user-friendly website
music. The PTC is the FEC’s exclusive provider for TV
T V co .
s
i
s
offers
streamlined
navigay
content analysis.
l
na
a
16
PTC’s Family Guide to Prime-Time Television
The PTC’s Family Guide to Prime-Time Television (found online at: www.ParentsTV.org) provides the tools
parents need to make informed viewing decisions about their children’s TV viewing.
The easy-to-read “traffic light” ratings system (red, yellow and green) signals a show’s suitability for youngsters based on profanity, violence, sexual situations and overall content.
While the Family Guide serves as an excellent resource for parents, it is also used by corporate sponsors and
media buyers in determining programs on which to advertise and the indecent programs to avoid.
PTC Ratings Legend
RED
Show may include gratuitous sex,
explicit dialogue, violent content,
or obscene language, and is
unsuitable for children.
YELLOW
The show contains adult-oriented
themes and dialogue that may be
inappropriate for youngsters.
GREEN
A family-friendly show promoting
responsible themes and
traditional values.
BLUE
The show is not yet rated by the PTC.
Informing and Mobilizing
Thousands of Activists
The Internet provides the PTC with the ability to
mobilize its army of activist members. With a click of
a mouse, information and action calls can be sent
nationwide.
Using this sophisticated computer technology,
the PTC’s weekly e-mail report, the PTC Weekly
Wrap, informs PTC members and others of ongoing PTC campaigns to clean up television, and features reviews of current movies, warnings about
violent videogames, and other information of concern to parents. The Weekly Wrap is distributed
to more than 200,000 grassroots supporters and
public policy leaders nationwide, informing them
about looming trends in the entertainment industry
and giving them the tools they need to help bring
about positive change. And in cases of alarming programming requiring immediate action, PTC
E-Alerts mobilize PTC members, urging them to communicate their concerns directly to the networks and
program sponsors.
17
The PTC Seal of Approval™
The PTC recognizes excellence in the entertainment and
advertising industries by awarding its PTC Seal of Approval™.
This award is given to worthy television programs, made-for-TV
movies, motion pictures, and advertisers that help parents by
providing or sponsoring entertainment suitable for the entire
family. Like Good Housekeeping magazine’s seal, the PTC Seal
of Approval™ gives consumers the information and confidence
they need to make the best choices in support of family-friendly
entertainment.
The PTC Seal of Approval™ is greatly valued by networks and
studios. By prominently displaying the Seal on advertisements,
publicity materials and movie posters, producers and broadcasters
demonstrate that they share the PTC’s values and are able
to reach out directly to a public hungry for family fare free of
gratuitous sex, violence and profanity.
2007 WINNERS
TELEVISION
Deal or No Deal - NBC
Caillou - PBS
Word World - PBS
It’s a Big, Big World - PBS
Booples - PBS
Cyberchase - PBS
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody – Disney Channel
Hannah Montana – Disney Channel
That’s So Raven – Disney Channel
Cory in the House – Disney Channel
You’ve Got A Friend - Hallmark
High School Musical 2 – Disney Channel
FILMS
Amazing Grace
Mr. Bean’s Holiday (aka Mr. Bean’s Vacation)
The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything
Meet the Robinsons
TMNT
Fred Claus
Greece: Secrets of the Past
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium
Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon
Coral Reef Adventure
DVDs
High School Musical:
The Concert Extreme Access Pass
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh –
The Friendship Edition
Roving Mars
ADVERTISERS
Altria
Campbell’s Soup
Ford Motor Company
18
Integrity in Entertainment Award Winners
The PTC Integrity in Entertainment Award recognizes those corporations and individuals who have demonstrated a longstanding commitment to creating, distributing and sponsoring quality entertainment
that is free from graphic and gratuitous sex, violence and profanity.
Hallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel represents the best in television programming
and illustrates that audiences of all ages can be entertained without
gratuitous sexual, violent or profane content. Broadcasting such family favorites as Little House on the Prairie, inspiring talk shows such
as Naomi Judd’s program Naomi’s New Morning, as well as its superb original movies, Hallmark Channel is truly representative what
it means to be a responsible broadcaster. With the name ‘Hallmark,’
families can be assured of quality entertainment without harmful or
offensive messages in what has so frequently become a graphic and
indecent entertainment world.
J.M. Smucker Company
PTC President Tim Winter (left) presents
the PTC Integrity in Entertainment
Award to Hallmark Channel President
and CEO Henry S. Schleiff
The J.M. Smucker Company was selected for its history of, and commitment
to, sponsoring television shows that the entire family can enjoy. Corporations
are starting to realize that it is good business to be socially responsible.
Television sponsors contribute to the culture through their advertising dollars.
The content they choose to underwrite is a direct reflection on their corporate
values and beliefs. Through its sponsorship decisions, the J.M. Smucker Company shows that it values the
family and will not help to finance the harmful, graphic and gratuitous content that airs all too often on
television today.
The 2007 Top Ten Best and Worst Advertisers
The PTC applauded several companies for making responsible sponsorship decisions in 2007. The companies listed
as Best Advertisers of the Year were awarded the PTC Seal of Approval for Excellence in Advertising™. And the J.M.
Smucker Company [products include Jif peanut butter, Crisco, and its namesake jellies and jams] was acknowledged
by the PTC with its inaugural Legacy Award for Smucker’s long-term corporate commitment to responsible advertising practices. By awarding the Seal, the PTC calls attention to and publicly praises those companies that have taken
a stand for decency by supporting family-friendly programming.
BEST
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
Procter & Gamble
Walt Disney Co.
Ford Motor Company
Unilever United States
Viacom, Inc.
McDonalds Corporation
Johnson & Johnson
Schering-Plough Corporation
[Products include: Afrin, Claritin,
Nasonex, Dr. Scholls, Lotrimin]
9) Coca-Cola Company
10) General Mills, Inc.
WORST
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
Toyota Motor Sales Inc.
General Motors Corp.
Limited Brands, Inc.
Payless Shoe Source
Vonage Marketing, Inc.
Volkswagen of America
Dunkin Brands
Reckitt Benckiser PLC
[Products include: Clearasil, Lysol, Air Wick, Spray and
Wash, Woolite, Jet Dry, Glass Plus, Electrasol, Easy Off]
9) GEICO, Inc.
10) Bayer Corp.
19
PTC In
The News
In 2007, the Parents
Television Council was
one of the most heralded
pro-family organizations
in America, covered by
both the national and
international press. The
PTC was featured in
more than 1,600 unique
print and broadcast
stories on every major
broadcast and cable
network news program,
dozens of nationally syndicated radio broadcasts
reaching thousands of
affiliates, and hundreds
of local radio broadcasts
reaching into nearly every American home.
In addition, PTC
research, campaigns
and spokesmen were
highlighted in national
news magazines. The
PTC garnered headlines coast-to-coast in
every major American
daily newspaper. It
also gained publicity
around the world (including France, the United
Kingdom, Australia,
South Korea, southeast
Asia, and Canada). This
non-stop, aggressive
earned-media publicity
campaign reached tens
of millions of Americans
and hundreds of thousands throughout the
world. With each appearance on television or
radio or in the print media, the voice of the PTC
directly touched millions
of potential supporters.
To reach so many people
with regular advertising
would require a multimillion dollar budget.
TELEVISION
RADIO
ABC:
Jimmy Kimmel Live
News Now
World News Tonight
Associated Press TV
Broadcast Blues Productions
(documentary)
CBN News: Newswatch
CNBC:
On the Money
Power Lunch
CNN:
CNN Newsroom
Larry King Live
Paula Zahn Now
Headline News
ShowBiz Tonight
Court TV: Catherine Crier Live
Cox Broadcasting
C-SPAN:
The Communicators
Washington Journal
C-SPAN2
Discovery Channel:
The Joy of Lex
FNC:
Hannity & Colmes
The Big Story w/ John Gibson
Your World with Neil Cavuto
KMGH-TV – Denver, CO
Korean Broadcasting Service
MSNBC:
Scarborough Country
Tucker
Playing Columbine (documentary)
Sinclair Broadcasting
WHIO-TV – Dayton, OH
WJLA-TV – Washington DC
WKRN-TV – Nashville, TN
WMYT-TV – Charlotte, NC
WOWT-TV – Omaha, NE
~ PARTIAL LISTING
SYNDICATED
ABC Radio News
Accent Radio Network
America’s Wake Up Call
American Family Radio
Ave Maria Radio
CBS Radio
Clash Radio
CNN Radio
Culture Shocks
EMF Broadcasting
EWTN Radio
Family News in Focus
Information Radio Network
Janet Parshall’s America
The Jerry Doyle Show
Jerry Johnson Live
The Lars Larson Show
The Michael Reagan Show
The Mike McConnell Show
Minnesota Public Radio
MoneyDots
NPR – National Public Radio
N.W. Radio Network
Sirius Satellite Radio
Southern Calif. Public Radio
Live from the Left Coast
Topical Currents
Total Access
United News & Information
USA Radio Network
Voice of America
Washington Post Radio
W.V. Radio Network
Wisconsin Public Radio
~ PARTIAL LISTING
LOCAL RADIO
CFRB-AM – Toronto, Canada
KBHW-FM – Intl. Falls, MN
KCIS-AM – Seattle, WA
20
KDKA-AM – Pittsburgh, PA
KFBK-AM – Sacramento, CA
KFKA-AM – Greeley, CO
KFWB-AM – Los Angles, CA
KGAB-AM – Cheyenne, WY
KGLO-AM – Mason City, IA
KGNW-AM – Seattle, WA
KIDO-AM – Boise, ID
KIRO-AM – Seattle, WA
KIT-AM – Yakima, WA
KKZZ-AM – Ventura, CA
KLVI-AM – Beaumont, TX
KMED-AM – Medford, OR
KNSI-AM – St. Cloud, MN
KNST-AM – Tucson, AZ
KOA-AM – Denver, CO
KOMO-AM – Seattle, WA
KPCC-FM – Los Angeles, CA
KPDQ-AM – Portland, OR
KQV-AM – Pittsburgh, PA
KRMS-AM – Osage Beach, MO
KSCJ-AM – Sioux City, IA
KSLR-AM – San Antonio, TX
KSOL-AM – Sioux Falls, SD
KSTE-AM – Sacramento, CA
KTEK-AM – Houston, TX
KTLK-FM – St. Louis Park, MN
KUER-FM – Salt Lake City, UT
KUOW-FM – Seattle, WA
KVSS-FM – Omaha, NE
KXYL-FM – Brownwood, TX
KYSL-FM – Dillon, CO
KYW-AM – Philadelphia, PA
WAMT-AM – Orlando, FL
WBT-AM – Charlotte, NC
WCCO-AM – Minneapolis, MN
WCEV-AM – Chicago, IL
WCHS-AM – Charleston, WV
WCLN-FM – Fayetteville, NC
WDEO-AM – Ann Arbor, MI
WDUN-AM – Gainesville , GA
WELI-AM – New Haven, CT
WFAE-FM – Charlotte, NC
WFIL-AM – Philadelphia, PA
WFLA-AM – Orlando, FL
WGNU-AM – St. Louis, MO
WHO-AM – Des Moines , IA
WIBA-AM – Madison, WI
WICC-AM – Bridgeport, CT
WIOJ-AM – Jacksonville, FL
WIZM-AM – Lacrosse, WI
WJJD-AM – Chicago, IL
WMUZ-FM – Detroit, MI
WNOX-AM – Knoxville, TN
WOHI-AM – Youngstown, OH
WOC-AM – Davenport, IA
WOR-AM – New York, NY
WPHT-AM – Philadelphia, PA
WQFL-FM – Rockford, IL
WRJZ-AM – Knoxville, TN
WRNO-FM – New Orleans, LA
WRQX-FM – Washington, DC
WRVA-AM – Richmond, VA
WSBA-AM – York, PA
WTBN-AM – Tampa, FL
WTKK-FM – Boston, MA
WTOP-AM – Washington, DC
WTZN-AM – Pittsburgh, PA
WVLK-AM – Lexington, KY
WVNI-FM – Bloomington, IN
WVOM-FM – Bangor, ME
WYSP-AM – Philadelphia, PA
~ PARTIAL LISTING
PRINT & ONLINE
About.com
Advertising Age
AdWeek
AFX-Asia
Africa News (Africa)
Agape Press
Agence France-Presse
Akron Beacon Journal
Alberni Valley Times (Canada)
AlertNet
The American Prospect
Anchorage Daily News
Animation Artist.com
The PTC Is Everywhere...
Ann Arbor News
AOL Sports.com
Arizona Republic
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Ars Technica
Arts Journal Online
Asbury Park Press
Asheville Citizen-Times
Associated Press
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Augusta Chronicle
Austin American Statesman
Back Stage
Baltimore Sun
Baptist Press
Billboard
Bismarck Tribune
Bloomberg News
BNA’s Daily Report for Executives
Boston Globe
Boston Herald
Brisbane Times (Australia)
Broadband Report.com
Broadcast Communications Daily
Broadcast Engineering
Broadcast News
Broadcast Newsroom
Broadcasting & Cable
Buffalo News
Burlington Free Press
Business Portal
Business Week
Cable 360.com
CableFax Daily
The Calgary Herald (Canada)
California Catholic Daily
Canada.com
Catholic Online
CBN News Online
Central Florida News
Charlotte Observer
Chattanooga Times Free Press
Chicago Sun Times
Chicago Tribune
China Daily (China)
China Post (China)
Christian News Northwest
The Christian Post
The Christian Science Monitor
Christian Today (UK)
Chronicle of Philanthropy.com
The Church Report
The Cinncinati Enquirer
Cincinnati Post
CNBC.com
CNET News.com (blog)
CNN.com
CNN International.com
CNN Money.com
CNSNews.com
Colorado Summit Daily
Comcast.net
Communications Daily
Congressional Quarterly Today
Consumer Electronics Daily
The Consumerist.com
Contact Music.com
Contra Costa Times
Cox News Service
Crosswalk.com
CTV.ca
Dateline Alabama
Daytona Beach News Journal
Decatur Country Chronicle
Denver Post
Des Moines Register
Detroit Free Press
Digital Trends.com
Dow Jones
Earth Times
Edmonton Journal (Canada)
Entertainment Weekly
Escapist
Examiner.com
Faith and Ethics (blog)
Family News in Focus
Florida Baptist Witness
Florida Times Union
Forbes
ForexTV.com
Fort Worth Star Telegram
Fortune
FoxNews.com
The Free Republic (blog)
Fresno Bee
Gamasutra.com
Gaming Today
The Globe and Mail (Canada)
The Gospel Herald
Government Technology
Grand Rapids Press
The Guardian (UK)
Hanover Post (Canada)
Hartford Courant
Hemscott (UK)
Hola Amigos.com
Hollywood Today
The Hollywood Reporter
Houston Chronicle.com
Human Events
Idaho Statesman
Illinois Family Institute (blog)
Indianapolis Star
Info Tech & Telecom News
International Herald Tribune
Journal Chretien (France)
Kansas City Star
Kentucky.com
Las Vegas Sun
Lasar’s Letter on the FCC
Legal Times
Lexington Herald-Leader
Lifeway.com
London Daily Mail (UK)
Los Angeles Daily News
Los Angeles Family magazine
Los Angeles Times
Macon Telegraph
Manchester Union Leader
MarketWatch
Media Bistro (blog)
Media Channel (blog)
Media Daily News
Media Life Magazine.com
Media Post TV Watch
MediaWeek
Memphis Commercial Appeal
Miami Herald
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Minneapolis Star Tribune
The Daily Mirror (UK)
Modesto Bee
Moldova.org
Mondaq Business Briefing
Monterey County Herald
Montgomery Herald
Montreal Gazette (Canada)
Morning Call
MovieVine
MovieWeb.com
MSN Money
Multichannel News
MyChurch.org
Myrtle Beach Sun News
National Journal
Natl. Journal’s Congress Daily
Natl. Journal’s Technology Daily
National Ledger
National Post (Canada)
National Review online
Newhouse News Service
New Orleans Times Picayune
New York Daily News
The New York Times
The New Yorker
Newsday
NewsMax.com
Northern Territory News (Australia)
Northwest Indiana Times
The Olympian
Omaha World Herald
OpEd News.com
Orange County Register
Orlando Sentinel
Ottawa Citizen (Canada)
Ottawa Recorder (Canada)
Parade
Pasadena Star News
PastDeadline.com
The Patriot News
Philadelphia Inquirer
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
The Politico
Pop Matters.com
Portland Family Magazine
Progressive Grocer
Public Broadcasting Report
Radio and Records
Radio Online
Radio World Online
Reason Online
Reno Gazette-Journal
Reuters
Rocky Mountain News
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Sacramento Bee
Salon.com
Salt Lake Tribune
San Antonio Express-News
21
San Francisco Chronicle
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Saskatoon Star Phoenix (Canada)
Satellite Week
Sci-Tech Today
Scripps News
Scotsman.com (UK)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Sioux City Journal
South African Film News
South African Star (South Africa)
South Bend Tribune
The Star Phoenix (Canada)
The Sun (UK)
Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Tampa Tribune
TechNewsWorld.com
Television AM
Television Week
The Tennessean
Thanhnien (Vietnam)
This Week in Consumer Electronics
Time
Time.com
Today’s Christian Woman
Today’s Family News
Toronto Star (Canada)
Townhall.com
Tucson Citizen
TV.com
TV & Radio Sri Lanka (blog)
TV Grapevine.com
TV Guide
TV Newsday.com
TV Technology
United Press International
USA Religious News
USA Today
U.S. Fed News
Vancouver Sun (Canada)
Variety
Ventura County Star
Victoria Times Colonist (Canada)
VideoBusiness.com
Voice of America News
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Times
Waterloo Record
WDC Media News
WebProNews
Wichita Eagle
Wired
WorldNetDaily.com
Wyoming News
Xinhua News Service (China)
Yahoo! News.com
Yahoo!Tech (blog)
Yakima Herald-Republic
Zap2it.com
Zondervan.com
~ PARTIAL LISTING
2007 Parents Television Council
ADVISORY BOARD
Steve Allen
Honorary Chairman Emeritus
1997 to 2000
Gary Johnson
L. Brent Bozell III
Founder of the
Parents Television Council
The PTC’s Advisory Board consists of national
public policy and entertainment leaders
across the ideological spectrum, united
by the common goal of helping the PTC
restore responsibility to the entertainment
industry. They are actors, writers, producers,
and directors; talk-show hosts and authors;
elected representatives and heads of public
policy organizations.
They serve when called upon to speak
publicly on television and radio and for print
interviews; write columns and editorials;
appear at national press conferences; help
garner financial support; and speak before
audiences all over America. The Advisory
Board members play a much-needed
active role in promoting and disseminating
information about the PTC’s campaigns.
Holly McClure
Connie Sellecca
Jim Otto
William Blinn
Coleman Luck
Pat Boone
Dr. C. DeLores Tucker
Board Member 1997-2005
Dave Alan Johnson
22
Sen. Blanche Lambert Lincoln
Dr. William Bennett
Ken Wales
Sen. Sam Brownback
Tim Conway
Naomi Judd
Cheryl Rhoads
John Carvelli
Dr. Robert Shaw
Wendy Borcherdt
Michael Medved
Susan Wales
Phil Barron
Billy Ray Cyrus
Mary Streep
Susan Howard
Mel Renfro
Father Val J. Peter
“We are all responsible for what happens in this nation. For
the people producing entertainment, which is so influential in
shaping our young people, there’s a special level of responsibility.
And the fact that they don’t accept that responsibility has to be
changed. The PTC is making a difference in Hollywood.”
~ Dean Jones, Actor, PTC Advisory Board Member
23
PTC Leadership
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Honorable
Leon J. Weil
Chairman of the Board
L. Brent Bozell III
Founder, Parents
Television Council
Pat Boone
Entertainer
Phillip Friedmann
Co-Founder Recycled
Paper Greetings, Inc.
The Honorable
Robert D. Stuart
Former Chairman &
CEO, Quaker Oats
OFFICERS OF THE PTC - 2007
Tim Winter — PRESIDENT
•
Melissa Henson — SECRETARY
•
Mark Barnes — TREASURER
Honor Roll of Major Benefactors in 2007
FOUNDERS CLUB
Mathile Family Foundation
($5,000 and higher)
Rowling Foundation
FOUNDATIONS & CORPORATIONS
Schloss Family Foundation
Anschutz Foundation
The Lynde and Harry Bradley
Foundation
William E. Simon Foundation
Strake Foundation
Stuart Family Foundation
Cly-Del Manufacturing Company
The Trust Company of Oklahoma
Covenant Foundation, Inc.
The Bill and Katie Weaver
Charitable Trust
Dorbarleo Foundation
Kurt Forrest Foundation
Philip M. Friedmann Family
Charitable Trust
Grover Hermann Foundation
Hickory Foundation
Graham and Carolyn Holloway
Family Foundation
Thornton D. & Elizabeth S.
Hooper Foundation
John E. and Sue M. Jackson
Charitable Trust
Dodge Jones Foundation
Peter R. and Cynthia K. Kellogg
Foundation
Koscielny Family Foundation
Lampstand Foundation
Gil and Dody Weaver Foundation
INDIVIDUAL DONORS
Mr. and Mrs. George E. Anderson
Mr. Kevin Azzouz
Mr. and Mrs. John B. Buford
Mrs. George Carleton
Mr. and Mrs. Lovick P. Corn
Mr. and Mrs. Frank P. Davidson
Mr. and Mrs. Neil B. Feldman
The Estate of Richard O. Fimmel
Mr. and Mrs. T. Bondurant French
Mr. Claude H. Grizzard, Sr.
Mr. and Mrs. Steve Hester
Mr. and Mrs. Al Hilde, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Wendell A. Hurd
Ms. Diana Jaeger
24
Mr. Loren Jahn
Mrs. Randy Kendrick
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Korpan
Mrs. Elizabeth Kuhns
Mr. and Mrs. Vincent W. Kyle
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Laskowski
Mr. Joe R. Lee
Mr. Carl H. Lindner, Sr.
Mr. and Mrs. Jon Lovelace
Mr. and Mrs. Tom McGrath
Dr. and Mrs. Andrew L. Messenger
Mrs. Judith L. Miller
Ms. Leslie N. Negley
Mr. and Mrs. Don Noblitt, Jr.
Mrs. Mary Jo Pflumm
Mr. Kjell H. Qvale
Mr. W. S. Radgowski
Mr. and Mrs. Halvor L. Rover
Mrs. Archie Russell
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Sacher
Mr. and Mrs. Phil Schneider
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Sevcik
Mr. Timothy J. Stabosz
Mr. Jack C. Taylor
Dr. John M. Templeton, Jr.
Mrs. Marjorie Van Arsdale
Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Waite
Mr. and Mrs. Steven E. Wheeler
Mr. Basil G. Witt
LEADER’S CIRCLE
($1,000 to $4,999)
FOUNDATIONS & CORPORATIONS
Edward and Wilhelmina Ackerman
Foundation
Beaman Pontiac Toyota
Bell Charitable Foundation
Douglas Family Foundation
Dove Givings Foundation
R & J Geary Foundation
George and Claudette Hatfield
Foundation
The Jackson Howard Foundation
The Inge Foundation
The Ruth H. Jackson Fund
Knights of Columbus
John C. Markey Charitable Fund
Matthew Charitable Foundation
Dian Graves Owen Foundation
Peery Foundation
Warren & Katherine Schlinger
Foundation
Max Schlossberg Foundation
Leo W. Seal Family Foundation
Standard Process, Inc.
The Richard C. and Irene D.
Storkan Foundation
Scott and Virginia Webster
Charitable Foundation Trust
INDIVIDUAL DONORS
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Allen
Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Allyn
Mrs. Bernadette J. Amerongen
Ms. Agnes V. Anderson
Mr. and Mrs. William Archer
Ms. Dolores C. Arroyo
Mr. Craig Awad
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Bachman
Mr. and Mrs. Mel Bahr
Mrs. Teresa Battaglia
Mr. Charles E. Bauman
Mrs. Lillian B. Bell
Mr. and Mrs. Jack J. Benedict
Mr. and Mrs. Gary R. Black
Mr. Webster Boland
Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Bolling, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. L. B. Bozell III
Mrs. Barbara Bragg
Mrs. Rebecca Brewer
Mr. and Mrs. James A. Brown, Jr
Mrs. Elizabeth Bryant
Mr. and Mrs. David Burgett
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Cahill
Mr. and Mrs. Giuseppe Cecchi
Mr. and Mrs. G. D. Chakerian
Mrs. Kitty Chappell
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas N. Chewning
Mr. and Mrs. Henry J. Chucci
Ms. Marcella Clark
Mr. and Mrs. Paul W. Collin
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald A. Conway
Mr. Tim Conway
Mr. and Mrs. Vincent I. Correll
Mrs. Mariana Cotten
Mr. and Mrs. Tench Coxe
Mrs. Elizabeth Culhane
Mr. Clifton D. Cullum, Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Raymond V.
Damadian
Mrs. Michele D’Amour
Mrs. Dorothy de Ganahl
Mr. Richard Demeter
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Donnelly
Mrs. Marian Doody
Mr. and Mrs. Gary D. Downey
Mr. Stan Drew
Mr. and Mrs. John Dyer
Mrs. Lois W. Dyk
Mrs. Cecilia Dzurec
Mrs. Patricia G. Ebli
Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Eichenberg
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne R. Ericksen
Mr. and Mrs. James L. Felger
Mrs. Annabelle L. Fetterman
Dr. Marian C. Finan and
Dr. John A. Zora
Mr. James Finch
Mr. and Mrs. John Fisher
Mrs. Marilyn Foster
Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Friese
Ms. Vanda Fromvald
Mr. and Mrs. William Fudge
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Funk
Mrs. Anna J. B. Gaiennie
Mr. and Mrs. Larry Gardner
Mrs. Nancy Gauron
Mrs. Jeannette George
Mr. Lawrence J. Gibson
Mr. Stephen L. Goodale III
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Gray
Mr. and Mrs. John Greve
Mr. Winston Guest
Mr. S. L. Guthrie
25
Mr. Saul B. Hamond
Mr. Leo J. Hawk
Mr. and Mrs. John Hazen
Mayor and Mrs. B. Edward Heathcott
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Hendricks
Mr. William Henning
Mr. George R. Hepburn
Mr. and Mrs. Joe C. Hilly
Mr. and Mrs. Earl Hoffman
Mr. and Mrs. C. Al Holder
Mr. and Mrs. Ruble A. Hord III
Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Horowitz
Mr. and Mrs. William T. Huston
Mr. and Mrs. Louis P. Iacona
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Imgrund
Mr. Leif Jacobsen
Mr. Thomas E. Jameson
Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Jennett
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce R. Johnsen
Mr. and Mrs. William M. Johnson
Mr. Cliff C. Jones
Mr. and Mrs. Ray Keefe
Mrs. Linda G. Kendall
Mr. and Mrs. Steve Kirby
Mr. Arthur Kieffer
Mrs. Louise Lage Kirtland
Mrs. Jacki Kleinheksel
Mrs. Amy D. Knopf
Mr. Chris Koob
Mr. W. A. Kramer
Mr. Victor J. Lancelotta
Mr. Don Laws
Continued...
The PTC’s Founder’s
Club and Leader’s Circle
comprise an exclusive
and distinguished
group of some of
the best-known and
most influential
philanthropists in the
country. The PTC Board
of Directors meets
annually in Washington,
D.C. Founder’s Club
members donate $5,000
or more annually and
the Leader’s Circle
members contribute
between $1,000 and
$4,999 annually.
Mr. Alan Lewitzke
Mr. Ernest T. Leyba
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas D. Lindsay
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Linnen
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Lockemy
Mr. and Mrs. William Lynch
Mrs. Leonie D. Malburg
Mrs. Jack C. Massey
Mr. Robert S. MacArthur
Dr. and Mrs. Bruce MacNeal
Mr. Marshall McCrea III
Mr. and Mrs. Sanford N. McDonnell
Mr. Frank J. McGuire
Mrs. Carrie McWilliams
Ms. Mary Meltzer
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur C. Milot
Mr. and Mrs. Robin R. Mingo
Ms. Sharon K. Mohler
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Monroe
Dr. Michael Morgan
Mr. and Mrs. Birch M. Mullins
Mr. and Mrs. Don A. Myers
Mr. Quentin Nesbitt
Mr. and Mrs. Leo Newcombe
Mr. Frank Noonan
Mrs. Kathleen Novak
Mr. and Mrs. George D. O’Neill, Sr.
Mrs. Pamela Ondrick
Mr. Max Palevsky
Mr. Ben Patterson, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Steve Payton
Mr. and Mrs. James H. Peacock
Mr. John J. Peeler
Mr. Donald Pemberton
Mr. and Mrs. D. Scott Plakon
Mr. and Mrs. Allen Price
“The PTC is
arguably the
most powerful
single force in
broadcasting today.
...The PTC does
what the FCC does
not — it monitors
all network
programming.”
AUSTIN CHRONICLE
Mr. and Mrs. William Puchlevic
Mrs. Shirley Ramirez
Mr. Thor H. Ramsing
Mr. and Mrs. Maurice J. Reese
Rev. Charles Reinbold
Mr. Lunsford Richardson
Mr. Bob Ridenour
Mr. and Mrs. Reed Robbins
Mr. and Mrs.Timothy B. Roberts
Mrs. Ardath Rodale
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Rohwer
Dr. and Mrs. Robert K. Roney
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Rotella, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. L. Giles Rusk
Mr. and Mrs. Melbourne F. Ryan
Mr. Jeffrey Sachs
Mr. Stephen L. Sandstedt, Sr.
Mr. and Mrs. Donald L. Sanneman
Mr. and Mrs. Jack R. Sawyer
Mrs. Nancy Scantland
Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Schilling
Mr. Martin F. Schmidt
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Schwartz
Mr. Robert Schumann
Mr. Stephen L. Schwartz
Ms. Patricia Serio
Mr. Fred M. Sevier
Mrs. Marjorie Shaver
Mr. Robert T. Sherman, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. James M. Shrode
Mr. and Mrs. William Sitter
Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas A. Skaff
Dr. Gregory J. Skarulis
Mrs. Barbara O. Smith
Mr. Jerry Smith
Dr. and Mrs. William B. Smith
Mr. and Mrs. William B. Snyder
Ms. Elizabeth Stadler
Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Stallings
Mrs. Helen A. Stefely
Mrs. Irene G. Steiner
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Sukup
Ms. Joyce S. Taylor
Mrs. Beverly Thewes
Mr. and Mrs. Phil Thielen
Mr. and Mrs. John R. Thompson
Mrs. Margaret V. Tilden
Mr. John L. Timlin
Ms. Karen Tinsley
Mr. and Mrs. Kenny Troutt
Mr. and Mrs. John M. Trowbridge
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas R. Trumble
Ms. Cheryl Turk
26
“It is generally agreed
— on the political
right and left — that
our whole culture
and society is sliding
down a moral sewer,
and that television is
among the causative
factors, because it is
constantly insinuating
moral and ethical lessons that undermine
what most parents are
trying to teach their
children at home. I
agreed to serve as
Chairman of the Parents Television Council because I believe
their plan to clean up
television programming will work.”
Steve Allen (1921-2000)
Actor, Singer, Author,
Songwriter, Comedian
Mr. and Mrs. Matt Ungarino
Mrs. Romona Upfield
Mrs. Willard Walker
Ms. Ruth Walker
Mr. Victor Warmerdam
Hon. Leon J. Weil
Mrs. Ethel R. Wells
Mr. Richard L. Wells
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Werwinski
Mrs. Alice Wheatley
Mr. Thomas J. White
Mr. James T. Whiting
Mr. and Mrs. David Wicker
Mrs. Dorothy H. Willey
Mr. William R. Wilson
Mr. and Mrs. David J. Workman
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Workman
Mr. Robert A. Yellowlees
Mr. Wirt A. Yerger, Jr.
Mrs. Robert D. Young
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Zeidman
Mr. and Mrs. William F. Ziprick
2007 Statement of Financial Activity
PARENTS TELEVISION COUNCIL
PARENTS TELEVISION COUNCIL
STATEMENT OF ACTIVITY AND CHANGES IN NET ASSETS*
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION*
December 31, 2007
Year Ended December 31, 2007
Unrestricted
Revenue and Support
Contributions
Rental and other
Investment income
Net assets released
from restrictions
Total Revenue and Support
Program Services Expenses
Research and publications
Grassroots and membership
Special projects
Total Program Services
Temporarily
Restricted
Total
2007
$4,053,679
56,350
145,426
$607,500
—
—
$4,661,179
56,350
145,426
1,139,757
5,395,212
(1,139,757)
(532,257)
—
4,862,955
1,468,587
1,340,460
1,342,955
4,152,042
—
—
—
—
1,468,587
1,340,460
1,342,995
4,152,042
Support Services
Resource development
Management and general
Total Support Services
803,664
485,152
1,288,816
—
—
—
803,664
485,152
1,288,816
Total Expenses
5,440,858
—
5,440,858
(45,646)
(532,257)
(577,903)
2,226,612
779,301
3,005,913
$2,180,966
$247,044
$2,428,010
Change in Net Assets
Net Assets, Beginning of Year
Net Assets, End of Year
ASSETS
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Pledges Receivable
Other Receivables
Prepaid expenses
$ 853,137
100,000
3,249
7,773
Total Current Assets
964,159
Investments
1,623,441
Property and Equipment - net 488,650
Deposits
25,156
Total Assets
$ 3,101,406
LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
LIABILITIES
Accounts payable
Accrued expenses
Due to MRC
Deferred rent
Capital lease obligation
Total Liabilities
$ 337,702
119,680
28,846
110,738
76,430
673,396
NET ASSETS
Unrestricted
Temporarily restricted
Total Net Assets
$ 2,180,966
247,044
$ 2,428,010
Total Liabilities and Net Assets $ 3,101,406
* These are unaudited financial statements and are subject to change. Final audited financial statements for the year
ending 2007 will be available at the completion of the formal audit process being conducted by Holthouse Carlin &
Van Trigt LLP. For a copy of our audited financial statements, please write: Parents Television Council, Attn: Finance
Department, 707 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 2075, Los Angeles, California 90017
27
A Message from PTC Founder L. Brent Bozell III
Dear Friend of the PTC:
In 1995 I was the father of four children, and I decided I was fed up with the incessant stream
of grisly violence, graphic sex, and explicit language coming into my family’s living room over the
television set. Surely millions of other parents across American shared my frustration when they
sat down to watch TV in the evening with their families. Surely it was time for us to put our feet
down and say: Enough!
That’s why I started the PTC. Our mission was simply to restore television to its roots as a
socially responsible medium, and overnight that message resonated with millions of Americans
of every political and religious stripe. Liberals and conservatives, Republicans and Democrats,
people of every philosophy and any party, or no party – it doesn’t matter. Parents love their children, and are concerned about protecting their children’s innocence.
Twelve years later, the Parents Television Council is bigger than ever, and our influence is being
felt in the halls of Congress, in the studio lots of Hollywood, and the offices of Madison Avenue.
With over 1.2 million activists nationwide, and 48 Grassroots chapters across these United
States, the PTC is leading the charge to stem the flow of harmful and negative messages targeted
to children.
Our success is even more remarkable when you consider we’ve taken on the multi-billion dollar
goliath that is Hollywood with a shoestring budget and a small, but dedicated, staff of professionals who are committed to the PTC’s success.
And while it’s clear we still have a long way to go before we fully realize our goal, we know we
are making a difference. Every time we turn on our televisions, we can see evidence of TV’s envelope-pushing agenda, but what we will never see is what didn’t air – because the PTC was there
to keep the networks in check. We do know about programs that were scheduled but never aired,
and of content that was cut at the last minute because the network was afraid of FCC action. We
are making a difference!
There’s no question we are fighting an uphill battle. We are challenging a multi-billion dollar
industry with a firmly entrenched mentality that young audiences are more valuable than older
audiences, and that the only way to reach those younger audiences is through edgy programming. It’s an Orwellian mindset in Hollywood: rather than obey the law when it comes to content
over the public airwaves, they are breaking laws, then declaring they are actually championing the First Amendment by airing programming that many
viewers find offensive. The entertainment industry is spending millions
of dollars on lawsuits and lobbyists to challenge us – and we’re still
winning, even with our limited budget and tiny staff.
That’s because we’re on the right side of the issue. We have the
best team in the business. And we have your support, for which I am
truly grateful.
Sincerely,
L. Brent Bozell, III
Founder
28
PTC STAFF — 2007
Katherine Kuhn
Keith White
Adam Shuler
Entertainment Analysts
L. Brent Bozell III
Founder
Tim Winter
President
Glen Erickson
Director of Advertiser
Programs
Samantha Williamson
Executive Assistant to
the President
Lauren Perry
Assistant to the Director
of Advertising Programs
Mark Barnes
Senior Consultant
Melissa Henson
Senior Director of Programs
John Rattliff, Ph.D.
Director of Research
Christopher Gildemeister
Senior Writer/Editor
Christopher Laurenzano
Research Assistant
Casey Bohannan
Content Manager
Marty Waddell
Eastern Regional Development
Representative
Dan Bodwell
Curt Flood, Jr.
Western Regional Development
Representatives
Larry Irvin
Development Associate
Tracy Ferrell
Development Coordinator
Christiana Hills
Lara Mahaney
Directors of Marketing
Gavin Mc Kiernan
National Grassroots
Director
Kevin Granich
Assistant to the
Grassroots Director
Aubree Bowling
Senior Entertainment Analyst
Caroline Schulenburg
Josh Shirlen
Joseph Bozell
Dan Isett
Director of Corporate and
Government Affairs
Robert Shear
Resource Development Manager
Regina Tercero
Director of Finance &
Administration
Julie Feuerbacher
Director of Development
Jane Dean
Office & Graphics
Administrator
Carmelita Bouie
Andrew Bowser
Michelle Curtis
Neena Laufer
Timothy Lee
Ena Sakuma
Kaitlin Seeberger
Esi Tetteh
Dorothy Townsell-Osakwe
Mayra Vargas
Amanda Volker
2007 Lovelace Interns
PTC’s Lovelace Internship Program
Through the generous support of Jon and Lillian Lovelace, the PTC’s Lovelace Internship Program allows
young men and women to gain valuable workplace experience while joining the battle to protect children from
televised sex, violence and profanity. Conceived and developed as an opportunity to train the next generation
of entertainment industry leaders, the Lovelace Internship Program allows PTC interns to develop the skills and
experience necessary to carry on the fight to clean up television content in years to come. The interns trained by
the PTC today will one day enter the corporate suites of Hollywood and Madison Avenue, the halls of Congress
or the federal government.
In 2007, eleven students were accepted and received this unique internship experience. PTC interns do far
more than provide administrative support. They help run PTC programs, perform much-needed research, and
attend press conferences, hearings and screenings. They write articles, work on studies and meet with PTC supporters and grassroots leaders. In short, PTC interns are integrally involved in everything the
PTC does.
After the internship period ends, the PTC follows each former intern’s education and career. Recent PTC interns are now either completing their education or are successfully employed. Some have gone on to work at the PTC full-time. Others have enrolled in graduate
programs or have taken jobs in the entertainment industry and the federal government.
25
Because Our Children Are Watching™
®
WEST COAST HEADQUARTERS
707 Wilshire Boulevard • Suite 2075
Los Angeles, California 90017
(213) 629-9255 • 1-800-TV- COUNTS
EAST COAST OFFICE
325 South Patrick Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
(703) 684-1699
www.ParentsTV.org®
THE PTC IS A 501(C)3 NONPROFIT RESEARCH
AND EDUCATION INSTITUTION