After meeting with entertainment executives who had proudly unveiled their new rating system for television shows, President Clinton on Thursday hailed it as a major advance for parents seeking to protect children from violence, sex and profanity.
Meanwhile, critics of the guidelines continued to insist the system is deeply flawed, failing to provide parents with enough information on which to base decisions about what their children should be allowed to watch.
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The ratings, modeled on those Hollywood has used for feature movies for nearly three decades, could appear on TV screens by Jan. 2, said Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America. The major networks are expected to take the lead, followed by others in the TV industry, he said.
The ratings, officially introduced after a week of sneak previews, include six categories. At one end is TV-Y. The Y stands for “young,” programs suited for all children. At the other end is TV-M, for “mature” shows deemed to contain adult-oriented violence, sex or language unsuitable for children.
The ratings would appear for 15 seconds before each program, except for news and sports shows, and more than once during especially long programs. Valenti and other industry officials hope newspapers and other publications will publish daily the key to the half-dozen rating codes.
The attempt to craft a voluntary accord among the TV industry’s various constituencies could bring a certain lack of uniformity. For example, local stations will have wide latitude in how they apply the ratings.
A station could change the rating a program was given by its producer, the network or syndicator. “Nothing we have is written in stone,” said Valenti. He led the industry group that developed the guidelines over 11 months and will head the board overseeing the system’s roll out.
That notwithstanding, Clinton welcomed the guidelines. It was Clinton who last February asked the industry to develop a ratings system. “This is a huge step forward over what we have now, which is nothing,” Clinton said.
While thanking the industry, Clinton hedged his bets. “We might be able to make it better,” the president said of the new system. “The parents groups, the advocacy groups deserve to be heard and considered.”
Vice President Al Gore, who also attended the TV executives’ briefing, added: “The president is not endorsing this particular plan. We acknowledge that there are child advocacy groups that have differences with the approach that is being taken in this plan.”
But parents, Clinton said, should have the chance to pass judgment. “As this system is implemented, the ball will plainly be in the court of the parents of America to make the most of this and to actually give feedback.”
Critics contend the age-based system is too vague. They preferred guidelines with more information on content.
“What parent in their right mind would accept a package at the front door labeled simply: `suitable for your 10-year-old’ and hand that package to their child without checking further?” asked Gary Bauer, head of the conservative Family Research Council. “Parents need to know the contents of the programming that Hollywood wants to give our children.”
In Chicago, local TV station managers suggested that though they expect the ratings to complicate their jobs, they do not foresee major problems.
“But any ratings system is likely to cause controversy at one time or another,” said Al DeVaney, president and general manager of Chicago’s WPWR-Ch. 50, an independent station.
“One man’s slapstick is another man’s violence,” DeVaney said. “It’s going to be extremely hard to find people who can judge this thing in a mind that is one with the public.”
Parental advisories already precede some of Channel 50’s more violent programs, including “The Three Stooges.” and the science fiction series “Babylon 5.”
Talk shows, which will be rated, will be a gray area, DeVaney said. “We’ve got some decisions to make on that subject.”
While local station executives will have the freedom to adjust ratings, some are likely to rely heavily on the networks’ judgment.
“I can’t imagine that I would not be able to trust what our network delivered us,” said Fran Preston, program director for WLS-Ch. 7.
The station is owned and operated by ABC. But there are questions many affiliates must answer. What if, for example, the network gives less than an adult-oriented rating to a racy episode of the acclaimed but controversial “NYPD Blue”?