National Coalition Launches www.STOPMTV.org

releases.usnewswire.com ^

[chance33_98]

National Coalition Launches www.STOPMTV.org

2/13/04 1:42:00 PM

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To: National Desk, Religion Reporter

Contact: Maryam Kubasek of the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families, 513-521-6227, ext. 111; web: http://www.nationalcoalition.org

CINCINNATI, Feb. 13 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families has launched a new educational initiative regarding MTV and its negative impact on teens. The organization has launched a web site, http://www.stopmtv.org , which gives parents some startling facts about the music channel and encourages them to make some tough choices regarding viewing it.

MTV's latest production, the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXVIII, showed the nation its true colors. "If parents found that shocking, they'd really be amazed at what is on MTV 24 hours a day," noted Rick Schatz, president and CEO of the National Coalition.

Over the past 23 years, MTV has grown from a fledgling music network to become the most visible, visual and vocal communicator of sexualized messages to teen and pre-teen audiences. Today they reach 350 million households, worldwide (PBS On-Line, 2001) with 39 percent of their viewers under the age of 18 (Nielson Media Research, 2000).

Research has also shown that 73 percent of boys and 78 percent of girls 12-19 years old watch MTV for more than 6 hours per week. Clearly, MTV has powerfully saturated youth culture and helps define sexual values, not just reflect them.

From their around-the-clock reality shows to their amped-up music videos, MTV celebrates unrestrained sex of all kinds and many of its music videos glorify violence.

The National Coalition's new site gives parents suggestions on what they can do in their own homes, including requesting a "trap" from their cable company that will block the channel. In addition, the site offers talking points parents can use when conversing with their teens about the topic.

"We recognize that this has the potential to cause conflict between teens and parents," said Jack Samad, senior vice president and producer of Sex & Young America. "Therefore, we encourage parents to approach this topic with a spirit of openness and cooperation. We give parents the tools they need to teach their kids to think critically about the messages on MTV.

"The bottom line is that parents do NOT want MTV to be the source of sex education for their kids," he added.

[MineralMan]

""The bottom line is that parents do NOT want MTV to be the source of sex education for their kids," he added."

Well, my cable box lets me lock out any channel I don't want to watch or don't want anyone in my home to watch. Maybe not everyone has this option, but I think it's pretty standard out there. My TV set also has this option.

People should exercise such options if they don't want their kids to see MTV.

[weegee]

Another move is to drop cable altogether since a portion of your cable bill goes to fund this and other Viacom properties even if you don't watch the programming.

[MineralMan]

"Another move is to drop cable altogether since a portion of your cable bill goes to fund this and other Viacom properties even if you don't watch the programming."

While that's true, most people want access to some of the channels on cable. By just locking out the channels they feel are inappropriate, the problem is solved.

As for paying for unwanted channels, we all do that. I don't watch the Spanish language channels on my cable, nor the religious channels (5 at last count). I don't watch MTV, either. But, I do watch a number of channels I get on cable. They're enough for me to continue paying the bill.

Since I don't have children at home, I don't lock anything out; I just don't watch channels I don't like.

[weegee]

Viacom's properties:

Plus another on the way to basic cable courtesy of MTV:

MTV starts Gay/Lesbian network for regular cable

MTV Networks, buoyed by positive talks with top cable operators, has begun stepping up the planning for Outlet, a 24-hour network aimed at gays and lesbians.

In development for more than two years, Outlet failed to launch in 2002 because MTV had brought in sister network Showtime to market it as a pay channel.

When that strategy didn't pass muster with cable operators, Showtime bowed out of the picture and MTV repositioned Outlet as an ad-supported, digital, basic cable network.

[finnman69]

better yet, they should move to have the channel pre-scrambled and require parental access to unscramble it.

[AppyPappy]

Many cable boxes do not give you that option and many cable companies will not let you block out just one channel.

[MineralMan]

"Many cable boxes do not give you that option and many cable companies will not let you block out just one channel.
"

Hmm...I haven't run into one that doesn't give you that option. All the current cable boxes have that option, as far as I know. And if you're using basic cable, without a box, all new TVs of any size have a blocking option accessible on the remote. You can even set and change the password used to block and unblock.

The problem here is in demanding that nobody watch a channel that somebody thinks is evil. Personally, I find a lot of the televangelists on some of the religious channels to be evil people, preying on the elderly to suck their money from them. I would never, though, suggest that those channels be removed from everyone's view.

I don't watch a lot of the channels on my cable system...ever. I don't even know what's on a lot of them, since I never tune them in.

[weegee]

Those religious channels are carried because they broadcast a low power (but powerful enough) signal that cable operators are required to carrry them. If you have a problem with the content on the religious channels, you can go to the FCC. Not so with MTV.

Again, look at that chart of channels and see just how much money Viacom gets from the monthly cable bill even if you don't watch Viacom channels. Only a few of them are "pay" channels, the rest comprise broadcast (CBS, UPN) or basic cable.

[observer5]

You don't have to be an Islamist to find MTV revolting.

[MineralMan]

"Those religious channels are carried because they broadcast a low power (but powerful enough) signal that cable operators are required to carrry them. If you have a problem with the content on the religious channels, you can go to the FCC. Not so with MTV."

That's true of some local religious channels, but there are none of those in my area. EWTN, PAX, and a couple others are satellite channels, and they're on my dial. I never watch them, but don't really care if they're on the cable or not.

MTV is a commercial channel, and you're right, the cable companies pay to carry it. And there it is. Apparently enough people demand that it is on their cable system to make it worthwhile for the cable company to carry it.

Incidentally, on my cable system, it's not on the basic cable lineup. It's carried digitally, so only those who opt for the digital channels above channel 100 get it. If you have basic cable on the system in my area (Charter), you won't see MTV at all.

[cwb]

What you say about MTV and cable is right...but MTV is only one, of a much larger issue. It is no longer just cable that is the problem. Braodcast television has become MTV'd...even during the afternoon on local UPN/WB and network affiliates. Shows like Elimi-date, Extreme dating and any number of sexual based reality shows are bombarding television.

Using the liberal line of "protecting the children" shouldn't liberal Hollywood do what it can to police itself. How can liberals attack tobacco billboards for their influence on teenage smoking and yet defend the the barrage of sex and violence on TV as irrelevant to influencing behavior? I'm not for the government censoring anybody...but at the same time, I think the entertainment industry should be held as culpable as those industries they attack as immoral becasue of their undue influence.

It's a little hypocritical..especially for Hollywood, to say that their garbage doesn't influence behavior, when this very industry producers advertisments that are directly intended to do just that...spending millions on ad budgets, to do produce a desired reaction...like buying their products.

Some basic respect should be shown, like putting this crap on at later hours, but they won't do that because these shows are aimed at teens. Liberals always bitch about the hardships in single-parent homes...well how about helping out that single parent who can't be around 24 hours a day and making his/her job a little easier. That shouldn't be too much to ask from the compassionate crowd who only cares about the children.

[MineralMan]

"What you say about MTV and cable is right...but MTV is only one, of a much larger issue. It is no longer just cable that is the problem. Braodcast television has become MTV'd...even during the afternoon on local UPN/WB and network affiliates. Shows like Elimi-date, Extreme dating and any number of sexual based reality shows are bombarding television.
"

Personally, I never watch any of that crap. Apparently a lot of people do, though, or it wouldn't be on. I watch very little television, other than movies and news, and I rent the movies I want to watch. I'm not a normal TV viewer.

The answer, then, is for people to send a message to the producers of television and the broadcasters. If nobody's watching, I guarantee they'll change the programming until somebody's watching.

But...that's not what's happening. Apparently, a lot of people want to see this crappy programming. They're idiots, of course, but there it is. The only way to get it changed is to convince people to turn it off.

As for kids...well, there's an answer for that as well. Get rid of the TV or put a locking outlet on the wall. You can buy locking outlets.

As I said, I'm not apologizing for any network or cable co. I'm sure I watch different programming than you do. You might think what I watch is worthless. Who cares?

[AppyPappy]

Clearly, MTV is offensive by normal standards of society. Clearly, an evangelist is not. Now you may argue from an inane standpoint that this is a matter of personal choice but it's like Clinton arguing that oral sex isn't sex because he feels that way. People don't get this worked up over the Food Network. And it's because MTV IS offensive.

I don't have (much) of a problem with MTV AS LONG as it is easy to delete it from the pile of channels. However, many people (like myself) are finding that it is very hard to do so. The Cable company refuses to delete MTV from my pile. Absolutely refuses. Probably because they stand to lose money if enough people do it. MTV ends up only reaching 30% of homes and then their advertizing revenue drops. So the cable companies are fighting the effort to stop the push of MTV into homes. That is why people are coming together to fight MTV.

Make it easy to delete MTV and the need to organize goes away. I don't mean programming your box or VCR or TV. I mean stop the cable company from pushing MTV to the wire into the house.

[cwb]

"The answer, then, is for people to send a message to the producers of television and the broadcasters."

I think that's what these people will eventually be attempting to do. For now, they are happy just educating parents to the destructive influence of MTV. No censorship called for from them. More power to them.

[firebrand]

ping

[MineralMan]

"Make it easy to delete MTV and the need to organize goes away. I don't mean programming your box or VCR or TV. I mean stop the cable company from pushing MTV to the wire into the house."

If you have the capability of blocking it, then I don't see what more you want, frankly. While you object to MTV content, it's quite popular, apparently. The cable company has no method of controlling which programming comes to your house. They'd have to run a separate cable line from their distribution site to your house to do that. You get the same signal everyone else gets.

So, program your cable box or TV to not receive the channel, or cancel your cable. Don't program everyone not to get a channel they may wish to watch. One's fair. The other's not.

I don't watch MTV, so I'm not defending the channel itself. I'm defending my right to choose what I want to watch, instead of having you choose for me. If I don't want to watch something, I don't. If I object to what's on the cable, overall, I'll cancel the cable.

I won't tell you what to watch or what not to watch. Please show me the same courtesy. Program your box or TV, or go to the site I listed above.

[MineralMan]

Here's a source of all sorts of ways to control what's on YOUR TV.


http://www.channelblocker.com/index.html

[cwb]

"I'm defending my right to choose what to watch"

"The problem here is in demanding that nobody watch a channel that somebody thinks is evil."

First off, there isn't a problem, here. You make it sound as if this organization is engaged in some sort of censorship effort, to decide what you should watch. That's not it all. If you read the article, they are simply monitoring and providing parents with educational information, so they can decide if "they" should allow thier own children to be exposed to it. I can't figure out your objection to this groups efforts since it has no barring on the choices you make.

[AppyPappy]

Because, everytime the power goes out, I have to reprogram with my TV. The cable company should be able to just cut out MTV from my feed.