PTC Calls on Fox to Stop Targeting Teens with Family Guy Raunch

4478 Views 42 Replies 23 Participants Last post by DevdogAZ, Jan 31, 2006

Warren

Discussion Starter · Jan 29, 2006

http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/release/2006/0123.asp

PTC Calls on Fox to Stop Targeting Teens with Family Guy Raunch

Fox Ad Touts Family Guy as Top-Rated Show for Teens

LOS ANGELES (January 23, 2006) The Parents Television Council® is calling Fox out of the henhouse for deliberately targeting impressionable teen viewers with its raunchy cartoon, Family Guy. In a recent web advertisement, Fox boasts that Family Guy is #1 with teens (the show had a 5.9 Nielson rating), yet anyone familiar with the content on this show knows that it is not appropriate for teens. Episodes this season have included scenes in which a teacher tries to show his high school class a homemade sex video showing him in womens lingerie; references to oral sex; children discussing threesomes and prostitution, and other sexually graphic and indecent content.

Advertisements for the Family Guy have appeared on The Simpsons the #1 show with 2-11-year-old children and #2 with 12-17-year-old children according to Nielson ratings in September 2005, during afternoon football games and on a number of PG-rated shows, including Bernie Mac.

It is the height of irresponsibility for Fox to deliberately target this sleaze at young viewers. Its clear that Fox puts making a dollar from young viewers above any sense of responsibility or social conscience. This type of content is in questionable taste even for adults, but when Fox boasts about its success at marketing it to teens, theyve clearly crossed the line, said L. Brent Bozell, president of the PTC.

Before Fox brought it back, Family Guy was placed on the Cartoon Networks Adult Swim for good reason its strictly adult content. Fox may claim that Family Guy is targeted to adults, but thats clearly not the case. We hope parents are aware that not every cartoon is safe for their teens. We will make sure the advertisers of the program are aware of the inflammatory content thats shown on Family Guy.

To speak with a representative from the Parents Television Council, please contact Kelly Oliver at (703) 683-5004, ext. 140.

Wish people would raise their own kids. (not that I have kids)

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Hansky

· #2 · Jan 29, 2006

warrenevans said:
http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/release/2006/0123.asp

Wish people would raise their own kids. (not that I have kids)

Many do, and in doing so, teach the importance of getting involved in civic and community activities, giving back to others, and trying to make society a better place the way they see fit (which may or may not always be right or popular, and may or may not sometimes go to far).

They may even participate in the political process, and in doing so consider issues that reach beyond the walls of their house.

In short, their lives aren't governed by what does or does not come through the box, and they actually issues larger than having their cartoon criticized.

I say this even though I think Bozell has been a Bozo in the past.

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Warren

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jan 29, 2006

If I reply this will get locked and I might get banned

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slydog75

· #4 · Jan 29, 2006

Actually in this one instance I can kind of see their point. They aren't calling for the show to be canceled (yet), they're just saying that Fox shouldn't be advertising to teens/children. I LOVE Family Guy, but clearly it's meant as adult entertainment. Personally I wish CN could have kept it on Adult Swim with the new episodes. Fox doesn't deserve it.

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jmoak

· #5 · Jan 29, 2006

and for an opposing viewpoint:

The CCS (Citzens for Common Sense) Calls on PTC to Stop Allowing their Teens to watch Family Guy Raunch

PTC Continues to inadvertently advertise Fox Ad for Family Guy as Top-Rated Show for Teens

LOS ANGELES (January 23, 2006) The Citizens for Common Sense® is calling The Parents Television Council® out of the henhouse for deliberately inticing impressionable teen viewers to watch adult fare with its continuing media attention for Fox's raunchy cartoon, Family Guy. In recent web articles, the PTC boasts that Family Guy is supposedly #1 with teens (the show had a 5.9 Nielson rating), yet anyone familiar with the content on this show knows that it is not appropriate for teens. Episodes this season have included scenes in which a teacher tries to show his high school class a homemade sex video showing him in womens lingerie; references to oral sex; children discussing threesomes and prostitution, and other sexually graphic and indecent content.

Fourteen year old Betty G. from Ft. Wayne, NJ said, "I never really thought much about watching "Family Guy", but after seeing all the attention about it and how it's suppose to be so bad for me, well.... how can I look away now??!?"

Advertisements for the Family Guy have appeared on The Simpsons (another adult cartoon) which, thanks to attention from groups like the PCT, is the #1 show with 2-11-year-old children and #2 with 12-17-year-old children according to Nielson ratings in September 2005.

It is the height of irresponsibility for the PTC to deliberately bring attention to this program for the detriment of young viewers. Its clear that the PTC puts making a media frenzy for self promotion above any sense of responsibility or social conscience. This type of media manipulation is in questionable taste even for the PTC, but when they boast about their success at bringing this adult show to the attention of teens, theyve clearly crossed the line, said J. Alfred Prufrock, president of the CCS.

Before Fox brought it back, Family Guy was placed on the Cartoon Networks Adult Swim for good reason its strictly adult content. Fox claims that Family Guy is targeted to adults, and from it's content thats clearly the case. We hope parents are aware that this and other cartoons are not meant for their teens. We will make sure the PTC is aware of the effect that their inflammatory reteric against Family Guy actually makes the problem worse. Just think what good they could do if they promoted parental responsibility instead of censorship.

To speak with a representative from the Citzens for Common Sense, please contact Kelly Osbourne at (703) 867-5309, ext. 714.

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slydog75

· #6 · Jan 29, 2006

hehe.. good one.. Now I'm really tempted to call that number.

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Hansky

· #7 · Jan 29, 2006

slydog75 said:
hehe.. good one.. Now I'm really tempted to call that number.

Google will tell you what you will get.

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trainman

· #8 · Jan 29, 2006

I wouldn't have figured teenagers would be able to make it through the dense, impenetrable layer of '70s and '80s references that permeates each episode of "Family Guy." It's always seemed like it's aimed squarely at people around my age. (I'm sure it doesn't hurt that Seth MacFarlane is less than a year older than me.)

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Mr. Happypants

· #9 · Jan 30, 2006

Oh man, is "Family Guy" going to be pre-empted by the State of the Union address tonight? Man, talk about trading one useless source of tripe for another.

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Bierboy

· #10 · Jan 30, 2006

Mr. Happypants said:
Oh man, is "Family Guy" going to be pre-empted by the State of the Union address tonight? Man, talk about trading one useless source of tripe for another.

Huh?.....that's Tuesday.

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Crrink

· #11 · Jan 30, 2006

warrenevans said:
If I reply this will get locked and I might get banned

It's unfortunate that you feel you cannot express your views and opinions in a clear, logical, inoffensive manner.
I hope it's not a reflection on the validity of what might be your response.

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Tangent

· #12 · Jan 30, 2006

I'll keep it simple.

To all you people who feel you know best what should and should not be available to me and my family: Live your own life and stay the hell out of mine. If I find something inappropriate I will not allowed it in my house. When you try to take something away from me "for my own good" you will get no sympathy from me when you scream about somebody else doing the same to you.

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Hansky

· #13 · Jan 30, 2006

Tangent said:
I'll keep it simple....

When you try to take something away from me "for my own good" you will get no sympathy from me when you scream about somebody else doing the same to you.

Of course, in this context, that argument depends on someone 1) actually thinking they have a property interest or "right" to a program that comes on TV, 2) beliving the cancellation of a TV program means that interest or right was somehow "taken away from them" and 3) believing that mysterious right somehow trumps the actual right of others to voice their opinion about a show or generally what happens in society. The sympathy should be reserved for people who run everything through the paradigm of the TV (or an internet message board).

Your first line is correct.

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TeeSee

· #14 · Jan 30, 2006

Hansky said:
Of course, in this context, that argument depends on someone 1) actually thinking they have a property interest or "right" to a program that comes on TV, 2) beliving the cancellation of a TV program means that interest or right was somehow "taken away from them" and 3) believing that mysterious right somehow trumps the actual right of others to voice their opinion about a show or generally what happens in society. The sympathy should be reserved for people who run everything through the paradigm of the TV (or an internet message board).

Your first line is correct.

<yawn> The broken record drones on and on...

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Warren

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jan 30, 2006

Tangent said:
I'll keep it simple.

To all you people who feel you know best what should and should not be available to me and my family: Live your own life and stay the hell out of mine. If I find something inappropriate I will not allowed it in my house. When you try to take something away from me "for my own good" you will get no sympathy from me when you scream about somebody else doing the same to you.

:up: :up: :up:

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SnakeEyes

· #16 · Jan 30, 2006

You guys are getting off track here. In this case, for a change, PTC isn't calling for the cancelling of a show. They are asking for more responsible marketing, and to a degree they have a point here. The V-chip can block shows and channels but they can't block individual commercials.

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Hansky

· #17 · Jan 30, 2006

TeeSee said:
<yawn> The broken record drones on and on...

Does this intelligent response come complete with tongue sticking out? Were you holding your breath when you typed it?

Perhaps it is another example of the person I identified. You really told me.

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newsposter

· #18 · Jan 30, 2006

Tangent said:
I'll keep it simple.

To all you people who feel you know best what should and should not be available to me and my family: Live your own life and stay the hell out of mine. If I find something inappropriate I will not allowed it in my house. When you try to take something away from me "for my own good" you will get no sympathy from me when you scream about somebody else doing the same to you.

It seems like you are expecting parents to monitor their kids and actually take part in their kids' lives, including tv watching/movie going etc. This is not the norm in today's society. It's obvious that the groups against this kind of advertising/tv show do not subscribe to your notion. Otherwise, parental policing would take care of every problem with the viewing of such "horrible" material. Groups like these are pretty much saying that parents can't control their kids so they have to get shows canceled etc because the poor teens are so impressionable and dont have minds of their own.

Also they are saying parents haven't instilled enough good values in their kids to determine what is bad/good etc. I subscribe that a properly raised child will have no problem discerning things both you and I can just laugh at without being mortally wounded or affected for life. And any parent worried about what they kids are doing/watching should hopefully not have a PC or TV in their kids unmonitored room.

It's all about the parents..always is.

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jpm37

· #19 · Jan 30, 2006

Advertisements for the Family Guy have appeared on The Simpsons the #1 show with 2-11-year-old children and #2 with 12-17-year-old children according to Nielson ratings in September 2005

Does anybody but me find this statement somewhat disturbing? I personally love both Family Guy and The Simpsons, and FG is obviously a bit more raunchy than The Simpsons... but The Simpsons is far from a "kids" show. Are there that many parents of 2-11 year olds really letting their children watch the simpsons... enough to make it #1 in that demo? Fox should not be criticized for running FG commercials during the the simpsons just because a huge number of parents believe The Simpsons is proper viewing for their 10 year old.

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newsposter

· #20 · Jan 30, 2006

jpm37 said:
Fox should not be criticized for running FG commercials during the the simpsons just because a huge number of parents believe The Simpsons is proper viewing for their 10 year old.

:up: But it's all about blaming other than the true causes of the 'problem.'

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