A $550-million campaign to encourage greater use of the so-called v-chip – the cable TV industry's preferred method of letting parents control what programming comes into their homes – isn’t making much difference, according to a new poll.
The Ad Council campaign, called "TV Boss," includes TV spots with relatively mild portrayals of the very things the v-chip is supposed to block – sado-masochism, a chainsaw murderer, Mafia hit men and a violent prison gang.
But a Zogby poll sponsored by the Parents Television Council (PTC) has found that the percentage of parents who have used the v-chip only dropped by a single percentage point since the ad campaign began.
“If the goal is to increase awareness and usage of the v-chip, then the campaign has failed and someone somewhere deserves a refund,” said Tim Winter, president of PTC. “Parents don’t need any more lectures from the industry.”
A better solution, Winter said, is for Hollywood to improve its product.
“If broadcasters want to use the public airwaves – public property – to deliver their product to every home in the country for free, then they must abide by the indecency law,” he said. “And the cable industry must give parents and families real parental control and let them select and pay for only the cable networks they want coming into their homes.”
Bob Smithouser of Plugged In Magazine agreed that a-la-carte programming is what many parents want.
“It’s particularly helpful for the individual family,” Smithouser said. “There will always be the HBO’s and Showtimes, but you won’t necessarily have to have it coming into your home.”
