Family Viewing Hour

The Family Viewing Hour was a policy established by the Federal Communications Commission in 1975. Under the policy, each television network in the United States had a responsibility to air "family-friendly" programming in the first hour of the prime time lineup (8 to 9 p.m. ET). The hour disappeared in 1977 after it was overturned in court; however, the concept has continued to be used by some viewers who still believe that the 8:00 P.M. time slot in primetime has an obligation to have family-friendly programming.

Background

In 1974, there was widespread public criticism regarding the amount of sex and violence on American television.Brown, James A. [http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/F/htmlF/familyviewin/familyviewin.htm Family Viewing Time] . Museum of Broadcast Communications. Last accessed August 24, 2007.]

In January 1975, then-FCC chairman Richard E. Wiley addressed the Senate and House Communications and Commerce Subcommittees, stating that all three networks agreed to adopt a "family viewing hour" in response to the criticism. The National Association of Broadcasters took the gesture one step further, decreeing that local stations also air family friendly programming in the 7 p.m. time slot, which was given to the affiliates to air what they wished. [http://sage.library.emory.edu/data1/Sage/0800/02/PR/PR/7278/080002PRPR7278305001001.gif]

The president of CBS at the time wanted to go through with the measure but would only agree if NBC and ABC consented, citing a possible decline in ratings (the network had been #1 in U.S. households since the mid-1950s) if they were the only network to try the new policy. By the end of 1974, each network executive agreed to endorse Family Viewing Hour, and to implement it by the fall 1975 season.

Indeed, many television series suffered from the Family Viewing Hour mandate. "All in the Family", which was the runaway top-rated show in the U.S. since 1971, was moved to 9 p.m. on Mondays after five seasons leading the Saturday night lineup. Producer Norman Lear, citing an infringement on creative freedom and on his First Amendment rights, mounted a lawsuit with the support of varying guilds including the WGA, but the case was later dropped.

In 1976, United States circuit court Judge Warren Ferguson declared the Family Viewing Hour null and void, starting with the fall 1977 season. Ferguson stated while the idea was good in theory, the FCC had overstepped its bounds in having it instituted; the FCC privately lobbied the three major networks to adopt the policy instead of holding public hearings on the matter, and Ferguson ruled on those grounds that the Family Viewing Hour had no binding merit. The decree made by the National Association of Broadcasters in 1975 was also overturned, giving stations free rein on what to air in the pre-prime time slots.

Use of the concept today

It has been reported that after the Family Viewing Hour was declared unconstitutional, the networks continued voluntarily to offer family-friendly programs such as "The Cosby Show" and "Happy Days" in the early primetime hours, so some families still believed in the concept.cite paper | last = Johnson | first = Thomas et al. | title = The "Family Hour": No Place For Your Kids | publisher = Parents Television Council | date = 1997-05-08 | url = http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/reports/archives/famhtm.asp| accessdate = 2007-09-05] Due to this point of view, in 1989, Michigan housewife Terry Rakolta started a highly public letter-writing campaign to persuade advertisers to stop sponsoring the Fox network sitcom "Married...With Children" after watching the episode "Her Cups Runneth Over" with her three youngest children. Consequently, two companies completely withdrew sponsorship from the show, while other companies, including The Coca-Cola Company, simply reduced sponsorship. [cite book | last = Lane| first = Frederick S. | title = The Decency Wars: The Campaign to Cleanse American Culture | publisher = Prometheus Books | date = 2006 | location = Amherst, New York | pages = 157-159 | url = http://www.fredericklane.com/DecencyWars.php | isbn = 1591024277]

Additionally, the Parents Television Council continues to use the concept in its reports, questioning the suitability of certain shows being scheduled in early hours of primetime, including "House" [Gildemeister, Christopher. [http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/bw/2006/0302worst.asp Worst TV Show of the Week - "House"] . Parents Television Council: March 2, 2006.] , "Malcolm in the Middle" [ [http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/shows/main.asp?shwid=896 Malcolm in the Middle] page on Parents Television Council] , "The Parkers" [ [http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/shows/main.asp?shwid=1123 The Parkers] evaluation at Parents Television Council] , "Prison Break" [Shirlen, Josh. [http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/bw/2006/1116worst.asp "Prison Break" - Worst TV Show of the Week] . Parents Television Council: November 16, 2006] [Shirlen, Josh. [http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/bw/2007/0928worst.asp "Prison Break" - Worst TV Show of the Week] . Parents Television Council: September 28, 2007] , as well edited reruns of the FX network series "Damages" run on My Network TV. [cite press release
title = PTC Condemns News Corp. for Reckless Programming Decision
publisher = Parents Television Council
date = 2007-08-07
url = http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/release/2007/0807.asp
accessdate = 2007-08-24 ] In 2001, the PTC campaigned for the FCC to reuse the Family Hour voluntarily following its report "The Sour Family Hour". [http://archives.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/TV/08/01/tv.content/index.html Group calls for voluntary return to TV 'family hour'] . CNN: August 1, 2001] Over the years, the PTC has run numerous reports claiming that the so-called "Family Hour" of 8:00 P.M. (7:00 P.M. in Central and Mountain Time Zones) is becoming more unsuitable for family viewing, having recently released a report in September 2007. [cite paper | last = Gildemeister | first = Christopher et al. | title = The Alarming Family Hour: No Place For Your Children | publisher = Parents Television Council | date = 2007-09-02 | url = http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/reports/familyhour/familyhour-92007-finalPDF.pdf | format = PDF| accessdate = 2007-09-05] In fact, on December 10, 2007, "The Des Moines Register" published an op-ed by Cynthia Cirksena, director of the Dubuque County, Iowa chapter of the PTC, suggesting what parents could do in response to what the PTC perceived as the lack of available family-oriented programming airing during the first hour of prime-time. [Cirksena, Cynthia. [http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071210/OPINION01/712100309/-1/NEWS04 Cirksena: Clean up filthy 'family hour'] . "The Des Moines Register": December 10, 2007]

Bernard Goldberg and Zell Miller [cite book
last = Miller
first = Zell
authorlink = Zell Miller
coauthors =
title = A Deficit of Decency
publisher = Stroud & Hall
date = 2005
location = Macon, Georgia
pages = 221
url = http://stroudhall.com/index.php/section/moreinfo/a_deficit_of_decency/
doi =
id =
isbn = 0974537632] have used the term "family hour" in their books to describe the early primetime hours as well.

NBC's 2008 fall schedule has announced a "family" programming block from 8pm to 9pm.

References