regard@ttidcc.UUCP (Adrienne Regard) (08/08/85)
Howard Rosenberg Article from LA Times, Aug. 7, 1985
"CONTRACEPTIVE ISSUE: NETWORKS ON THE SPOT"
"Welcome to the 19th Century.
"ABC, CBS and NBC--whose entertainment programs routinely glamorize casual
sex--are refusing to air a public-service message aimed at reducing unin-
tended pregnancies and curbing abortions.
"Why? The unpaid spot, produced for the American College of Obstetricians
and Gynecologists as part of a public education and media campaign,
promotes knowledge of contraception.
"Uh-oh."
Lest we be worried that the commercial in questions is too out-of-line,
the article explains it's content:
"The spot is not pro sex. It's pro information.
"Scene 1: A wholesome young woman steps off a school bus and says,
'I intend to be President.'
"Scene 2: Another wholesome young woman working at a home computer says,
'I intend to go back to school.'
"Scene 3: A third wholesome young woman working over a stove -- and very,
very pregnant -- says, "I intended to have a family. . .but not this soon.'
"Finally an announcer adds, 'Nothing changes any intentions faster than an
unintended pregnancy. Unintended pregnancies have risks, greater risks than
any of today's contraceptives.' He then gives a number to call for
information about birth controll methods."
Rosenberg goes on to say:
"Scandalous? Outrageous? Monstrous? Hardly.
"There may be several words to describe the big three networks' rejection
of the spot, but _hypocritical_ tops the list."
"_Responsibility_ is often the secret word at the networks.
"In an average year, viewers are exposed to more than 9,000 scenes of
suggested sexual intercourse, sexual comment or innuendo, accoring to a
1982 book, _The Early Window: Effects of Television of Children and Youth_.
". . .yet it's 'controversial' to run a public-service spot that promotes
information and mentions contraception.
"Meanwhile. . .the United States has an unintended pregnancy rate of 3.3
million annually and a tean-age pregnancy rate among the highest of
developed nations. Perhaps the contraception message could help trim
those figures. But it's too controversial."
Rather than go in to my opinions here, I'm going to mail them to the
networks involved. For those who would like to do likewise:
CBS, INC.
Commercial Clearance Department
51 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019
NBC, INC
Traffic Department
30 Rockerfeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112
ABC, INC
Broadcast Standards and Practices
2040 Avenue of the Stars
Century City, CA 90067
Adrienne Regard