The Parents Television Council (PTC) is a U.S. based conservative advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model. Through publications on its website including staff reviews, non-scientific research reports, and web-based newsletters, the Council proclaims television programs or other entertainment products to be beneficial or harmful to the development of children.
Council activities include attempts to hold advertisers accountable for the content of the programs they sponsor, encouraging the development of what the council considers to be "responsible, family-friendly" entertainment, pressuring broadcasters to stop and/or limit television content the council claims to be harmful to children, as well as pressuring cable operators to unbundle cable channels so consumers can pick and pay for only the channels they want to watch.
The council launches several media campaigns a year against the producers and advertisers of television programs they perceive to be indecent. A typical campaign involves press releases declaring a particular program harmful (often with a tally of "unacceptable" character behavior or situations), the organized mass mailing of form letters and emails to advertising sponsors of unapproved programs, organized mass filing of complaints via the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website complaint form, and direct threats of long, potentially costly FCC license challenges to local network affiliates planning to broadcast what the council considers "harmful" network programming.
In 2004 the FCC revealed the Parents Television Council as the primary source of all content complaints received. Throughout its existence, the Council has been accused of promoting censorship and been criticized for its ideology.
Read more about Parents Television Council: History, Leadership, Advisory Board, Viewpoints, Popular Music
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