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Television Code

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Seal of Good Practice
Seal of Good Practice as it appeared in 1958

The Code of Practices for Television Broadcasters, also known as the Television Code, was a set of ethical standards adopted by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) for television programming. The code was first issued on December 6, 1951. The Television Code rules were interpreted, monitored, and enforced by the Code Authority Director, who was appointed by the President of the NAB. The Television Code provided for suspension and expulsion of subscribers as determined by the NAB Television Code Review Board whose members were subscribers to the Code and appointed by the NAB President. Appeals of the Review Board’s decisions could be taken to the NAB Television Board of Directors. Compliance with the code was indicated by the "Seal of Good Practice", displayed during closing credits on most United States television programs, and on some US TV station sign-on and sign-offs from 1952 to 1983.

The code prohibited the use of profanity, the negative portrayal of family life, irreverence for God and religion, illicit sex, drunkenness and addiction, presentation of cruelty, detailed techniques of crime, the use of horror for its own sake, and the negative portrayal of law enforcement officials, among others. The code regulated how performers should dress and move to be within the "bounds of decency". Further, news reporting was to be "factual, fair and without bias" and commentary and analysis should be "clearly defined as such". Broadcasters were to make time available for religious broadcasting and were discouraged from charging religious bodies for access. Most importantly, it limited the commercial minutes per hour.[1]

In 1973, responding to concerns raised by Action for Children's Television, the NAB revised the code to limit commercial time in children's programming to twelve minutes per hour. Additionally, the hosts of children's television programs were prohibited from appearing in commercials aimed at children. This became Section XIV “Time Standards for Non-Program Material”. However, the Reagan Justice Department challenged the provision in the code limiting advertising on children's programming, alleging that it “represented an unlawful effort to restrict supply of commercial availabilities and hence drive up prices for these spots.”[2] They then brought an antitrust action against the NAB. After a judgment was handed down against the NAB in 1982,[3] the NAB decided to eliminate the remainder of its code in 1983.[4][5][6]

A scholarly discussion titled "Self-Regulation and the Media" by Angela J. Campbell (1999) examines media self-regulation and concludes that "Applying these five factors to digital television public interest responsibilities and privacy on the Internet, it concludes that self-regulation is not likely to be successful in these contexts."[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Code of Practices for Television Broadcasters Television History - The First 75 Years
  2. ^ “Testimony of Prestion R. Padden, President, Association of Independent Television Stations, INC.”, in Commercialization of Children's Television. Hearings on H.R. 3288, H.R. 3966, and H.R. 4125, Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, No. 100-93 (1988), p. 33.
  3. ^ USA v. NAB, US Dist. Ct. (DC), Nov. 23 1982.
  4. ^ Associated Press. "BROADCASTERS DECIDE TO DISSOLVE THEIR RADIO-TV ADVERTISING CODES." The Miami Herald (FL) 6 Jan. 1983, FINAL, FRONT: 19A. NewsBank. Web. 22 Feb. 2013.
  5. ^ Collins, Bill. "CHANGES ARE FEW IN TV ADS". The Philadelphia Inquirer (PA) 24 Feb. 1983, FINAL, FEATURES TELEVISION RADIO: C08. NewsBank. Web. 22 Feb. 2013.
  6. ^ Broadcasting, Self-Regulation of - The National Association of Broadcasters Codes of Practices, Broadcast Standards and Practices, JRank Articles
  7. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-01-05. Retrieved 2012-02-14. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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