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doesn't necessarily lead to the conclusion that you have to have a
public television presence with designated programming for children
in order to make the point that each of you has supported.
So let me ask both Peggy and John and then everyone else
to comment. Why isn't it likely that if the worst were to happen,
and the programming that we've already talked about and the
significance of it that the research has demonstrated were to
disappear, that that vacuum wouldn't be filled by the existing
marketplace?
MS. CHARREN: I think that if there's anything that my
27 years of activism on behalf of choices for children on television
has proved, it is that even with a lot of conferences, even with
articles in the paper, even with the people who make that kind of
television having children, they will not provide the kind of
programming that children need that really enhances education. They
are more comfortable with the other kind of programming.
And the problem is that when you talk to 2- - to 15-year-
olds in a voice that you want to tell them something important, you
speak in a different language to preschoolers, to elementary-age kids
and to older kids. And if you want to get the most eyeballs watching
the commercials, you tend to say things that all children will listen
to. And maybe all children do read comic books at one point. But
when you talk to them about how wonderful literature is, you do it
the way the book business does. And Public Broadcasting handles that
screen the way the book business handles children's books.
MR. WRIGHT: I think the most important thing to think
about with respect to the private sector is not that it's unwise, not
that it's entirely vicious, not that it's a handicapping condition to
the entertainment and education of children, but that they are
focused entirely on the bottom line. They exploit children. They
gather eyeballs glued to TV sets which they then sell to ad agencies
and advertisers who then re-exploit the children to sell them
products they don't need, food that's not good for them, and toys
that enhance their fantasy and their willingness to attend the
programs which gather their eyeballs for sale. I think I'll stop on
that line. (Laughter.)
But the research that they do -- I spoke to the
executive producer of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and I asked her,
what kind of research do you do? How do you know what messages you
are getting across to children? And she said to me -- and this is a
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"ocrText": "- 4 -\ndoesn't necessarily lead to the conclusion that you have to have a\npublic television presence with designated programming for children\nin order to make the point that each of you has supported.\nSo let me ask both Peggy and John and then everyone else\nto comment. Why isn't it likely that if the worst were to happen,\nand the programming that we've already talked about and the\nsignificance of it that the research has demonstrated were to\ndisappear, that that vacuum wouldn't be filled by the existing\nmarketplace?\nMS. CHARREN: I think that if there's anything that my\n27 years of activism on behalf of choices for children on television\nhas proved, it is that even with a lot of conferences, even with\narticles in the paper, even with the people who make that kind of\ntelevision having children, they will not provide the kind of\nprogramming that children need that really enhances education. They\nare more comfortable with the other kind of programming.\nAnd the problem is that when you talk to 2- - to 15-year-\nolds in a voice that you want to tell them something important, you\nspeak in a different language to preschoolers, to elementary-age kids\nand to older kids. And if you want to get the most eyeballs watching\nthe commercials, you tend to say things that all children will listen\nto. And maybe all children do read comic books at one point. But\nwhen you talk to them about how wonderful literature is, you do it\nthe way the book business does. And Public Broadcasting handles that\nscreen the way the book business handles children's books.\nMR. WRIGHT: I think the most important thing to think\nabout with respect to the private sector is not that it's unwise, not\nthat it's entirely vicious, not that it's a handicapping condition to\nthe entertainment and education of children, but that they are\nfocused entirely on the bottom line. They exploit children. They\ngather eyeballs glued to TV sets which they then sell to ad agencies\nand advertisers who then re-exploit the children to sell them\nproducts they don't need, food that's not good for them, and toys\nthat enhance their fantasy and their willingness to attend the\nprograms which gather their eyeballs for sale. I think I'll stop on\nthat line. (Laughter.)\nBut the research that they do -- I spoke to the\nexecutive producer of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and I asked her,\nwhat kind of research do you do? How do you know what messages you\nare getting across to children? And she said to me -- and this is a\nMORE"
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