Television Content Rating Systems - Assignment Example

Are Cheaters and The 5th Wheel obscene television shows and should be fined if not prohibited from airing Media has different forms and it is usually used to give or provide information and entertain. It can also be a venue to open new topics for discussion or to give enlightenment to any controversy. The most popular forms of media are printed media and television media. In the modern day practice of both, much has already been changed as far as guidelines are concerned. The media today is given more freedom to express and present shows that portray real-life situations, but along with this so-called freedom of expression are issues that appeal to morals and conduct. With the sudden rise in popularity of reality television shows, many business moguls have ventured into this industry which has given American television channels a lot of shows to choose from; and many of these channels are showing shows which literally lack value either politically or scientifically. This paper aims to focus on television media, particularly looking into the reality television shows Cheaters and The 5th Wheel, and identify whether the shows are offensive, indecent, inappropriate, violent and meaningless. In so doing, this paper would also present a five-point plan on how to handle the violations that these shows have in the areas of language, script and over-all impact on the general viewing public. To be able to do this, a brief description of how the shows are done to have an idea what it is. The 5th Wheel is a reality television show about blind dating. Many viewers view it as an "augmented version" of the Blind Date. Only that in this show there will be four strangers, two of which are males and the other two are females, and they all would get together on a date to see who 'gels' well with whom. At the onset of the show, a guy and a girl will be partnered together to spend sometime to get to know each other. The same thing happens to the second couple. After which, the guys would exchange girls and try to spend sometime with the new girl. In the middle of this 'getting to know' each other stage, another girl (or guy) comes in to charm the guys away from the girls. Meaning, the guys now have three girls to choose from. This situation seems to be innocently normal, as all people experience blind dating and enjoy it. The only problem is that, the girls don't only wear super 'revealing clothes' (although some would dress up like a mummy) they would also end up kissing the guy 'intimately' on national television, plus the fact that the show has a 15-minute room where a guy and a girl comes in either to talk or get really intimate with each other. Kissing is a natural phenomenon and it is a beautiful thing; but kissing and petting on national television is another story. Cheaters is another reality television show about couples in which either the guy or the girl is cheating on the other. The set-up is like an investigation where in the cheating partner is tracked and videoed without his or her knowledge. Couples could either be seriously dating, divorced or married. We all know that this is a very private matter and doing your dirty laundry on national t.v. only sends one message - that nothing stays private and sacred anymore. After all the stalking and video recording, all information gathered are then shown to the 'crying victim of infidelity'; after which confrontation takes place, with all cast and crew: the couple, the third party, the host of the show and the camera men with the other crew members, not to mention the millions of viewers watching. During the confrontation, all obscenities are said as a result of anger and embarrassment. Just imagine how humiliating and embarrassing the situation is. The show is aired to encourage people to renew their temperance and virtue and it is also said that this show is dedicated to the faithful couples. Well, the goal is good but the effect is not. Marital or relationship problems such as this one happens everyday. Although it is not a good thing, shows like this makes it even worst to the point that it makes people perceive that it is okay to make such an issue an entertaining matter; and such is not a good idea to put into the minds of young viewers. Both Cheaters and The 5th Wheel are allowing their 'actors' to use obscene words, making them like any everyday vocabulary. Words such as Fuck, Shit, Mother fucker, Asshole and other foul words which connotes nothing more but evil and negativity. To be able to control and make this type of shows worthy of airing, below is the five-point plan on how to address the shows obscenity issues. 1. The producer and organizer of this type of reality television show should always brief their actors about FCC rules and guidelines against obscenity. This way, they would be made aware of it and make the show more meaningful and worthy of viewing. If in any instance that that actor could not help himself in uttering obscene or foul words, it should be omitted from the show through sound waves like 'toooooooot' for example. This is to not allow the words to be heard by millions or viewers. 2. The reality television shows, although it is live, it should not be aired at exactly the same day it is covered. For example, in cheaters, the crew would capture everything on video today, whatever has been captured or recorded, it should first be reviewed and edited if necessary, then show it the next day. This is to safeguard the interest of the general viewing public. And besides, the viewers wouldn't have any clue that the captured 'episode' has already been edited. 3. Television shows are accessible by viewers of all ages. Before the show would start, there should always be a reminder that the show is PG 13 or PG 18 (whichever is appropriate). This would somehow alert and remind the older viewers of the type of the show which will be aired to give guidance to the younger ones. 4. The producer, script writer and organizer of this type of shows should always submit a copy of their script per episode or a report of their show per episode, including a video clip to the FCC and other proper authorities for compliance to make sure that each of their episodes will be reviewed by these authorities for check and balance. This is also a ways of making sure that everybody is following the guidelines religiously. 5. The FCC should always have people to monitor television channels and shows regularly. It is like an on-the-spot inspection to see if the producers or channels are really conscious of their responsibility in airing informative, wholesome, entertaining and well-balanced programs for all ages. And whoever is caught violating any of the rules and guidelines should be penalized accordingly. The rules and regulations should be strictly implemented to send a message that we are serious about this matter. Any show or channel who has shown to have been violating the most should also be closed-down and prohibited from airing. The above-written five-point plan or any other designed plan for that matter will only be successful if taken seriously. If everyone would work hand in hand to promote a well-balanced television programs for all ages, we would be able to maximize the use of television shows. Knowing that television media reach millions of viewer everyday from around the world, we could use this advantage to give information and entertainment in an ethical and well-balanced manner. Bibliography "Obscenity." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 28 Feb 2008, 15:54 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 15 March 2008. "Television Content Rating Systems." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 11 March 2008, 16:29 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 15 March 2008. Jet in Columbus. "Obscenity and the FCC: The TV Networks Should Follow Howard Stern's Lead." TV/Film. Blog Critics Magazine. Published by Rick Olsen 16 April 2006. 15 March 2008. "Congress Considers TV, Radio Indecency Fines." CNN.com. 28 Jan 2004. Associated Press. 15 March 2008. Robert Valdes. "How does The FCC Police Obscenity" How stuff works. 2008. 15 March 2008. How stuff works, Inc. "Seven Dirty Words." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 10 Mar 2008, 02:47 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 15 Mar 2008. "Obscenity, Indecency & Profanity - TV Ratings & Channel Blocking." Federal Communications Commission. 13 Oct 2005. FCC. 15 Mar 2008. Read More