Looking to better explain the V-chip ratings system, Fox Family Channel will
start running customized viewer advisories next month on the content of its
programming, officials said Thursday.
The new advisories will air at the start of Fox Family's primetime shows
beginning March 1. The network will use those warnings in conjunction with the
TV industry's voluntary ratings system, which works in conjunction with the
V-chip rating device, now standard equipment in new TV sets.
Fox Family has created more than 30 content advisories that are series- and
episode-specific for its shows -- spots that combine graphics with verbal and
written information about program content and its appropriateness for different
age groups.
The network uses humorous animated graphics based on the universal symbol for
the family, which includes two parents, male and female children and a baby.
Some of the advisories depict nontraditional families, as well, such as a
single-parent home with graphics of a mother and two children.
The advisories not only explain the TV parental guidelines, but also offer an
additional recommendation on the age appropriateness of Fox Family's
programs.
The industry ratings have only one specific age rating, 'TV14.' Fox Family
has added a recommendation for children eight and older.
