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BSA Report on Children’s Television Viewing: Cause for Alarm

Media Release: 8 May 2008

The Society is not surprised that over half the sample (56%) of more than 600 adult “primary caregivers” of children aged between six and 13, who were interviewed as part of a report into children’s television viewing habits; were unable to identify 8.30 p.m. as the time after which programmes that are NOT suitable for children are shown on television The report containing this statistic entitled Seen and Heard, dated 6 May 2008, was commissioned by the BSA – the Broadcasting Standards Authority.

In response, the Families Commission issued a media release, calling for the 8.30 p.m. “watershed time” – to be more widely publicised by broadcasters. But is this an adequate response if the Commission is truly concerned about certain so-called “adult-only” material – pornography, sexual violence, graphic violence, blasphemy and obscenity – being viewed, or potentially viewed, by tens of thousands of our country’s children and young persons every night of the year from 8.30 p.m. onwards? Society president John Mills says the Society says “it is a totally inadequate response” and notes “we have written to the Chief Commissioner, Dr Rajen Prasad, pointing this out and called for more effective solutions from him to the problem of children and young persons being exposed to unsuitable, morally corrosive and corrupting television content.”

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Outrage over BSA Ruling on "Bloody Mary"

Press Release 30/06/06 

The Society submitted a comprehensive written complaint to the broadcaster over the screening of the highly offensive “Bloody Mary” episode of South Park. The broadcaster made no effort to interact with the details of the complaint other than send back to us a superficial stock reply sent to all complainants. There was at least some satisfaction that the broadcaster made a commitment not to re-screen the objectionable episode in the light of the record level of complaints it received. There was no acknowledgment of wrongdoing or any breaches of the Free-to-air Broadcasting Code.

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Society’s complaint to Broadcaster over "Bloody Mary"

March 30, 2006 by David  
Filed under Complaints to Broadcasters

Society’s letter of complaint to CanWest Media Works over “South Park’s” episode “Bloody Mary”

Thursday, 30 March 2006

Society president Mike Petrus says: “It is a sad indictment of the Standards Committee of the TV Channel C4, that it has failed to concede that any aspect of the contents of the “South Park” episode “Bloody Mary” transgress the Broadcasting Standards free-to-air TV Code of good taste and decency that the community expects broadcasters to adhere to.

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