TV Parental Guidelines

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The TV Parental Guidelines system was first proposed on December 19, 1996 by the United States Congress, the television industry and the FCC, and went into effect by January 1, 1997 on most major broadcast and cable networks in response to public concerns of increasingly explicit sexual content, graphic violence and strong profanity in television programs. It was established as a voluntary-participation system, with ratings to be determined by the individually-participating broadcast and cable networks. It was specifically designed to be used with the V-chip, which was mandated to be built into all television sets manufactured since 2000, but the guidelines themselves have no legal force, and does not apply to news or sports programming, thus precluding networks like CNN, Fox News Channel, ESPN and Fox Sports Net from applying the ratings system, along with the majority of infomercials (which are classified the same as regular commercial break advertising, which also is not rated).

Ratings

TV-Y

(All Children -- This program is designed to be appropriate for all children)^[1]

Whether animated or live-action, the themes and elements in this program are specifically designed for a very young audience, including children from ages 2-6. This program is not expected to frighten younger children. These programs are not expected to frighten or upset younger children although some 1990s animated shows (such as Rocko's Modern Life, KaBlam!, and Aah! Real Monsters) have erroneously been rated TV-Y when, in reality, they deserved a TV-Y7 rating. Examples of programs issued this rating include Super Why!, Barney and Friends, Pinky Dinky Doo, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!, The Wonder Pets, and Dora the Explorer. Additionally, on some TV-Y programs, an E/I logo will be shown through the program's entirety if it contains educational content.

TV-Y7

(Directed to Older Children -- This program is designed for children age 7 and above.)

These shows may or may not be appropriate for some children under the age of 7. This rating may include crude, suggestive humor, mild fantasy violence, or content considered too scary or controversial to be shown to children under seven. Examples include Ren and Stimpy (the Nickelodeon-run episodes), Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Johnny Test, some episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants, Goosebumps, (when it aired on the FOX Network), and some live-action teen shows, such as Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and Saved By the Bell.

TV-Y7-FV

(Directed to children 7 and older with more violent content)

When a show has noticeably more violent content, it is assigned the TV-Y7-FV rating (the FV standing for fantasy violence). Action-adventure shows such as Digimon, the Pokémon series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Power Rangers are assigned a TV-Y7-FV rating. Sometimes, a TV-Y7-FV rating will be given to children's horror shows, such as The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Are You Afraid of the Dark? and The Nightmare Room.

TV-G

(General Audience -- Most parents would find this program suitable for all ages.)

Although this rating does not signify a program designed specifically for children, most parents may let younger children watch this program unattended. It contains little or no violence, no strong language and little or no sexual dialogue or situations. Networks that air informational, how-to content, or generally inoffensive content (such as the Food Network and HGTV) or older archive programming (such as Game Show Network's shows and the classic cartoons shown on both Cartoon Network and Boomerang) usually apply a blanket TV-G rating to all of their shows (unless otherwise noted). Some teen shows, such as Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, and The Suite Life on Deck are given a TV-G rating if their content is considered too strong for a TV-Y7 rating.

TV-PG

(Parental Guidance Suggested -- This program contains material that parents may find unsuitable for younger children.)

This rating signifies that the program may be unsuitable for younger children without the guidance of a parent. Many parents may want to watch it with their younger children. Various game shows and most reality shows are rated TV-PG for their suggestive dialog, suggestive humor, and/or coarse language. Some prime-time sitcoms such as Everybody Loves Raymond, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Simpsons, and Seinfeld usually air with a TV-PG rating. Recently, Cartoon Network has been using the PG rating outside of their Adult Swim line-up to rate shows that may contain suggestive dialogue, crude humor, or scary elements, such as Total Drama Island, 6teen, and reruns of Goosebumps (on FOX, Goosebumps was rated TV-Y7 for scary/disturbing content)^[2]. Also, on Nickelodeon, Invader Zim is also rated TV-PG when uncut. Many feature films rated PG and some movies originally rated PG-13 and R are edited for content in order to earn a TV-PG rating when shown on broadcast and cable television. On August 1st, 2008 WWE programming went to this rating to appeal to a wider range of sponsors.

The TV-PG rating may be accompanied by one or more of the following sub-ratings:

• D for some suggestive dialogue
• L for infrequent coarse language
• S for some sexual situations
• V for moderate violence

TV-14

(Parents Strongly Cautioned -- This program contains some material that many parents would find unsuitable for children under 14 years of age.)

Parents are strongly urged to exercise greater care in monitoring this program and are cautioned against letting children under the age of 14 watch unattended. This rating may be accompanied by any of the following sub-ratings:

• D for intensely suggestive dialogue
• L for strong coarse language
• S for intense sexual situations
• V for intense violence

Many programs that air after 9:00 pm are rated TV-14, including late-night staples like The Tonight Show and Saturday Night Live. Certain PG-13 or R-rated feature films are rated TV-14 when edited for broadcast. Adult-oriented cartoons, such as Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, syndicated reruns of South Park, American Dad, some select episodes of The Simpsons ^[3], and most of the shows in Cartoon Network's Adult Swim line-up have been given the TV-14 rating due to crude, suggestive humor, coarse language, graphic violence, or subject matter considered too strong to be rated TV-PG. Anime series Bleach alternativly switches betweeen a TV-PG and TV-14 rating. Too some programs are cataloged TV-14 like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation or Grey's Anatomy, for excessive violence, some coarse language or simply strong sexual content.

Live programming like televised awards ceremonies, concerts, and some specials will be issued a general TV-14 rating, because of the possibility that profanity or suggestive dialogue may occur.

TV-MA

(Mature Audience Only -- This program is specifically designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 17.)

A TV-MA rating means the program may be unsuitable for those below 17. This rating was originally TV-M for the first few months of 1997 but was changed because of a trademark dispute and to remove confusion with the ESRB's "M for Mature" rating for video games .^[4] The program may contain extreme graphic violence, strong profanity, overtly sexual dialogue, very coarse language, nudity and/or strong sexual content. Although not a very large number of shows carry this rating, South Park is a popular example of a show that carries a TV-MA rating. The film Schindler's List was the first network TV airing to display this rating, and the pilot episode of the CBS police drama Brooklyn South made this series the first network TV series to display the rating. Original programming airing in the late evening on some cable networks generally will carry this rating. The sitcom Jenny had high amount of sexual content in the show.

This rating may be accompanied by any of the following sub-ratings:

• L for crude or indecent language
• S for explicit sexual activity
• V for graphic violence

There is no official "D" (suggestive dialogue) sub-rating for TV-MA, though some channels, such as Comedy Central and IFC, will use the "D" sub-rating.

The implications of these ratings, particularly the TV-MA rating, vary greatly depending on the situation. For example, South Park, which airs on Comedy Central, generally contains censored language even though it carries a TV-MA rating. Yet other TV-MA programs on Comedy Central (including the late-night "Secret Stash" airings of films such as South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, any movie directed by Kevin Smith, the Jackass films and uncensored airings of stand-up comedy specials and Comedy Central's "Roasts" series) have no restrictions on language. Language may still be censored by a network or air completely unfiltered, depending on several factors, including creative network choices, or to appeal to advertisers leery of placing spots on a TV-MA program. Cartoon Network's Adult Swim shows (particularly The Boondocks, Moral Orel, Xavier: Renegade Angel, and later seasons of Robot Chicken and Aqua Teen Hunger Force) are rated TV-MA due to graphic violence or humor/content considered too strong for a TV-14 rating (language (particularly stronger curse words and use of "Jesus" as an oath) is still censored, despite the TV-MA rating on Cartoon Network). Other shows that are frequently rated TV-MA include FX's original programs, such as Nip/Tuck, Sons of Anarchy, Rescue Me and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Used sub-ratings

The ratings are sometimes accompanied by sub-ratings, depending on the amount of objectionable content in the program.

Rating	Violence (V)	Language (L)	Sexual content (S)	Dialogue (D)	Fantasy violence (FV)
TV-Y	(unused)	(unused)	(unused)	(unused)	(unused)
TV-Y7	(unused)	(unused)	(unused)	(unused)	(exclusive use)
TV-G	(unused)	(unused)	(unused)	(unused)	(unused)
TV-PG	(used)	(used)	(used)	(used)	(unused)
TV-14	(used)	(used)	(used)	(used)	(unused)
TV-MA	(used)	(used)	(used)	(used until 1998)*	(unused)

* Broadcasters sometimes mistakenly apply this subrating; however, it is not officially used.

For the first 15 seconds of every rated program lasting a half-hour or less, a large rating icon appears in the upper-left hand corner of the screen, it was much smaller until June 2005. For every rated program running an hour or longer, a rating appears in the upper-left hand corner of the TV screen at the beginning of each half hour.

Starting in June 2005, many networks now display the ratings after every commercial break. ABC was one of the first television networks to display the program's rating after every commercial break in addition to at the beginning of the program.

Design variations

Regularly, the Helvetica font is used for rating icons with either white type on black blackground, or black type on white background, like the icons from top section.

ABC's rating icon for some programs.

• ABC's ratings icons do not use the regular Helvetica font, instead going with Tahoma, sometimes a sans-serif font, with black type on a white background, and are larger than the voluntary specifications.

• CBS and The CW only show the icon at the start of the program, and use the original smaller icons with the Helvetica typeface, with white type on a black background.

FOX's rating icons.

• Fox networks ratings icons are colored blue with white type, use a clockwise transition animation, and are larger than the voluntary specifications, appearing at the start of any live action program and, as of April 9, 2007, after every commercial break (the complete 15 seconds of the icon is shown as close to the half-hour as possible during an at least hour-long program; five seconds of the icon, without the clockwise transition, is shown after every other commercial break). Black and white icons are retained for animated programs on the network and were also utilized by the former 4Kids TV weekend children's block (which as the block was a time-buy by 4Kids, was rated by that company instead of Fox, although Fox standards and practices still applied input into 4Kids programming). The clockwise animation is in use with these as well, with 15 seconds of rating at the top of the 1st and 3rd segments, and (as of March 24, 2007) five seconds of rating at the top of the 2nd and 4th segments. In the late 1990s, when the ratings system was first introduced, 4Kids TV predecessor Fox Kids aired brief notices before a particular show containing the rating and informing the viewer that it's there "so you can have Fox Kids family fun!". However, Fox's related cable networks, FX, Fox Reality, Fox Movie Channel and National Geographic Channel, do not use the clockwise blue ratings, instead opting to use a ratings icon with white text on black, which at the start of a show will take up 1/12th of the screen, as per specifications used by the cable industry. After each commercial break it is shown at the original smaller size (excluding Fox Movie Channel, which does not show commercials). During ABC Family's stint as Fox Family, used the black icons.
• Fox, which has traditionally aired a viewer discretion is advised disclaimer before several of their programs since the mid-90s with the same text on a black screen (usually voiced by longtime Fox network announcer Joe Cipriano), began to air an extended disclaimer since fall 2008; the discretion line is still voiced out, but a full-screen graphic featuring a program's logo and imagery is shown featuring the ratings and a visual description of the sub-ratings that apply to the program. This is equivalent to the screens seen on pay cable programs before a program starts.

NBC's TV rating icons until Fall 2009

• NBC's ratings icons are translucent, and appear on the screen after a colorful transition, matching the network's current image branding, except for the promos which they make the rating icons opaque and no effect is used. NBC, Telemundo, and their related cable networks (except USA Network and Sci Fi Channel, which were acquired by the network in the 2004 NBC Universal merger) did not use the D-L-S-V subratings until 2005.^[5][6].

PBS's TV rating icon that is sometimes used

• PBS' ratings icons vary by each program's producers, though usually the regular icons are used, with black Helvetica type on a white background, but sometimes the ratings from American Public Television might be used, which the font isn't Helvetica. PBS and the network's digital cable networks/digital broadcast subchannels also opted out of the D-L-S-V subratings until 2005.

• Syndicated programming often will show ratings icons drastically different from the original icons, in a different font (such as Tahoma), with a translucent or no background, letters with drop shadowing, or which match up with the title card or closing credits font for the program. This owes to the fact that the individual programs' production companies, not the broadcasting stations, apply the ratings. One syndicated game show, Jeopardy!, shows its rating after the introduction of the contestants, instead of at the very start of the program, likely for aesthetic purposes.

• Fox, the networks of NBC Universal, and MyNetworkTV show the icon within the video area instead of the normal placement on a 4:3 scale whenever letterboxed programs are aired.^{[clarification needed]}
• Turner Classic Movies uses the television ratings system to rate films not covered by the MPAA film ratings system, which went into effect for films released after October 1968. As the network or the film's distributor rates the film on the TV ratings system instead of the MPAA's, some conflicts occur between the two ratings systems, such as a film that might rate an MPAA G earning a TV-PG, and some cases of an MPAA PG movie earning a TV-14 rating on TCM. This was a result in the changes of the level of content in the rating system. Most G-rated movies back in the late 60s and early 70s have content equivalent to PG and PG-13 today. Some movies rated PG in the 70s would earn a rating of at least PG-13, or possibly R, under current rating standards.^[7] Some MPAA rated films may also have a separate TV rating from TCM to clarify content further within the D-L-S-V subratings. MPAA and TV ratings on TCM are presented before the program, in a separate segment, in a similar manner used by most premium movie channels.

• All Turner Broadcasting System networks, owned by TimeWarner, air the ratings icons after each commercial break, with a larger version of the icon at the top of the program (sometimes to conceal a rating previously applied by a different network). The rating icons are black lettering on a translucent white background. Lifetime, which is partially owned by Disney, previously did this.
  

  

  The Walt Disney Company's rating icon

• Disney Channel, Disney XD and ABC Family, all owned by Disney-ABC Television Group, also air the ratings icons after each commercial break, with a larger version of the icon at the top of the program. Their rating icons are white lettering (set in Tahoma) on a solid multi-shaded gray background. A similar icon, which was much smaller with the text set in Futura, was used until 2005 (SoapNet used a version with a black square, instead of gray).

Nickelodeon's TV-G rating icon.

• Viacom's ratings depend on the networks; since July 8, 2009, Nickelodeon uses a large TV-shaped icon with transparent letters on translucent white background, while Spike and Comedy Central use a transluscent rating, TV Land uses a small black rating, VH1, MTV, CMT, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, and TeenNick use the old ratings.^{[clarification needed]}

See also

• Television content rating systems
• Pay television content descriptors
• Motion Picture Association of America film rating system
• FCC - TV Parental Guidelines

References