WASHINGTON -- Children who watch certain cartoon shows are being subjected to 'program-length commercials' not real programs, a children's televison watchdog group says.
Action for Children's Television wants the Federal Communications Commission to order stations to log cartoon shows such as 'Pac-Man' and 'Smurfs' as commercials. SucO logging would effectively force the programs off the air because TV stations that carry more than 16 minutes of commercial time per hour face a full FCC review to renew their licenses.
Peggy Charren, president of Action for Children's Television, said the characters in eight programs on the commercial networks' 1983-84 Saturday morning lineup are based on toys, dolls, games, breakfast cereals and other products.
In addition, six specials and mini-series including 'Care Bears,' 'He-Man and the Masters of the Universe' and a 'GI Joe' program promote merchandise, and at least eight more 'program-length commercials' are being developed, she said.
'What makes matters worse is that most of the products are being advertised on children's television as well, making it hard to distinguish between product and programming,' she said.
The complaint emphasizes that the products are not 'spinoffs' of successful TV series. 'Rather, the desire to promote the products ... precipitated the development of the program-length commercials.'
Licensing of children's toys and games based on characters was a $4 billion business in 1982, the trade magazine Toy and Hobby World reported.
Edward Fritts of the National Association of Broadcasters, which represents 700 television stations and the major networks, called the petition 'outrageously shortsighted and overly idealistic.'
'It says in essence that a national phenomenon such as Pac-Man, which did not evolve from television, cannot be translated into programming for children. What about Star Wars, or, in my youth, Mickey Mouse?'
A spokesman for CBS Broadcast Group said:
'CBS feels there is no validity to ACT's claim. To say this is to say that any Grimms' fairy tale is designed to sell books. Any Christmas story is designed to sell ornaments or any Charlie Brown show is designed to sell funnies.'
An NBC spokesman said, 'Many of NBC's children's programs have educational and affirmative social messages included in its storyline. We believe awareness and familiarity with the characters may help children accept these messages which have positive value.
In a 1971 ruling, the FCC ordered stations broadcasting a program sponsored by Mattel Toy Co. and featuring the firm's 'Hot Wheels' toy cars to log all references to the Mattel products as commercial time.
'Someone has to let broadcasters know that they can't get away with turning children's television into the big sell,' Ms. Charren said.
