NOW Foundation Releases Third Annual Feminist Primetime Report; Criticizes Broadcast Television's Distorted Image of Women

October 28, 2002

"On television, persuasive myths still exist about gender, race, sex, violence, class, age—you name it!" said NOW Foundation President Kim Gandy. "Network programming sends a distorted, often offensive, image of women, girls and people of color—brought to you through the point-of-view of white men and boys. Television remains very much a man's world, with women serving primarily as 'eye candy.'"

Today the NOW Foundation releases the 2002 Feminist Primetime Report, the most thorough examination yet of entertainment programming on the six broadcast networks, as part of the Watch Out, Listen Up! media campaign.

Initiated by NOW in 1999, the mission of the Watch Out, Listen Up! campaign is to advance positive and diverse portrayals of women, girls, people of color and other under-represented groups on television. One of the key elements of this project is to encourage the public to talk back to the media.

Because ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, UPN and WB use a public asset—the airwaves—in order to transmit programming, they are required by the 1934 Communications Act to "serve the public interest." However, the Federal Communications Commission and Congress do little to enforce this obligation. So the NOW Foundation is determined to help viewers hold the networks accountable.

More than 80 teams of "feminist field analysts" across the country monitored 107 programs during the first half of 2002. Analysts reviewed shows based on four criteria: gender composition/diversity, violent content, sexual exploitation and social responsibility. The NOW Foundation compiled and interpreted data returned by the analysts, in addition to sampling the networks' new fall programs. Findings included in the report demonstrate the inequity between regularly employed female and male actors, an overwhelming male point-of-view and a depressing lack of social responsibility.

"Violence is still far too prevalent on TV and sexual exploitation has reached a new low on programs like ABC's The Bachelor, NBC's Fear Factor and the upcoming Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on CBS," said Gandy. "TV bigwigs are using the incredible power of the medium to get rich by serving up an adolescent boy's fantasy world. Women and girls deserve better."

The 2002 Feminist Primetime Report can be downloaded in PDF from the NOW Foundation web site at http://www.nowfoundation.org/watchout3/report.pdf or call 202-628-8669, ext. 116, to receive a copy.

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