roundtable: Petition Withdrawn re: CBS-Westinghouse Deal

roundtable: Petition Withdrawn re: CBS/Westinghouse Deal

Petition Withdrawn re: CBS/Westinghouse Deal

Emily M. Littleton (emily@cme.org)
Wed, 20 Sep 1995 18:02:48 -0400 

Message-Id: <v02120d01ac8603385d42@[205.197.91.10]>
To: roundtable@cni.org
From: emily@cme.org (Emily M. Littleton)
Subject: Petition Withdrawn re: CBS/Westinghouse Deal
Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 18:02:48 -0400


Posted to the discussion list maintained by the Telecommunications Policy
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE           September 20, 1995


WESTINGHOUSE AGREES TO MORE KID'S PROGRAMMING ON CBS; PUBLIC INTEREST
GROUPS DROP FCC CHALLENGE; GROUPS URGE STRONGER CHILDREN'S TV RULES

Washington, D.C., September 20, 1995 --- A coalition of public interest
groups -- including the Center for Media Education and the Office of
Communication of the United Church of Christ -- agreed today to drop its
petition to the Federal Communications Commission calling for denial of 
the waivers Westinghouse Electric needs to complete the purchase of CBS, 
Inc.  The coalition's action came in response to a voluntary decision by
Westinghouse to increase the amount of network programming specifically
designed to serve the educational needs of children, and to schedule 
those programs after 7 a.m. on the network and on the stations it owns.

Westinghouse's voluntary commitment appears in a statement attached to a
reply pleading it filed today with the FCC.  The statement says that the
CBS network, under Westinghouse, will supply two hours per week of
educational and informational children's programming in the 1996-1997
season---an increase of an hour per week.  The number of hours will rise 
to three hours per week during the 1997-1998 season and will not fall 
below that level for the 1998-1999 season and beyond.  There is also a 
commitment that the stations owned by Westinghouse will broadcast at 
least three hours of core educational programming for children beginning 
this next season 1996-1997.

"We commend Westinghouse for taking this voluntary step forward for
children," said Dr. Beverly J. Chain, director of the Cleveland-based UCC
Office of Communication, and Dr. Kathryn Montgomery, President of the
Center for Media Education, representing two of the groups that had
challenged the Westinghouse/CBS deal in a September 8 petition.

As Montgomery explained, "By assuming control of one of the most powerful
media institutions in this country, Westinghouse is now in an important
leadership position to help improve television's inadequate record in
serving the needs of children.  We applaud Westinghouse's commitment to air
more educational programming.  However, we believe it is unfortunate that
this decision did not come about until after our coalition had filed its
petition to deny the transfer."

According to Montgomery, "The commitment to provide core children's
programming after 7a.m. is significant.  Ratings services indicate that
less than 2 percent of the households tune in to programming on Saturday
before 7a.m.  Unfortunately, that is when many of the current educational
children's programs are being aired.  Now there is a chance that a large
number of children will be watching the programs designed for them."

Chain insisted, "We want to make it clear that while the commitment made 
by Westinghouse represents a substantial contribution by the network, it 
by no means ends the interest of our groups in the rule making proceeding
currently before the Commission.  We shall continue to advocate in our
filing, due October 16, for the need for a license renewal guideline of
seven hours a week of core programming, and other important matters.
Nothing less will adequately serve the needs of this nation's children."

The Children's Television Act of 1990, passed overwhelmingly by a
bipartisan Congress, emphasized that programming should contribute to the
education of children, given the many hours they spend viewing television.


"Westinghouse's commitment to increase the amount of educational
programming on the CBS Network is particularly important in light of the 
TV violence study just released by UCLA," explained Dr. Montgomery.  That
analysis of programming on the four major networks revealed a disturbing
trend toward increasingly violent children's programs on network
television.  "By making more educational programming available to children
during the hours when they watch," added Montgomery, "the networks can 
give parents an alternative to the murder and mayhem that dominate the
airwaves."

For more information, contact the Center for Media Education (CME@CME.ORG).



-----------------------------------------------------------------
Emily Littleton
Center for Media Education
EMILY@CME.ORG

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