NCJ Number
145470
Date Published
Unknown
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Compared to broadcast television, cable-originated children's programs have substantially less violence, some action programs have more violence, and the overall Violence Index is about the same on both types of networks.
Abstract
The National Cable Television Association commissioned an independent study to examine the levels of violence on cable programs. Videotaped programs in the samples were screened and coded by trained analysts using an extensively tested reliable observation of many aspects of all programs and characters in the sample. Results show that there was some violence in 77 percent of cable children's programs and in 82.5 percent of children's broadcast programs. Larger numbers of short cartoons filled with violence partially accounted for the higher levels of violence on the broadcast channels. Almost 70 percent of cable general programs and nearly 75 percent of broadcast general programs contained some violence. However, the frequency of violence per hour and per program was higher in cable than in broadcast networks. Action programs contained the highest incidence of violence and depictions of victimization. Regular dramatic programs were the second major source of program violence. 3 tables, 16 references, and 1 appendix