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April
1, 2000
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Heritage
Sunday
A
Heritage Newspaper |
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Former
TV Journalist Gives Tips to Parents
By Barbara
Ziemba, Heritage
Newspapers
WYANDOTTE — Parents upset with some of the content
of children’s television programming got some
tips Wednesday night on how to fight back —
nicely — from a Detroit-area broadcast journalist.
Teresa Tomeo, a former news reporter for WKBD-TV
50 and WXYZ-TV Channel 7 and now host of a Christian
radio program, said the push for sales and higher
ratings has led to more sex and violence in
TV and radio programming, including news programs,
as well as shows aimed at young people.
About 50 people from Southgate, Lincoln Park,
Riverview, Allen Park, Trenton, Detroit and
Canton Township met Wednesday night in the auditorium
of Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School to listen
to Tomeo.
Last summer, a group from Mount Carmel and other
Wyandotte churches approached the Municipal
Service Commission about dropping MTV and VH-1
programming from the city’s cable system. They
argued that much of the content was pornographic
and violent and promoted disrespect for authority
and women.
The channels remained in the lineup, but the
group, lead by Debbie Bloomfield, hasn’t given
up the fight.
"We’re committed to this and will continue
to reach out to people in our churches,"
Bloomfield said, adding that she had heard Tomeo
speak last fall at a fund-raiser and invited
her to Mount Carmel to address the school’s
PTO.
With 20 years of experience under her belt,
Tomeo said she noticed the change in news content
about 10 years ago.
"I didn’t know if the business was changing
or I was changing," she said, referring
to her own rebirth of faith. "But I did
notice there was more violence in news content
as well as in the industry. We’re supposed to
be serving the public interest."
Tomeo cited an armload of statistics compiled
by a variety of groups, including the Kaiser
Family Foundation and the American Academy of
Pediatrics, that illustrated the effects "entertainment
violence" has on youngsters.
"Entertainment violence contributes to
aggression and anti-social attitudes,"
she said, quoting one of the studies. "More
than 3,400 studies in the United States and
around the world show there’s a connection between
media exposure and aggressive behavior."
In music videos, 80 percent of the violence
is directed against women, she said. And sex
on soap operas is 24 times more common between
unmarried couples than spouses, Tomeo added.
But parents, grandparents and others don’t have
to sit back and take it, she said.
"Call the TV station and ask to talk to
the reporter, the news director or the general
manager," she said. "Follow up with
a letter. The letters have to be put in a file
that will be reviewed when the station’s license
is up for renewal by the FCC (Federal Communications
Commission."
One letter has clout, she said.
"It represents 100 people," she told
the group.
Inquiries about the station’s format or programming
content should be directed to the program director
and general manager, she said.
Tomeo urged parents to get in touch with advocacy
groups for support (See related story).
"They do the monitoring (of programs and
other entertainment outlets) without busy parents
having to do it," she said, adding that
all communications, whether verbal or written,
should be courteous.
Adults should watch their own television consumption
and keep computers and televisions in a central
area of the home, Tomeo added.
Finally, if all else fails, hit ’em in the pocketbook
and cancel cable subscriptions, she said.
Several parents who attended the Wednesday gathering
said they would make some changes in their viewing
habits.
"We probably will change the way we watch
TV," said Emily and George Simon of Allen
Park.
Southgate resident Anna Danyko said that with
time at a premium, it is difficult for parents
to juggle jobs, children and other demands,
let alone keep up with all of the messages they
could be receiving through the media.
"We have to learn to weigh our priorities,"
she said.
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