Memo to TV Producers: Exercise the Power to Educate

By: Drew Altman, Ph.D. and Vicky Rideout

The issue of sex on television has never been hotter. Just recently Speaker Newt Gingrich called for the creation of a new "Family Hour" which would create a "safe haven for the family viewing audience." The Speaker's proposal is only the latest in the simmering T.V. wars. The President continues to jawbone the T.V. industry to show less sex and violence, the debate about the usefulness of the voluntary T.V. ratings system continues, and the Senate has been holding hearings regularly on the subject of sex and violence on television.

As politicians and network executives continue to debate the negative impact T.V. can have on its viewers, there is a bigger opportunity being lost. That opportunity comes from the power of entertainment T.V. to have a positive impact on its viewers by educating while entertaining. We're not talking about preachy documentaries or public service announcements here -- rather, the opportunity the industry has to make money and do good at the same time by incorporating useful public health information and socially responsible themes into regular T.V. programming.

Consider the following experiment we conducted to examine this issue. We knew that the April 10th episode of ER was going to feature a date rape victim who learns that she still has contraceptive options to help prevent pregnancy, even after having unprotected sex. While in the emergency room, she learns that if she takes a heavy dose of regular birth control pills within three days of unprotected sex, she can reduce her chance of becoming pregnant by 75%.

We conducted a scientific national random sample survey of ER viewers before and after the show to find out if watching the show made any difference in their awareness of emergency contraception. We found that the number of viewers who knew there is something a woman can do after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy increased by a third; and that was from a single vignette that lasted just one minute on one episode. Imagine what impact a year-long story line or plot involving a major character could have.

ER certainly does everything it takes to entertain; after all, it's the number one rated show on T.V. But according to the viewers we surveyed, ER also educates. More than half of regular ER viewers say they learn about important health care issues from the show. Sixty-two percent said that this was one of the reasons they watched ER, suggesting that it is possible to educate and inform without sacrificing audience share. There were other positive effects too. A majority of ER viewers said they talk about health care issues that come up on ER with their family and friends, and 12% said they actually took the initiative to discuss an issue with their doctor because of something they had seen on ER.

And this is no small audience -- 30 to 40 million people view ER each week.

So while we are all bashing television, we should also be highlighting, and the networks should be taking advantage of, the many opportunities for television to play a more positive social role. Not just on the easier issues: showing characters who "buckle-up" when they climb into a car, or working designated drivers into scenes where alcohol is being heavily consumed, but on the tough ones as well--like sex.

Here is one concrete proposal. Studies show that T.V. soaps average more than five sexual encounters per episode. In an age of HIV, these shows should make using condoms the equivalent of buckling up. A condom on the bedside table on a popular T.V. show (as on the recent season finale of "Beverly Hills, 90210"), or a story line that realistically depicts the consequences of unsafe sex, could have more impact on young people than any government program or public service advertising campaign. The networks' Standards and Practices departments could make this an industry policy, just as they did wwith the use of seatbelts man years ago.

The power of television to educate provides an extraordinary opportunity--and a big responsibility. Television writers and producers need to know that what they do and say really matters; and the rest of us need to recognize that T.V. can be a powerful ally, not just a scapegoat. Sex and violence sell, and as long as they sell you can rest assured that they will continue to be staples of television programming. But if we can encourage the many talented writers and producers in Hollywood to work a little information and education into the mix, our children will benefit and most Americans will feel real progress has been made.

Drew Altman, Ph.D., is the President of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in Menlo Park, California.

Vicky Rideout directs the Foundation's Program on the Entertainment Media and Public Health.