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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release September 30, 1997

VICE PRESIDENT LAUNCHES NEW TELEVISION RATINGS SYSTEM

V-Chip, Ratings, Educational Programs Give More Control, Choices To Parents, Children

WASHINGTON -- Launching a new era in television that will give parents unprecedented control over information that comes into their homes and children more choices among educational programs, the Vice President today (9/30) joined three families to launch the new television ratings system that will begin tomorrow (10/1/97).

Today, more and more children are being raised by parents who work outside the home. These parents face a continuing struggle to pass on their values and protect their children from inappropriate influences. This is especially true of television programming that has such an impact on our children, the Vice President said.

That is why the new television ratings system is so important. Combined with the screening technology of the V-Chip, the new ratings system will help parents win back their living rooms. Parents will have unprecedented control over the information that comes into their homes through the television, he said.

Under the leadership of the President and the Vice President, the television industry agreed to a content-based voluntary ratings system to become effective October 1, 1997. The new ratings system will help parents identify which programs they want to block from their homes through a screening device known as the V-Chip. The President signed into law a requirement that the V-Chip technology be installed in all television sets beginning as early as next year.

The Vice President also showed a video of three new educational children's shows: Science Court, Sports Illustrated for Kids, and Beakman's World. Again, under the leadership of the President and Vice President, the television industry has agreed to air more of these types of programs. New Federal Communications Commission rules requiring three hours of educational and instructional programming per week as a requirement for license renewal went into effect this month.

The teamwork among parents, the television industry and government has been unprecedented, the Vice President said. Parents can now turn up the volume on the positive power of television and hit the mute button when necessary.