The NYTimes reports on the plight of the Parents Television Council, whose finances are a complete disaster and who can’t seem to get anyone to get outraged about breasts and bad language anymore:
Escalating costs collided with declining donations, resulting in a 2008 loss of almost $1 million. In 2009, as the recession battered fund-raising efforts anew, council revenue totaled $2.9 million, a 26 percent drop from the previous year. To cut costs, the organization has reduced its staff by 38 percent over the last two years. The council’s elaborate reports — given provocative titles like “MTV Smut Peddlers” — have grown infrequent, severely hampering the organization’s lobbying and fund-raising efforts. In 2008, the council published four major reports; it published one in 2009 and has published none so far this year. (Mr. Winter said he planned to publish three reports in the next two months, including one centered on online video.)
Don’t get me wrong: When I have kids, I’m going to protect them from all the adult content I can for as long as humanly possible. But I don’t need some organization doing that for me, and I certainly don’t need them exacerbating the already-stifling U.S. creative climate in the realm of TV or films. Enjoy your trip to oblivion, PTC!