Greg Clarkin: FTC claims record company could do more to warn of explicit content

Greg Clarkin is a correspondent for CNN Business News.

Q: Was any progress made in the entertainment industry to curtail the marketing of violence to children?

CLARKIN: The FTC in their follow up report today specifically singled out the motion picture industry and the video game industry as having made a fair amount of progress. The one industry that the FTC still has a problem with, and really took to task today, was the music industry.

Q: Why is the criticism particularly focused on the music industry?

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CLARKIN: The FTC says that the music industry is not doing enough and that it really has not even adhered to even its own internal guidelines and standards in terms of making readily apparent the warning labels that are supposed to be going on CD’s. The FTC report says when music is advertised, whether in print advertising or broadcast advertising, they are specifically concerned that it is not readily apparent to the viewer that that CD does, in fact, contain a warning sticker or label. They say if you are watching a show on TV and an advertisement comes on for the latest release from a band, that when they show the CD cover nowhere can you see the fact that there is a content warning label. And that is what they have a problem with. They would like to see a label more readily apparent to the eye, not something that you have to go look for. In some cases, they say, the lettering is so small and the label is so small on the advertisement, that it’s really impossible to read.

Q: What has been the response from the recording industry?

CLARKIN: The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade group that has as its members the major worldwide record companies. In a statement, the say that they support clear labeling of explicit material. They say a program they have in place has been deemed by 75 percent of the parents as satisfactory, but they say that they can always do more. They also say, at the moment, they are actually reviewing whether their policies are being adopted by the specific record labels and the record companies.

Q: What other types of marketing practices did the FTC find?

CLARKIN: In terms of the motion picture business at least, the FTC found virtually no advertisements for R rated movies in the popular teen magazines that they reviewed. So that was a big step forward and a lot of progress they felt. And again, we should really point out that this was really sort of a spot check or report card. They basically selected various magazines, publications, and television programs aimed at a young teenage audience. So, it is not a comprehensive view, but it really is a spot check to see how things are holding up there.

Going back to the movie business, they say that their research revealed a general compliance with the industry’s commitment not to run trailers for R rated movies in connection with G and PG rated feature films. So, in other words, a child or a teenager going in to see a G or PG rated movie won’t be subjected to seeing an R rated trailer of a release coming up sometime in the future. And that was something that they were very pleased with.

Q: Will more hearings be held with leaders of the entertainment industry?

CLARKIN: At this point it is unclear as to what other action any members of congress will take. What we did hear this morning from Senator Joseph Lieberman is that he expects to introduce legislation to kind of combat this problem and set up legal standards for how music, motion pictures and video games are marketed to teenagers and children. He said on CNN this morning that he expects to introduce that this week, I believe.

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FTC Follow-up Report

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