4 Networks Discuss TV Rating System

The nation’s four television networks are in talks to establish a rating system, similar to the one used in motion pictures, in an effort to head off the threat of government regulation of programs with violent or sexual content, sources said Wednesday.

Top executives from ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox have been meeting in New York and Los Angeles in an attempt to forge an agreement in advance of a White House summit later this month on television violence, the sources said.

However, industry officials said several key issues need to be worked out during the next two weeks. There seemed to be some disagreement among the networks about how to proceed, with ABC and Fox taking the lead in supporting a rating system, while CBS and NBC showing more resistance.

Executives from the networks, cable television and Hollywood production companies are discussing strategies to deal with the recently enacted Telecommunications Reform Act, which mandates a television rating system and an electronically encoded “V-chip” to screen out sensitive programming.

Though many broadcasters call the provision censorship and therefore unconstitutional, sources say the networks now appear to be taking a less confrontational position and are less inclined to challenge the law in court.

“None of the networks has the stomach for a suit right now,” said one executive, adding that he expects independent station groups, such as Chicago-based Tribune Co., to take up the fight.

Among the strategies being discussed by lawyers and Washington lobbyists for the networks is the rating system used by the Motion Picture Assn. of America.

The motion picture rating system is preferred by some network executives to any new code or age classification because it has been used by the public for 27 years. Broadcasters said most of the programs on network television would fall into the familiar “G” or “PG” categories, for general audiences and parental guidance. Movies that are rated “R” for restricted audiences 17 and older at theaters are generally cleaned up for television audiences and would classify as “PG-13,” with a warning of content that may be inappropriate for children younger than 13.

Still, for example, it is unclear how cartoons--some of which have been cited by studies as violent and offensive--would be treated. Said one network executive facetiously: “You going to give Bugs Bunny an R?” The new telecommunications law, signed by President Clinton Feb. 8, gives the industry one year to devise a voluntary system before the Federal Communications Commission would be able to develop a code.

The telecommunications law requires all new television sets sold in the United States to be equipped with the V-chip. The chip would be activated by a rating electronically encoded in the TV signal, helping parents monitor their children’s viewing habits.

Sources said the networks had been moving toward a ratings system last week, but started to worry after the White House seemed to be making new demands.

Greg Simon, a top aide to Vice President Al Gore, suggested that the networks come to the summit prepared to talk about time periods where children would be protected from certain kinds of programming, and about reinstituting the so-called family hour in early prime-time.

While opposing the V-chip on free-speech grounds, the broadcasters fear that a ratings system has the potential to scare away advertisers who might not want to be associated with a program that is earmarked as violent.

Times Staff Writer Jesus Sanchez contributed to this story.