Last week, Linda Mangold checked out the goofy alien hit 3rd Rock From the Sun, which airs at 8 p.m. Sundays and is rated TVPG.
Although the rating indicates a need for parental guidance, Mangold was ``floored'' by what she saw. ``They said `suck,' `damn' . . . `hookers.' They compared cheerleaders to hookers. I was like, `Oh, my God,' '' said Mangold, a homemaker who lives in West Chester with her children, ages 6 and 8.
Mangold said such language merited a stricter rating - a TV14.
``I think the ratings are useless,'' said Tim Bell of Marlton, whose children are 11, 14 and 16.
``They are taking shows that are popular with children and infusing adult situations, language and sexual content into them. How do you tell your 9-year-old you don't want them watching Home Improvement, a show strongly oriented toward children?'' said Bell, vice president of land development for Ryland Homes.
The ratings system developed by the TV industry and in effect since January has come under fire from advocacy groups that say parents are not getting enough information. The National Parent Teachers Association surveyed 679 parents and found that 80 percent were dissatisfied with the ratings. These parents said they preferred a system that identifies program content rather than the age group the show is intended for.
Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America and chief architect of the ratings, cites another poll, by the Pew Research Center in Washington, which found that 27 percent of respondents - not all parents - said the ratings were very helpful, and an additional 42 percent said they were somewhat helpful.
Five local parents, from city and suburbs, agreed to examine the rating system by viewing a variety of programs shown between 8 and 9:30 p.m. Sundays through Fridays, when children are likely to be watching. Their rating of the ratings: a big, fat F.
``If parents are going to rely on these guidelines, then they're not doing their job,'' said homemaker Jude Augustus of West Chester, who has two children, ages 8 and 9.
``TVPG is widely used but basically it's not appropriate for children,'' said Bell, 43. ``The difficulty is that you still don't know from that rating what to expect.''
Creators of shows rated TVPG ``try and sneak stuff through,'' said Skip Kratzer, 45, of Mount Holly, a machine operator and father of five. ``. . . They deal sometimes with too many adult situations.''
