Group bashes TV's use of sex

NEW YORK -- Adultery, teen sex and examples of extreme or unusual lust are hot topics on prime-time TV, while sex within marriage often gets a cold shoulder, a media watchdog group said Tuesday.

In a study of more than 207 hours of scripted shows on the five major broadcast networks, the Parents Television Council found spoken references about nonmarital sex outnumbered mentions of marital intimacy by about 3-to-1. For scenes that visually depict or imply sex, the ratio was 4-to-1.

The study also said that once-taboo topics -- including partner swapping, threesomes, strippers and prostitution -- are increasingly common. The study found 74 mentions of still more explicit or "kinky" sexual behaviors.

TV networks "are more interested in being shocking," said Melissa Henson, the study's author. "They're more interested in being provocative than telling a story that's going to resonate with the vast majority of TV viewers."

The PTC, a leading critic of sex and violence on TV, is known for campaigning against shows it deems offensive and flooding federal regulators with complaints.

Critics of the group say its studies support a broader agenda.

"The Parents Television Council won't be satisfied with television content until they convince the government to enforce their personal, selective judgments," said Jim Dyke, executive director of TV Watch, an advocacy group backed in part by the entertainment industry and CBS, Fox and NBC.

Dyke called the PTC study biased and designed to influence lawmakers and raise money. He said the study supports the belief that "parents aren't competent enough to make television viewing decisions for their own families."