Friday, April 15, 2011

Please Tell Me Have I lost my mind? Or has Teletoon?

I have been blogging for the past 2.5 years. The main purpose of my blog is therapy for a frazzled mother, getting to connect with other parents, creating books of memories for my family and a place to have fun and be creative.  I think today is the first blog that I write with an agenda.  I wonder if enough parents band together and question something could we make a difference?  I would like to share with my fellow parents something that may not be appropriate for all to read so if you are one of my children, nieces or nephews or any young person please don't read this.

Last night Pat and I made our way up to our room and Levi had been watching a show on Teletoon.  Instead of turning the channel Pat and I watched what was left of the show in complete and utter shock!  The last 10 minutes of the program was enough for us to discover that this show had no place on a channel that also that airs Scooby Doo, Jimmy Test, Total Drama Island.  A mad female scientist was capturing men and shrinking them down to 12 inches tall so she could use them as how shall I put this?  I can't even find a nice way of describing what she was doing with them.  But I think for sure the content could have been rated X.  You could always check out their brilliant website http://datingguy.com/ Where you can " Make a Porn" or participate in polls where they ask questions like, "Have you had sex with more than one person in a day", or , "Do you want or have a sex tape". 

So far I have contacted Teletoon and spoken with a very nice lady.  She said they break their programming up and after 9 pm then the shows are geared towards 18+ and I told her the shows would be better on another channel. If you would like to call the number is 1-888-884-8666.  I told her it would be like Chucky Cheese having strippers after 9pm that the two just don't go hand in hand.  How can you provide quality, fun, educational programming during the day and then at night on the same channel show Porn.  I am not ok with that and if you aren't either feel free to email your suggestion  suggestions@teletoon

I was also shocked to know that many Canadian agencies have funded this so I contacted them as well to let them know what I thought and they were unaware of some of the content. Bell Fund and Teleflilm Canada assured me that they had guidelines to what they fund and that Porn was not acceptable.  A spokesperson from Telefilm let me know they had funded one season of Dating Guy and said she wouldn't tell me what they thought of the show but that they refused to fund it again. 

As a parent I feel it is my resposibilty to give feedback to a children's network that thinks it is ok for a show like Dating Guy  to come up when a child pushes their favorite cartoon chanel on the remote no matter what time of day it is.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Dear Corla,

Further to our conversation earlier today, I would like to take this opportunity to also respond to your blog as an official TELETOON representative in the interest of clarity for your readers. We sincerely regret that you were offended by the series The Dating Guy (18+) as it is certainly never our intention to upset our viewers. This series currently airs during our TELETOON at Night programming block and is directed at older and more discerning viewers. I would like to reiterate some information regarding TELETOON and our scheduling.

TELETOON is not solely a children’s network, but a 24-hour animation and animation-related station dedicated to providing a variety of programming for viewers of all ages. Although the majority of our audience is made up of kids, tweens and teens, close to 40% is comprised of adults 18 and over. Our schedule is designed to reflect and cater to these audiences, and is divided as follows: from 6am to 6 p.m. (ET/PT), we offer kid-friendly viewing, including a commercial-free block from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (ET/PT); from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (ET/PT), our programming is geared towards a general audience; and from 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. (ET/PT), we air programming intended for mature viewers as part of our TELETOON at Night block. TELETOON at Night is a brand of its own, separate from daytime TELETOON, and features programming for older viewers. This programming block has become the point of reference for the 18-34 crowd looking for off-beat entertainment and an edgier line-up with tongue-in-cheek humour or satirical points of view.

In broadcasting both children's and adult programming, TELETOON makes concerted efforts to prevent younger viewers from watching TELETOON at Night content intended for an older-skewing audience. In addition to scheduling mature programming after 9 p.m., TELETOON broadcasts visual and audio advisories for shows with mature content and uses the Canadian Television Rating System to indicate each program’s intended audience. While we always recommend parental supervision for young viewers, as a supplementary safeguard, most cable/satellite systems have parental controls that allow viewers to block programming during specific time periods or based on a show’s rating. Finally, TELETOON brands its daytime and late-evening programming blocks very differently. Each has its own look and feel, with distinct colours, station IDs and promotions.

The Dating Guy is rated 18+ and airs as part of TELETOON at Night. An 18+ rating is defined by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) as:
Intended for viewers 18 years and older.
This classification applies to programming which could contain any or all of the following content elements which would make the program unsuitable for viewers under the age of 18.
Other Content Guidelines include:
• Language: might contain graphic language
• Sex/Nudity: might contain explicit portrayals of sex and/or nudity


While we recognize that The Dating Guy may not be to everybody’s taste, we also recognize that our viewers, and their selection in programming, are diverse. Dating Guy is an animated late-night comedy following four friends and their adventures in dating, sex and friendship. This series airs weekly at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT and remains true to TELETOON at Night by bringing boldness to our late-night programming. The show is rated 18+, complies with all applicable broadcasting codes and is scheduled to air at a time when an older audience is present. It is also preceded by the following advisory: "The following program is not intended for children. It contains coarse language, mild violence, sexual content and deals with mature themes that some viewers may find offensive. Viewer discretion is advised."


We hope the information we have provided addresses your concerns.

Sincerely,

Chloe @ TELETOON

Kristin said...

Thanks for posting this Corla....that is completely RIDICULOUS.........Kristin

Anonymous said...

I can understand your concerns, but Teletoon is not primarily considered a children's network. There are many cartoon series geared towards adults, and since Teletoon bills is a cartoon network, not a children's, it should not be expected to exclude them.


Tonia Laird

Anonymous said...

Just as an amendment to my last comment, I don't think many of those shows, like "The Dating Guy" or "Family Guy" are actually worth the computers they're colored on, just to be clear. I'd rather not see shows like that on tv at all, but to each their own.

Tonia Laird

Catherine said...

Wait until your start trying to see if CD's are 'teenager' friendly. There are no guidelines or rules in the music industry about putting any warnings on CD covers. Some artists do put a "parent advisory" on the cover, others choose not too. All of sudden you realize your 14 year old is listening to music that would make your hair curl!!! I broke and threw out 3 CDs of Kurtis' when he was 14 (right in front of him) and confiscated about 4 more and did not return them until he was 16 years old.

I can totally relate to the garbage cartoons on TV. Of course, I didn't even allow the Simpson's to be viewed at our house. ;)

I will for sure e-mail the teletoon network. Although my son is now old enough to choose what to watch or listen to, it still irritates me on the 'crap' that 'child friendly' networks allow on their station.

Excellent post Corla!