Support Family-Friendly TV! Watch Secrets of the Mountain on NBC To Night!

The Parents Television Council is the nation’s most influential advocacy organization protecting children against sex, violence and profanity in entertainment. That’s a big job. Much of what Hollywood considers "entertainment" today is offensive and even harmful to children — so that most of what the PTC does is alerting parents to the negative programming on TV.

That’s why it’s such a joy and a pleasure for me to recommend a new made-for-TV movie airing tomorrow night, Friday, April 16th, at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 pm Central on NBC.

Secrets of the Mountain is a delightful movie of the kind "they don’t make anymore." It’s a fun, adventurous romp that the entire family can enjoy. It’s filled with action and suspense, but also has a lot of positive family messages in it. Best of all, it’s completely free of sex, profanity, and disturbing violence.

It is wonderful that such a family-friendly program is being shown on network TV in prime time…but there’s another reason why this movie is important.

For years now, Americans have been aching for entertainment appropriate for families. Survey after survey has shown that Americans want family-friendly entertainment…and movie box office results prove it. Clean, safe entertainment nearly always outperforms movies with extreme sex and violence. But those in charge of the TV networks have consistently refused to listen.

During the Alliance for Family Entertainment symposium last year, the Association of National Advertisers told TV writers and network executives that the lack of family-friendly programming on TV represents the biggest missed opportunity in Hollywood today. As has happened so often, those in charge of creating new programming ignored them — so the sponsors decided to do something about it themselves!

Secrets of the Mountain was financed by Procter & Gamble and Wal-Mart. Two of America’s biggest advertisers have stepped up to the plate, and put their own money on the line to create programming appropriate for families and children.

We all should applaud these two sponsors for doing what the networks aren’t willing to do. But more than that, it is vital that we support them!

This movie is very much a "trial balloon" for family-friendly programming. If Secrets of the Mountain gets good ratings and positive comments from viewers, it will send the message loud and clear that audiences care about decency, and that they want — and will watch –programming appropriate for families!

I urge you watch Secrets of the Mountain with your family tomorrow night — and encourage your friends and family members to do the same. Don’t miss this chance to show your support for clean family programming!