Content Of A Family-Friendly Nature Is A Particularly Valuable Asset Today

By Marc Berman

Pure fun, great escape, giving back and families that matter. When you travel down the halls of TV history, Mom was in the kitchen, perfectly styled, fixing white collar-employed Dad his dinner just as one of their precocious kids sought his advice. Any challenges that may have arisen were neatly, and happily, concluded by the episode end. Crime never paid. Doctors made house calls. Lawyers never lost a case. Everyone seemed to carry a tune. Live coverage of a parade or any fun-filled event was common. And the word telethon – an indelibly American tradition that has since been adapted around the world to benefit various charities – became part of the daily vernacular.

“People look to nostalgia, and specifically classic television, to escape from the crazy world we live in today,” said Neal Sabin, Vice Chairman, Weigel Broadcasting. “We offer quality programming in different categories presented with respect for the viewer and the advertisers.”

Sabin oversees the MeTV, Decades, Heroes & Icons, Movies!, Start and Story networks.

“It reminds us of what we perceive to be simpler, happier times in our lives,” he said. “In a world where there are so many unknowns, it is comforting to spend time with Gilligan, Perry Mason and Andy Griffith. We all at some point need a reprieve with the type of content that feels safe and family-friendly.”

Family Matters – Past and Present

Not every family-friendly program exhibited falls under the “classic TV” umbrella. Two long-running network series that demonstrated the concept — ABC’s black-ish and NBC’s This Is Us — recently concluded. Game shows are more common in primetime than they have been in decades. Annual award shows celebrate the best of the best, exemplifying a united spirit. A tradition like The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and The Hollywood Christmas Parade, the latter produced by Associated Television International (ATI), are programming traditions. And cable networks like Hallmark Channel, UPtv, INSP and Great American Family, not to mention a production and entertainment company like ATI, cater to family-themed content.

“We want to make sure we are telling everyone’s stories — the friendship, the love and the happy endings — all while being reflective of the world we live in,” noted Lisa Hamilton Daly, Executive Vice President, Programming, Crown Media. “And we don’t feel the need to sensationalize anything to attract additional viewers.”

Hamilton oversees the programming for Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Hallmark Drama, and the Hallmark Movies Now subscription VOD service.

“Our goal is to entertain, and to do so in a mindful and respectful fashion,” she said. “All while staying true to our female-centric brand.”

Bill Abbott, formerly with Crown Media and now President and CEO of GAC Media, cites the potential to standout in the family-friendly brand as an incentive.

“With not as not much content like this out there, it is easier to make inroads in this category instead of trying to produce a new The Walking Dead, or anything in the more graphic space,” he said. “When you try to make it in a content world where everyone is producing kind of the same thing, you have to look for a breakout hit to establish your brand. Here, it’s just be consistent, be reliable, and be dependable.”

That being said, not every producer or programming outlet has the same mindset as Hallmark, UPtv, GAC Family, INSP, ATI or MeTV.

“There is an inherent bias against family-themed programming,” noted Tim Winter, President of The Parent Television and Media Council (PTMC. “Yet, if you look back historically at what some of the most profitable entertainment franchises were, they are almost always movies and television series, or other entertainment franchises, that the entire family can watch and enjoy together,”

The PTMC is an advocate for responsible family-friendly content across all media platforms, and for advertisers to be held accountable for the type of television programs that they sponsor.

“Sadly, it is still uncool to produce this format,” he said. “Even stuff today that is considered family-friendly contains more sex, violence and profanity that I think it really should, or needs to. It is easier to be the “it” person or the controversial person — the individual who shreds the envelope; not just pushes it, but shreds it. These are the people who are celebrated.”

“If a show is shocking and bloody and controversial, the media covers it. It becomes top of mind to everybody,” said Robert Russo, President and CEO of RNR Media Consulting. “Shows that are good family fun entertainment fight for attention by the media simply because there is no shock value. You often have something insane to get the attention, which for a family-themed outlet could compromise the brand.”

David McKenzie from ATI cites at present a “serious crisis in our country where people are in desperate need of hope and things that are uplifting.”

“There is so much inherent negativity out there right now,” he said. “As broadcasters, we must take responsibility and ask ourselves what we need to give our audience. Instead of more killing and more violence, we need laughter. We need happiness. And we must encourage a community spirit.”

McKenzie is the Emmy Award-winning producer and president of the Los Angeles-based ATI, which celebrated its 40^th anniversary as an original content provider last January.

“With so much turmoil in the world, there is no value in only accentuating the violence and all the negatives,” he said. “As content creators, we need to take a unified stance and offer the type of programming that entertains and inspires.”

Programming That Uplifts

In addition to its slate of regularly scheduled family-friendly programming (including Masters of Illusion and World’s Funniest Animals, and the annual Hollywood Christmas Parade and The Daytime Emmy Awards), ATI also produces film documentaries (one of which, Hate Among Us, is in production on a second film documenting the continued rise of anti-Semitism in the world). It has also announced two new specials slated for this year – Who’s Who of World Giving and The Family Film Awards.

Hosted by Dean Cain and debuting on Popstar! TV on Monday, August 1, Who’s Who of World Giving accentuates the faces behind the donations. More specifically, those individuals – the celebrities, the philanthropists and the everyday people – who are finding ways to make a difference.

“It makes you feel good to give, which is the underlying theme behind Who’s Who of World Giving,” noted ATI’s McKenzie. “One of the stories we feature is on a Chinese woman named Ma Xiaoqiu, who basically came from nothing and has created so many things for so many people around the world. Instead of division and violence, which is all too common now, this is a woman who unifies people and strives to make a positive difference.”

Ma Xiaoqiu, who served as the chairman of The 24th American Family Film Awards, is a self-made billionaire, entrepreneur, philanthropist, educator, innovator, and performer.

“Ma Xiaoqiu wants to bring a version of The Family Film Awards to China as well because she believes that all countries share the value of family, or at least should,” added McKenzie. “Her drive and her courage exemplify the spirit behind these specials. We can all take a lesson from her.”

Hosted by Dean Cain and slated for fourth quarter, The Family Film Awards honors excellence in family-oriented film making and now includes titles from countries beyond the United States and China. It will also be featured in a float in the 90th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade this holiday season, which supports Marine Toys for Tots and their goal in helping underprivileged children and their families.

“Certainly there is a large marketplace for explicit content,” noted The PTMC’s Tim Winter. “Many folks who produce stuff in Hollywood rely on a crutch of graphic violence, profanity and/or sexually explicit content to make the programming in their eyes more interesting and more entertaining. But there is still a demand for content that feels safer and more inspirational, and GAC Family and Angel Studios in Utah are two recent examples of the inroads we are making.”

“There is a huge volume of people who consume dark content, which is unlikely to change anytime soon,” said ATI’s David McKenzie. “But when I look back at my career, I would rather have my family be proud of the things I have produced that make a difference. Shock sells, but inspiration endures. And it always will.”