Playboy CEO Christie Hefner is preparing to launch an initiative that would educate Americans about how not to watch TV they might find offensive, such as Playboy TV's programming, according to a News Multichannel report.
The report said that Playboy Enterprises Inc. is about to begin rallying video and communications industry support for a long-term educational initiative — in both English and Spanish — that will teach parents how to use various content-control devices and ratings guidelines. And it intends to gain air time on cable-television channels to do so, the news organization reported.
The purpose is to help parents keep unwanted programming from the eyes of children.
According to the report, the campaign is supported by the Web site www.takeparentalcontrol.org.
Playboy Entertainment Group president Jim Griffiths said in the report, “What's important to us is that people understand that we are supporting our programming, but also supporting a person's right to choose not to see our programming."
In the report, Griffiths said Christie Hefner will be the campaign's point person, and would spearhead Playboy's effort to lure telecommunications firms such as Comcast Corp., Time Warner Inc., Microsoft Corp., Verizon Communications Inc., Sony Pictures Entertainment, Viacom Inc. to join its cause — as well as lawmakers.
“Christie Hefner spends a great deal of time in Washington D.C., so when she has conversations with legislators, you can bet that she'll be talking about this campaign,” Griffiths added.
The story notes that Playboy's move is similar to those of cigarette and alcohol companies that run public-service announcements calling for the responsible use of their products. But Playboy is the first adult-oriented network to bankroll a cable-based educational initiative that targets its own business, according the report.
Playboy plans to roll out its campaign over the next few months, the story said.
