TV routinely disses marriage

Marriage is respected and given a special place in every religious and cultural tradition around the world. On network television, however, the institution of marriage is provided no special place.

Instead, network producers mock and thumb their noses at marriage, thus providing more evidence that television has disconnected from the cultural mainstream.

Television is a powerful cultural force, and network programmers are clearly intent on redefining how marriage is viewed in America. Two new shows in development for this fall demonstrate how far major network television is willing to go in devaluing marriage.

CBS is creating a new show that is expected to be called “Arranged Marriage.” In this warped presentation, single young adults will have spouses selected for them by their friends and family, and yes, the matched couples are expected to really get married. The series is then expected to follow the newlyweds in the opening weeks of their marriages.

Press reports indicate that CBS is billing this program as a documentary series. Note to CBS execs: Edward R. Murrow did television documentaries; this program is a farce.

CBS apparently learns nothing from recent television history. Another reality show that dealt with arranged marriage was carried by Fox in 2003. In that disaster, viewers voted from home on which couples should get married.

The show, “Married by America,” drew weak ratings and eventually an FCC fine for bawdy scenes from a bachelor party. That series was short-lived, and by the way, none of the couples involved was ever actually married.

CBS also appears to have learned nothing from its own ethical lapse in 2007, the exploitative “Kid Nation” that placed children ages 8 to 15 into a remote location to run their own town. As expected, chaos ensued, and the kids struggled emotionally and physically while CBS cashed checks from advertisers.

NBC is also prepared to belittle the institution of marriage with a planned show to be called “The Marriage Ref.” This show will profile couples who are having marital disputes. The couples will then be offered strategies to resolve their conflicts.

The advice will come from celebrities and professional athletes, two groups highly qualified to be giving marital guidance.

The executive producer for this show is Jerry Seinfeld. In a press report, Seinfeld said, “This is not a therapy show; it’s a comedy show.” Nobody doubts that much humor can be had from the institution of marriage.

The issue is whether real people must be used as props and have their personal matters aired in public while viewers laugh at them and networks make money from them.

Network television’s devaluing of marriage was studied in the fall 2007 primetime season by the Parents Television Council. The PTC found that marriage was consistently portrayed in a negative light across all major broadcast networks. The study asserted that “sex in the context of marriage is either non-existent on prime-time broadcast television, or is depicted as burdensome.” The PTC said that sex outside of marriage was glorified in tone and frequency. References to sex between nonmarried partners outnumbered references to marital sex by almost four to one.

A culture defines itself by the stories it tells, and network television doesn’t mind playing a negative role in that cultural definition. Noted media observer Todd Gitlin’s book, “Media Unlimited,” quotes a CBS vice president as saying, “I’m not interested in culture. I’m not interested in pro-social values. I have only one interest. That’s whether people watch the program.”

Television executives might not have any interest in culture, but no doubt television is a cultural force anyway. When audiences see consistent messages that marginalize and devalue the institution of marriage, at a certain point those messages become legitimized, and societal respect for marriage declines.

The divorce rate in the nation is nothing of which to be proud. Recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics show the teen birth rate is up again and that 40 percent of all births are now to unwed mothers. Of course, many complex social and economic factors figure into these statistics. Television’s role, however, should not be underestimated.

> Jeffrey M. McCall is a professor of communication at DePauw University.