The four broadcast networks on Tuesday asked parties interested in serving as a TV violence monitor to submit proposals by April 30 on how best to do the job.
The "request for proposal" is similar to a cable industry request sent out earlier this year.
Under the threat of a congressional crackdown on TV violence, both cablers and broadcasters have agreed to hire independent bodies to assess the amount of violent programming.
The network request states that TV violence should be analyzed by time of day , by the context in which violence is shown, whether the violence is relevant to plot or character development, whether the violence is gratuitous and whether the consequences of violence are conveyed.
Those hoping to become the webs' violence assessor are forewarned to place network violence in the context of all violent entertainment programming entering the home, including cable, independent stations, homevideo and videogames.
The networks are asking that interested parties submit prior writings on TV violence and describe the methodology that will be used for conducting the study. A budget and time schedule is also requested.
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