In April 1974 the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), responding to public criticism of sex and violence on television and the threat of government intervention, established a two-hour slot in prime time set aside for family-oriented programs. At the urging of FCC chairman Richard Wiley and CBS representative Arthur Taylor, the NAB adopted a "family viewing policy" that set aside two hours in the prime-time schedule during which "entertainment programming inappropriate for viewing by a general family audience should, not be broadcast."

While well-intentioned, the measure did not re-, duce the amount of sex and violence on the screen — it merely prompted networks to rearrange scheduling so that certain shows appeared at times other than "family time" or the "family hour," as the slot came to be known. Nonetheless, the creators of. television programs were outraged by what they...