There's the rub. The F.C.C. has historically had a far tighter symbiotic relationship with the industry than with the kids. The object of the kidvid business is to deliver large audiences of young consumers to the likes of McDonald's 'burgers, Mattell toys, Kellogg cereals, and Disney movies, and to receive dollars or equivalent financial considerations from the sponsors and product merchandisers. The business is also built on fudging the line between content and merchandising. To maximize retail sales, program-related products are built into the plots.
Critics see the TV amusement industry as converting America's children into pure commodity.
Kidvid is the ultimate conditioning tool. There is a great difference between these stories and our classic myths, our fairy tales, our Shakespeare, with their occasional splashes of blood and battle. Selectively told, such well-structured tales can teach eloquent lessons about life values, such as the restraint of passions. In kidvid, there is no restraint. We'll soon bear witness to what the five men and women on the F.C.C. think.