Habitat for Profanity: Broadcast TV's Sharp Increase in Foul Language

There's been a sharp rise -- a 69.3 percent increase in just the past five years -- in the frequency and harshness of profanity being used on prime-time broadcast television. The greatest increase in harsh profanity occurred during the 8:00 pm ET slot traditionally known as the family hour and the 9:00 pm ET hour.

An examination of all prime-time entertainment programs on the major television networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, UPN and the WB in 2005, and ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, and the CW in 2010) during the first full two weeks of the fall television premiere season found:

• Use of the bleeped or muted f-words increased from 11 instances total in 2005 to 276 instances in 2010 - an increase of 2409%.
• Use of the bleeped or muted s-word increased from 11 instances in 2005 to 95 instances in 2010 - an increase of 763%.
• During the family hour, instances of the f-word increased from 10 in 2005 to 111 in 2010. Use of the s-word during the family hour increased from 11 instances in 2005 to 42 in 2010.
• The Fox broadcast network showed the greatest per hour increase in use of profanity from 2005 to 2010 with a 269% increase across all prime-time hours.

"After the Second Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the FCC's congressionally-mandated authority to enforce the broadcast decency law, industry and media pundits predicted a sharp increase in the amount of profanity on television. Sadly, they were correct," said Parents Television Council President Tim Winter.