• by Ken Liebeskind , August 3, 2001

Reality TV may be very popular with viewers, but it hasn't made a great impressions on all advertisers. For one, Procter & Gamble made news recently for pulling advertising from Big Brother 2. Evidently, P&G and other major advertisers would like to devote more of their ad dollars to family friendly programs. The few existing shows that fit the bill were honored yesterday in Los Angeles, with hopes of inspiring more family friendly television in the future.

The third annual Family Television Awards were given out at a gala celebration, sponsored by the Family Friendly Programming Forum (FFPF), a group affiliated with the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) that was founded in 1999 by Johnson & Johnson and other major advertisers.

Recipients of the awards in eight categories included Malcolm in the Middle, Fox (comedy), West Wing, NBC (drama), The Miracle Worker, ABC (movies) and Gilmore Girls, The WB (new series).

The script for Gilmore Girls was funded by FFPF, which raises money from advertisers to develop scripts it hopes can become series it will support with advertising.

A few actors and actresses also won awards and Hallmark Hall of Fame, CBS, won a lifetime achievement award.

Tom Milliken, a spokesman for P&G, one of 48 corporate members of FFPF, called the awards "a terrific recognition of the programming the forum has generated through the script development fund. In future years, we hope shows like Gilmore Girls are in even greater number."

At first, only The WB participated in the forum's script development fund. But now, many other major networks are involved, with at least two more new shows funded by the forum set to start this fall.

The awards show will be broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. on Aug. 10. FFPF members flocked to advertise on it, according to Barbara Bacci Mirque, group VP at the ANA who oversees the forum. Unlike certain reality shows, it will be a sell out.