• Advertising Age, Wednesday, August 6, 2008 9:15 AM

A study of televised sex references last fall reveals that broadcast networks show sex between married couples as negative or nonexistent, while depicting extramarital sex as positive, according to activist group, The Parents Television Council.

In a new report, the group says that that during prime time, verbal references to nonmarital sex outnumber references to sex in marriage nearly 3 to 1, and scenes implying sex between unmarried partners outnumber similar scenes between married couples 4 to 1.

PTC President Tim Winter says his group is not seeking a return to the days of "Father Knows Best," but he says the TV networks have gone overboard in their desire to shock. The study was conducted in the early weeks of the TV season, when networks are usually trying to hook viewers in for the long haul.

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