Shoot-out at the BBC Corral

Saturday night, I was very excited to see a concert starring Robbie Williams on BBCA. I am a fan, and I thought the children would enjoy his show. He has great energy, and as long as they blur out the naughty bits when he invariably drops his trousers, the kids were going to like it.

Unfortunately, at the first commercial break, we changed the channel. At approximately 8:10 PM, they showed a commercial for a series shown on BBCA that contained a graphic (and noisy) clip of two people in the throes of passion. I was more disappointed than shocked, since I had given up watching Cash in the Attic (an antiques auction show aired just before lunch every day) because of commercials similar to the one shown during the concert.

Sunday, I emailed BBCA to complain about the salacious content of the commercials shown prior to 9 PM. I pointed out that they were inappropriate for children during family-friendly programming.

Today, I got this letter(I added the bold for emphasis):

Thank you for taking the time to contact us, regarding BBC America's
on-air promos. Please understand that BBC America is a digital cable
channel programmed exclusively for adults. We do not broadcast
children's programming, nor conduct any marketing efforts to attract
children.

However, please rest assured that BBC America takes the opinions of
viewers, such as yourself, very seriously, and as such, we will
forward your remarks on to the appropriate department(s).

We thank you again for your comments.

Regards,

Barbara

Viewer Relations
BBC America


What I don't understand is this:

Why does BBCA discriminate against adults with children?

Are we not worth the effort to cultivate as loyal viewers? In recent months other family-friendly reruns such as Ballykissangel and Monarch of the Glen, have been cast aside in favor of edgier programming. They now offer new shows such as Mile High, which details the sordid lives of the randiest flight crew to ever fly the friendly skies, and No Angels, which details the sordid lives of randy nurses of a hospital who also spend a lot of time drinking and fist-fighting in uniform.

The graphic commercials for those programs and others like them are littered throughout the day's programming. One morning during a home-decorating show, I had to explain to my 10-year-old why two grown men would be together and naked on an otherwise empty airplane thanks to a commercial for Mile High. I've also had to explain the meaning behind the line: "I wouldn't have cared if you'd bagged the entire football league, just not him." (from Footballers Wives, shown during Cash in the Attic)

Shock value appears to be the main concern of the programmers at BBCA. This is unfortunate because there is a massive potential market being swept aside, nay scoffed, by the programmers at BBCAmerica.

Until changes are made, I will be blocking BBCAmerica from my children's access, and I urge you to do the same. If you choose to block the channel, please email BBCA and explain why. Perhaps if more people complained of the bad timing of these commercials, perhaps BBCAmerica will begin to show respect to the American family by replacing these commercials with edited versions containing less sex and violence.