Journal of Communication, March 2002 112 Deciphering the V-Chip: An Examination of the Television Industry’s Program Rating Judgments By Dale Kunkel, Wendy Jo Maynard Farinola, Kirstie Farrar, Edward Donnerstein, Erica Biely, and Lara Zwarun This study investigated the validity of the television industry’s labeling of sensitive program content following the advent of the V-chip television ratings system. The analysis is based on a large program sample gathered from 10 of the most fre- quently viewed channels including broadcast network, independent broadcast, basic cable, and premium cable channels. Programs were examined for the na- ture and extent of portrayals of violence, sexual behavior and dialogue, and adult language. The content-based findings were then compared to the ratings applied to the program to evaluate the accuracy of the rating judgments. The study found that the age-based ratings (TV-G, TV-PG, TV-14, and TV-MA) reasonably reflect the content of programs, but that content descriptors (V, S, D, and L) are not being used on the vast majority of programs containing violence, sexual behavior or dialogue, and adult language. The study also shows that children’s programs con- tain a significant amount of violence, most of which is not identified by the appli- cable FV (fantasy violence) content descriptor. The findings suggest there are sub- stantial limitations in the ability of the V-chip technology to effectively limit children’s exposure to most forms of sensitive content. A long record of public debate and controversy about television violence has accumulated in the U.S. since the 1950s (Cooper, 1996; Hoerrner, 1999; Potter, 1999; Rowland, 1981). The V-chip device is the most recent product of that debate and potentially the most important development in media policy affecting families in recent years. The technology of the V-chip is relatively simple. It is an electronic filtering device that parents can use to block the reception of sensitive or poten- Dale Kunkel is professor, Wendy Jo Maynard Farinola and Kirstie Farrar are doctoral candidates, and Edward Donnerstein is professor, all in the Department of Communication at the University of Califor- nia, Santa Barbara. Erica Biely is a master’s candidate in the Department of Communication at the University of Arizona, and Lara Zwarun is assistant professor at the University of Texas, Arlington. This research was supported by a grant from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation of Menlo Park, California. Copyright © 2002 International Communication Association