Vice President Al Gore
Senator Joe Lieberman
Senator John McCain
Senator Sam Brownback
Senator Robert Byrd

Re: Fox TV's New Family Hour Occult Program

Dear Honorable Senators and Vice President Gore:

I am writing to advise you of an urgent situation that deserves the immediate attention of our nation's top leadership in government, education and the media. Over 10,000 concerned citizens have been made aware of this issue, and many have written to express their alarm (please see the enclosed small sample of emails that were sent to Fox). We are now seeking your leadership.

Three weeks before the airing of this show, we already have over 10,000 concerned parents and leaders and teens throughout America who are demanding action. Please find included with this letter some of the emails we have already received.

I applaud your collective leadership in bringing the networks into accountability. It is refreshing to know that you represent some of the few political leaders who have not "sold out" - or been bought out - by campaign contributions from Hollywood. The May 1999 Lieberman Amendment calls on the entertainment media to collaborate on stronger codes of content to improve content standards and shield children from harmful products. Another Congressional law limits the broadcast of indecent programming to certain hours, to protect children from messages that may be harmful to their moral, emotional and physical development. And now, enforcement of this legislation is desperately needed. Here is why.

"Freaky Links"
On October 6, Fox TV intends to launch a new prime series called "Freaky Links," an hour-long drama from the makers of the film, "The Blair Witch Project." The series is slated to air at 8:00 p.m. (during Family Hour) on Fridays, a time when many young, highly impressionable children are watching TV, often alone.

I encourage you to contact Fox to request a tape of the entire first episode.
Please steel yourself away to watch foul demons slamming people around like rag dolls, filthy dead children risen from the grave, a murderous witchcraft spree that wipes out an entire village, and occult writing mysteriously seeping down the walls like "Helter Skelter."

Internet Simulcast
This is by no means just another "paranormal" TV show. Fox intends to simulcast the show on the Internet, via the site www.freakylinks.com. At first glance, the site masquerades behind a "fun, spooky" approach. However, as kids enter into the site, it encourages them to delve into the occult through direct links to other occult websites.

But wait, it gets worse. Although the first episode has yet to air, the "Friend or Foe" Discussion Board is already filled with pre-teens and teenagers describing their explorations into the occult (excerpts attached on the following page). One youth describes how he placed a witchcraft spell on a boy who died two weeks later. This is akin to a spiritual act of premeditated murder.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation's 1999 report on children's media habits, nearly 1/3 of two-to-seven year olds have a TV in their own bedroom. Among these children, 37% watch TV "mostly by themselves." Fox may claim that the show has been "toned down," however, this "artistic" change did not take effect until several episodes were shot, and the premier remains unchanged. The "Blair Witch" creators (from Haxan Films in Florida) are now focusing their cult efforts on the website.

Combining violence with the occult, "Freaky Links" poses a double threat to children. At a time when our nation is already concerned about the heavy violence content on television, "Freaky Links" deliberately seeks to undermine the basic spiritual foundation that parents and spiritual leaders are trying to instill in our children. This programming content is completely indefensible.

When an adult visits a movie theatre to see an R-Rated film like "Blair Witch Project," they have the level of maturity required to make that informed choice. This fall, however, a top TV network - which is required by law to operate under the public interest - plans to pump an occult recruitment show (and its' Internet simulcast) into our living rooms at 8:00 p.m. during Family Hour. (Even if Fox were to re-slate the show to 10:00 p.m., it would still easily be discovered there by large numbers of teens.)

Does our country really need another occult-influenced Columbine killing spree? Do we really need another Charles Manson?

Parental Concerns Ignored
The potential damage from this show so alarmed me, that this summer I launched a campaign among parents' groups and spiritual leaders across the country, asking them to voice their concern. Hundreds of parents, grandparents, teens spiritual leaders and educators responded, pleading with Fox Chairman of Entertainment Programming, Sandy Grushow, and FCC Chairman, Bill Kennard, to remove the show from Fox's fall line-up (excerpts attached). Yet still, the show goes on: Fox is showcasing the program heavily in its fall series promos, boasting, "You've never seen anything like this before!"
I can only hope to God that we never do.

It would seem that the American people have no voice. It would seem that the FCC is powerless.

Parental Responsibility
Parents are weary of being told that they must shoulder the sole responsibility for their children's media diet. While the V-Chip and its ratings system are helpful tools, most parents will tell you that it has become a matter of identifying the least toxic programming. The root cause, the quality of the programming content, is the systemic problem.

Television Industry's Unresponsiveness
Fox's callous unresponsiveness probably comes as no surprise to you. The networks have long turned a deaf ear to the government's many tactics to urge the networks to improve the quality and character of their programming. The Presidential summit at the White House in spring 1999 yielded little response from the entertainment industry. Even the "Appeal to Hollywood" of fall 1999 - with over 5,000 signatures from concerned leaders and parents - did not result in the proactive broadcast programming response needed. One has to wonder if the "Silver Sewer" award presented to Fox network has actually become, in some twisted way, a cherished entertainment industry icon.

Media Violence Impact on Children
Television is our children's #1 leisure activity ---- according to Nielsen Research, the average child views about 22 hours of television per week. The "industry norm" for violence on television is 44% of programming on the broadcast networks.

Since 1960, over 1,000 studies have been conducted on the effects of media violence on children, from the Surgeon General's Report to the National Institute of Mental Health to the American Psychological Association, the Center on Media and Public Affairs, Kaiser Family Foundation, Parents Television Council, etc., etc. Each of these studies has made an important contribution to a large body of work.

* Source: Mediascope Television Violence Monitoring Report, September 1995, UCLA Center for Communication Policy

However, it is time for us to stop studying violence, and instead, to stop enabling violence. Truly, we don't need another report attesting to the casual connection between media violence and aggressive behavio