Markey Calls On Cable To Kick the Habit

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/27/2007 11:57:00 AM

House Telecommunications & Internet Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has called on other cable operators to follow Hallmark's (and Disney's) lead and cut back the smoking out of their programming, citing the potential negative effects on children.

Earlier this week, both companies said they would work to cut back and potentially eliminate smoking scenes, Disney from its Disney-branded movies, and Hallmark from its slate of 30 upcoming original movies.

“I look forward to receiving further commitments from additional movie studios and prominent cable programmers to mitigate the effects of cigarette smoking through compelling anti-smoking PSAs in theaters and on DVDs," said Markey Friday, "and pledges to discourage or eliminate smoking in movies, especially those rated or created for kids under 18.”

Markey held a hearing recently on the imnpact of media on kids at which he asked studios and programmers to take steps to cut back on glamorized depictions of smoking.