PTC Pitches Fox's 'Pitch'

The Parents Television Council has once again targeted Fox programming, including reaching out to advertisers. But in this case the group, which has taken plenty of shots at Fox's edgy programs (most notably Family Guy), is trying to draw more viewers to a show and insure its survival and success.

PTC wants more viewers to catch sports drama Pitch (about the first female major leaguer), which it says it hopes will "hit a home run." PTC has dubbed the show one of the best new fall offerings for families

PTC's issue is that, in its current timeslot on Thursday at 9-10 p.m. ET, Pitch goes up against NFL football. It is urging Fox to move it to a different night "to help insure the show's success."

"Families are hungry for TV shows that can be enjoyed by and are safe for the entire family, and Pitch is a rare option in the TV universe that delightfully meets those criteria," said PTC, which added that it has reached out to advertisers to ask them to support the show. "We often contact advertisers to warn them of explicit programming, but Pitch gives us a great reason to encourage support for positive programming," said PTC.

In its second outing Sept. 29, Pitch did a 1.0 rating, down a tenth of a rating point from its premiere the week before, when a hefty marketing campaign did not translate to strong ratings opposite football, which crushed all comers.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.