NEW YORK – TV Watch and The Creative Coalition announced today that more than 50 top celebrities and creative professionals have joined TV Watch, a non-partisan coalition that is the leading voice for promoting parental control tools and limiting government control of broadcast content.

“Creative expression in America—whether it’s a play about a national hero, a cartoon that lampoons politicians or a gritty TV drama—should never be subject to government approval. It’s important for our freedoms that it stay that way,” said Joe Pantoliano, actor and co-president of The Creative Coalition. The Creative Coalition is the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that educates, advocates and mobilizes the arts and entertainment industry behind issues of social importance.

“I am a parent who happens to be an actor. Many of us who have joined TV Watch are parents and we all care about what our children watch. Parents should manage what their kids watch, not politicians. We don’t need Washington making decisions for our families regarding what’s playing in our living rooms,” continued Pantoliano.

Another member of the advisory council, actor Bill Cosby said, “The answer to the question of who should decide what programs kids watch on TV is parents. And in homes where parents are not available to filter what children see, it is even more important that an adult use the tools that keep inappropriate programming from children. This is a form of protection.” In recent years, program ratings, the v-chip and cable and satellite program blocking technology have made it easier for parents to control what their families watch on TV.

“Despite the fact that managing TV for families is getting easier, some special interest groups continue to wage organized campaigns for government action against such hit shows as Arrested Development, CSI, Desperate Housewives, ER, Friends, NYPD Blue, Oprah, Scrubs, That ’70s Show, The Simpsons, Will & Grace and Without a Trace,” explained TV Watch spokesperson Jim Dyke.

This entertainment advisory council will support TV Watch’s new “1-2-3 Safe TV” education campaign and their ongoing efforts to ensure that the government does not dictate television programming. The Council members are:

TV Watch, a non-partisan coalition, launched in May 2005 and has since become a leading voice for promoting parental control tools and limiting government control of TV content. This summer, TV Watch began giving away free TV-ratings reference stickers that can be attached to the back of a remote control, and sponsored a “Smart Summer TV” ratings education campaign on local television. TV Watch consists of 27 prominent individuals and organizations representing more than 4 million Americans.

The Creative Coalition is the premier nonprofit, nonpartisan social and political advocacy organization of the entertainment industry. Founded in 1989 by prominent figures in the creative community, TCC educates and mobilizes leaders in the arts community on issues of public importance. The Creative Coalition represents arts and entertainment leaders – many of whom are parents first and foremost – and is dedicated to working with TV Watch to ensure that more and better educational tools are made available to parents and caregivers, while at the same time preserving the very basic freedoms that the First Amendment provides.