Currently all non-exempt television shows are given one of six "age-based" ratings, such as TV-14. The industry also agreed to add "content descriptors" to the age-based ratings in certain instances, letting parents know when some programs contain particular types of content such as violence, sex, or adult language. The ratings are designed to work in conjunction with the V-chip. A study, one of the largest analyses of television content ever conducted, explored how effectively the new TV rating system has been applied during its first year of operation. More than 2600 randomly selected television programs were examined across two television seasons. Key findings suggest that: (1) the age-based ratings for general audience shows (i.e., all except children's programs) are applied in a way that reasonably reflects the content of these shows; (2) however, content descriptors are not being used on the vast majority of general audience shows containing sex, violence, or adult language; and (3) children's programs also contain a significant amount of violence, most of which is indicated by an FV ("fantasy violence") content descriptor. Contains 6 figures of data. (NKA)