[View source ] TV Ratings In 1996 Congress asked the broadcasting industry to establish a voluntary ratings system for TV programs. The industry did so by creating the ratings system known as "TV Parental Guidelines." The TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board makes sure that the rating guidelines are applied accurately and consistently to television programming. Rating labels were created to help parents determine which programs provide suitable viewing for their children. Each label corresponds to the degree, if any, of the following content contained in the designated program: Violence (V), Sex (S), coarse Language (L), sexual Dialogue (D). The rating labels appear in the corner of your television screen during the first 15 seconds of each television program. They are also included in the television listings of many newspapers. Ratings are assigned to all television programming except news, sports, and unedited movies on premi