Above, Rick Bray (l) and Britt Bennett at a recent trade show.

April 2018 – Many moviegoers believe foul language from Hollywood is a recent phenomenon. Not true. As far back as The Big Parade (1925), scripts have included curse words and the use of God’s name in vain.

Public outcry at the immorality of silent films led to the creation of many city and state censorship boards. In Mutual v. Ohio (1915), the Supreme Court ruled movies do not have unrestrained First Amendment protection, and the boards were constitutional.

In 1922, fearing federal regulations were coming, studio executives created the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association, later renamed Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), to self-regulate movies.

In 1933, National Legion of Decency, founded by Catholic leaders, began monitoring movies to evaluate moral content. For many years, Hollywood studios voluntarily submitted their movies (prior to release) for the group’s response.

That watchdog process resulted in positive impact on movies until Hollywood eventually threw off all restraints. The industry’s “self-regulation” has become more and more loose, and ticket buyers more and more desensitized to the results.

Many, especially parents, recall movies from their childhoods as entertaining and fun. But when they watch them with their children, they are stunned by the curse words and uses of God’s name in vain.

That is exactly what happened to Rick Bray, inventor of TVGuardian. He and Britt Bennett, TVGuardian president, talked with AFA Journal about their product, their mission, and their journey.

AFA Journal: What moved you to develop TVGuardian?
Rick Bray: When my children were still young, we all took a vacation to Lake Michigan with my mom and stepdad, along with my two brothers and their families. One night we all gathered around the TV to watch a classic family film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. It wasn’t too long until we heard the first cuss word.

Like a reflex, we all reached to cover our kids’ ears, but it was too late. None of us remembered any cussing in this movie. Before it was over, more than 13 foul utterances came from that classic film.

I knew I had to do something, and I had a thought. When we got home, I started doing research and found my idea had merit. I then hired an engineering firm to build the first prototype.

Britt Bennett: For my family, it was Mrs. Doubtfire. As a father, I cannot describe how disgusted I was with myself. We were homeschooling our children, trying to raise them in a way that would teach them to live holy lives, and at the same time, I ended up being the one who introduced them to obscene language.

It certainly wasn’t my intent, but I was the one who brought the foul language into our home.

AFAJ: How did you begin seeing results?
RB: Things really took off in DVD players. We worked out a deal with Sanyo, and they began building TVGuardian into their players. Things were working out well, and we began enjoying the blessings.

But then I got a phone call from Sanyo. An earthquake had hit Japan and destroyed one of their plants. They lost a billion dollars overnight and decided to pull completely out of DVD players. That contract was almost all of our revenue. I thought we were done.

AFAJ: How did you recover?
RB: I thought it was all over. But God was telling us, “Not so fast. You don’t have time to relax; your work has just begun.”

We then took a step back and thought about where our foul language filtering technology could make the biggest impact, and I immediately realized the answer was cable and satellite TV. Since that revelation, streaming video has taken off, and we’re working hard to get the attention of those service providers as well.

We arranged over 200 meetings with executives at every major cable, satellite, and streaming company you can imagine. In almost every company, someone showed interest and wanted to add TVGuardian to their service, but it was always killed by someone higher.

BB: This went on for 12 years. We were sorely tempted to give up. And while we were enduring long seasons, up to two years, without salaries, we would meet with executives who would say, “Give us six months. Let’s regroup and see if this is a fit.”

We would wait, pray, wait more, and pray more. We trusted God would do something.

AFAJ: What ended the streak?
RB: In 2014, we got a call from DISH Network. They wanted to move forward with TVGuardian. It took a few years, but we got the contract sorted, engineering resources allocated, and all the details worked out. Today, TVGuardian is one of the few non-DISH apps available on the DISH Hopper.

AFAJ: So what can DISH Network subscribers do?
RB: The TVGuardian app was pushed out to Hoppers and Joeys around Thanksgiving of 2017. All subscribers need to do is hit the Apps button on the remote, find TVGuardian, and follow the prompts.

Right now, the number of users is not that high. I believe it is because most people simply don’t know about it. Once people become aware, they use it.

AFAJ: What about those who do not subscribe to DISH?
RB: If you don’t like foul language, if you don’t like hearing the name of Jesus used as a cuss word, show DISH Network that you are grateful for them being the first and only mainstream TV provider to do something about it. If you are considering becoming a DISH subscriber, call 888-297-3730 or visit tvguardian.com/dish.

If you want to stay with your current provider, call them and let them know DISH offers TVGuardian, and ask why they do not.

AFAJ: What has kept you going through all these years?
BB: I spent a few years in Japan as a missionary, so I know the language. It was my privilege to return to the country to work out a licensing agreement for TVGuardian. While I was in my hotel room, I was watching an American movie with Japanese subtitles. One of the characters shouted the name of Jesus as a curse word. I was curious how they would translate the word in the subtitles.

It was printed as the s-word.

I saw such horrible symbolism in that. The Name that is above every name was equated with the lowest substance on earth. Knowing TVGuardian can prevent that has encouraged me to stick to this mission, regardless of the cost.

RB: All I can say is God’s faithfulness. I don’t know why God called me to do this, but He has, and I will stay the course. And this is personal. We taught our kids, and our children are now teaching our grandchildren how to honor God with their words. TVGuardian is a tool to help us all in that pursuit.   

AFA and TVG
AFA founder Don Wildmon first met Rick Bray in 1999. AFA has followed his investment in this tool to help parents avoid offensive language on television. “We’re proud to recommend TVGuardian,” said AFA senior vice president Buddy Smith. For more information and ordering, call 888-297-3730 or visit tvguardian.com/dish.