Programme standards and regulation- The ITC programme code and its application

What is the ITC programme?
The ITC programme had been taken over by Ofcom, which is an independant regulator company. Ofcom's statutory duties, as set down in the Communications Act 2003, and the regulatory principles it will seek to follow in fulfilling those duties

The code's concerns and how they deal with them:
-Material unsuitable for children must not be transmitted at times when large numbers
of children may be expected to be watching. I think this concern should be included as there is only certain content that should be shown to children. Also parents would have concern as their children would be able to access alot of different porogrammes including violent, drug taking and sexual films, if they were on all day and children could access them. This also benefits the companies who make the programmes as they can target the audience more carefully and have more chance of their target auduience is watching it.
-After the watershed, and until 5.30am, material more suitable for an adult audience
may be shown. However, care should be taken in the period immediately after the
watershed. There should be a gradual transition and it may be that a programme will
be acceptable at 10.30pm for example that would not be suitable at 9pm. Decisions
will also depend on the nature of the channel and the audience it attracts. Material
which is particularly adult in tone should be scheduled appropriately and clearly
signposted. I think this is needed as people go to bed at certain times and programmes that have more of a niche audience should be on later.
- Viewers do not choose to see promotional material, so special care is required in
scheduling. All trailers and promotions shown before the watershed must comply
with Family Viewing Policy. I think this is necessary as it wouldnt be appropriate for a rated new film which was an 18, would be appropriate for young children to watch, either by the scenes of language.