The purpose of this study is to examine the nature and extent of messages about sex that are presented in the "Family Hour" on broadcast network television. The study employs scientific content analysis procedures to examine a thorough sample programming from the winter of 1996. It assesses how messages about sexuality in the "Family Hour" have changed over time by comparing the winter 1996 sample to a week of network programmes that were aired in 1976 and 1986. The analysis examines the context that surrounds each portrayal, and the extent to which messages about sexual risk or responsibility are presented to the audience.