A study examined the effects of the Children's Television Act of 1990 on television stations' freedom to schedule programs. Subjects were programming directors responsible for scheduling children's blocks in the Flint-Saginaw-Bay City, Michigan, TV market, the nation's 60th largest. The four program directors, whose stations were major network affiliates, were interviewed in July 1995 and asked what they had done during the past 4 years to address the requirements of the Children's Television Act and whether the 1990 Act had affected their freedom to program the station the way they wanted. Overall, while there were some expressions of concern from the program directors about private marketplace decision making being infringed upon by government pressure for more pro-social children's programming, they seem to view the need for compliance with various federal mandates as nothing new or unexpected. Their primary response is best categorized as a willing and somewhat resigned quest for practical, affordable, and efficient forms of programming to adequately reflect the spirit and intent of the 1990 Act. Of the four program directors, only one felt that the Act had infringed on her First Amendment directors, only one felt that the Act had infringed her First Amendment right to program her station as she wished. Of greater impact is the added paperwork the Act's compliance necessitates. Two of the subjects noted the time, preparation, and energy that goes into producing FCC-friendly programming at the local level, to comply with the requirement of a specific number of hours per week of educational and informational children's programming. (Contains nine references.) (NKA)