OLIVIA, N.C.—The associate pastor of Calvary Missionary Methodist Church is starting a chapter of the Parents Television Council in North Carolina, according to The Fayettville Observer.

Michael D'Andria said he wanted to take a stand against indecent television programming. Last month, the council named him the chapter director for the Fayetteville area. D'Andria said he hopes to recruit 20,000 members by the end of the year by speaking at schools, churches and civic groups.

"It's time to speak out," he said. "We've sat back for so long."

The Parents Television Council, based in Los Angeles, is a nonprofit group that monitors prime-time television and pushes for regulation of standards by the Federal Communications Commission. Chapters write letters to the FCC and state lawmakers expressing concerns over television shows. They also urge local television affiliates to offer more family-oriented programs.

"I pay for it so I should be able to say 'I don't want that on my TV,' " D'Andria said.

The council, which has more than 860,000 members in more than 10 states, encourages parents to watch television with their children. They conduct content studies and review movies. The council has filed more than 100,000 content complaints with the FCC in the last year.

"I hope to enlist a lot of people from the community," D'Andria said. "We have to stay at it and let them know we won't stand for it."

D'Andria has complained to the FCC about indecent television programming in the past. He said starting the chapter will help him be more effective.

"I don't much care for a lot of stuff that's on TV today," he said. D'Andria's wife, Patricia, is helping start the chapter.