I’m going to try to not be too cynical about a TV network's attempt to promote kids’ health. I’ve got to believe the intentions are good and that station officials really do want kids to stop watching (for a bit) and get up off the couch and go play.
Or it’s a publicity stunt.
In any case, here goes:
Saturday, Nickelodeon will stop airing for three hours beginning at noon (EDT/PDT). The idea isn’t that kids should click over to Cartoon Network. Rather, the station programmers hope kids will go outside and play.
A few hours after programming resumes, kids can watch the network's "Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge" (6 p.m. EDT/PDT), which will feature other kids who have taken up exercise, their challenges and success stories. The blank screen non-program and health challenge are the product of an ongoing project of Nickelodeon’s and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.
Three hours of dead air in the afternoon hardly seems like enough. But it’s a start. I wonder how many kids that blank screen will jolt out of the TV stupor. I wonder how many will wind up playing video games instead. Also, what about Nick Jr., the companies network for preschoolers? They don't appear to be taking part.
Maybe the network will do it again next year, and bring the other children’s television channels along with them. Then ESPN and Food Network the year after that and the whole family might wind up at the park.
