DNA : Nickelodeon to shut down for 3 hrs to get kids to play : Sept 29 ,2007
nickelodeon to shut down for 3 hrs to get kids to play
agencies. los angeles
when its television screens go blank on saturday, the nickelodeon cable
network is advising its viewers not to fiddle with the buttons, but to go
outside and play.
the three hours of dead air the children’s network will begin broadcasting
at noon (edt pdt) is part of its fourth annual worldwide day of play, an
encouragement to children to get outside and work on getting in shape.
later in the day, kids who have gotten the exercise bug might tune into the
network’s “let’s just play go healthy challenge” and compare what they did
with other kids whose exercise regimens have been spotlighted on the show.
if they have been following the programme, they will see that one of those
kids has made some impressive gains.
the 13-year-old, identified only as kenderick was a chubby youth and
self-described “couch potato who played video games and did not go outside
much” when he joined the programme in april. since then, he says he has
dropped 18 kg and has also taken part in a triathlon.
kenderick said he hopes he might have been an inspiration to the 750,000
kids the network says made a promise on its web site to do their part to
fight childhood obesity. -apn weeding couch potatoes