Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Nickelodeon Unplugs the Tube

Urges kids to get out and play during 3-hour shutdown tomorrow

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 28, 2007 2:05 PM CDT

(Newser) – For years, parents have been telling kids to turn off the TV, go outside and play. Now, Nickelodeon is turning the tube off for them, broadcasting three hours of dead air starting at noon tomorrow, during which they hope kids will go outside and get some exercise. It’s part of the network’s fourth annual worldwide day of play, the AP reports.

At 6pm, Nick will cap the day with a fitness program that highlights kids’ exercise regimes. It’s been effective for 13-year-old Kenderick, who went from chubby self-proclaimed “couch potato” to triathlon participant. Now 40 pounds later, Kenderick is switching his focus. “I want to get ripped now,” he says.

[Images (4)]

[Videos (1)]

Nickelodeon's kid fitness campaign will encourage kids to turn off the television briefly and reacquaint themselves with the outdoors. (Index Open)

Nickelodeon's "Worldwide Day of Play" is a campaign designed to get kids outside, and health conscious. (Shutterstock.com)

Seventeen-year-old recording artist Sean Kingston gets slimed at Nickelodeon's Slime Across America tour at South Street Seaport in New York, July 24, 2007. (PRNewsFoto/Nickelodeon, Scott Gries) (Associated Press)

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart and Pick Boy help kick off Nickelodeon's Slime Across America tour with the first of 4,000 slimings in 20 cities on July 2 in Newhall, CA. (PRNewsFoto/Nickelodeon,... (Associated Press)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Jesse McCartney - Let's Just Play (kmheartjj (YouTube))

View larger videos >>

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

SpongeBob Ratings Sinking Fast

Which is bad news for Nickelodeon, Viacom

(NEWSER) - SpongeBob Squarepants is 13 years old—and it may finally have dried out. The show's ratings plummeted 29% in the first quarter among kids ages 2 to 11, compared to the year before. That's bad news for Nickelodeon as a whole: The show made up 31% of Nick's schedule last year, reaching 40% late in the year, reports the Wall Street Journal . That, in turn, is a serious issue for parent Viacom: Nickelodeon accounts for 15% of its operating profit, and the network's overall ratings dropped 25% during the quarter. More»

SpongeBob Hurts Kids' Brains

Show weakens their ability to focus, research suggests

(NEWSER) - He lives in a pineapple under the sea, and apparently he poses a threat to your kid’s attention span. Researchers showed one group of children a nine-minute SpongeBob SquarePants segment; another group watched a clip of the same length of an educational PBS show called Caillou; a third spent the time drawing. Then scientists tested the focusing abilities of each group of 4-year-olds. SpongeBob viewers' "ability to stay on task, to not be distracted" was significantly worse than that of the other two groups. More»

Amanda Bynes Retires From Acting

24-year-old tweets big news

(NEWSER) - Onetime child star Amanda Bynes, who gained fame on Nickelodeon, has retired from acting. "I don't love acting anymore so I've stopped doing it," the 24-year-old announced at 3am yesterday—on Twitter, of course. "If I don't love something anymore I stop doing it." If she's burned out, it's no surprise, notes E! : Bynes starred in two TV shows, All That and What I Like About You, while still in her teens. More»

Toddlers Who Watch TV Turn Into Dumber, Fatter Kids

Watch TV at age 2, suffer for it at age 10

(NEWSER) - Two-year-olds who watch a lot of TV grow up to become 10-year-olds who are fatter than other kids, are bullied more by peers, and are worse at math. That's what scientists found after tracking more 1,300 Canadian children born in the 1990s. "Our findings make a compelling public health argument against excessive viewing in early childhood, the study's head researcher told the Independent . More»

Stars Rock Obama Easter Egg Roll

'Ready, Set, Go!' theme includes bunny in sweats, Justin Bieber?

(NEWSER) - The White House hosts its annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn today, staying admirably on-message with an anti-obesity/exercise-themed event. “Ready, Set Go!” is the slogan, helped along by sports activities, but much of the kids' attention will likely go to performances by Sara Bareilles, Justin Bieber, and the cast of Glee. Some 250,000 tickets were requested and 30,000 awarded to folks from all 50 states, the Washington Post reports, with 3,000 going to local DC students and 4,000 to military families. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Nickelodeon Unplugs the Tube

Urges kids to get out and play during 3-hour shutdown tomorrow

[Images (4)]

[Videos (1)]

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

television • childhood obesity • exercise • Nickelodeon

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

SpongeBob Ratings Sinking Fast

Which is bad news for Nickelodeon, Viacom

SpongeBob Hurts Kids' Brains

Show weakens their ability to focus, research suggests

Amanda Bynes Retires From Acting

24-year-old tweets big news

Toddlers Who Watch TV Turn Into Dumber, Fatter Kids

Watch TV at age 2, suffer for it at age 10

Stars Rock Obama Easter Egg Roll

'Ready, Set, Go!' theme includes bunny in sweats, Justin Bieber?

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?