Nickelodeon Unplugs the Tube

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. (More childhood obesity stories.)