Flip it or skip it?

Nearing the end of the TV-Turnoff Network's (TVTN) seventh annual National TV-Turnoff Week, two writers, Jimmy "Digital Cable" So and Jonathan "Flat-Screen Sony" Charnitski debate whether TVTN has its head in the right place or just wants to take a bite out of the TV industry.

Jimmy: This week, Americans have been advised to hide the remote and get off the couch. The event, which lasts until Sunday, is well-intended but accomplishes little. People will return to couch-potato status Monday.

Instead of turning off the tube for an entire week, a campaign should be made to promote less TV viewing throughout the year, not a pointed attack at the broadcast industry that has the potential to cost the business millions of dollars in advertising.

Jonathan: I think you're partially correct. There are a lot of people who are going to participate in turning off their TVs for a week and then return to the same habit on Monday. A fair percentage of people, however, are going to realize a lot of stuff they could be doing when they previously would have been watching TV. It's not about getting everyone who participates to turn off their TVs, but to force them away from it for enough time to realize what else there is to do. I personally used to watch TV constantly, but after I had to share a TV with seven other guys in a dorm, I quickly found other things to occupy my time. Now, even though I have my own TV, I only turn it on for three reasons: to watch movies, The Simpsons and the occasional baseball or football game.

Jimmy: Yes, the purpose is precisely to get people -- actually, the primary target is kids -- away from the tube and find other activities. In fact, the major reason for the great turnoff is to combat negative physical effects of TV viewing. However, even though some studies have shown that kids who watch more TV is more likely to be overweight, assigning blame to TV is somewhat irresponsible. It is easy to find correlation, but difficult to find causes. Staging the turnoff during the sweeps week, when the Nielson ratings determine advertising rates, is a deliberate attack against the industry. TV Turnoff Network claims that its goal is not to promote the abolition of TV viewing, but its tactics seem to be otherwise.

Jonathan: I think the argument could also be made that the last week in April is right after the beginning of daylight-saving time and the time of the year during which the weather finally starts to really improve in most parts of the country. In fact, I think it could be taken so far to say that it's a pretty ridiculous time to monitor TV viewing.

The timing is prime -- no pun intended -- for turning off TVs because kids have more opportunities than a month ago. If you can get kids in the habit of going outside as soon as the good weather starts, you will hopefully keep them outside all summer.

Moreover, it's just as dubious for the TV industry to try to keep people inside watching new episodes of Friends during the first weeks of good weather instead of succumbing to TVs biggest rival: productive behavior.

Jimmy: It is only a coincidence that this was the first week of good weather in Seattle this year. Last year it was different. I think the argument for it being a prime time for turnoff on the basis of good weather is weak. Kids won't necessarily do healthy activities if they don't watch TV. Advising parents to regulate their kids' watching is a good idea. Promoting the benefits of doing healthier activities besides watching TV is a good idea.

Showing the negative effects of anchoring your butt on the sofa and only exercising your fingertips is a good idea. There are other ways to make the point. TV Turnoff Week only distracts from the real issues. Before I researched, I thought that the grassroots event was aimed to make people realize that they won't miss TV if they don't watch it for a week. What I realized is that I would kick myself if I missed the Mariners in Yankee stadium. I would be oblivious to the latest issues plaguing the world if I went without CNN. Although I am an ardent admirer of The New York Times, video footage of protests in Quebec and the release of 145 Kosovar Albanian prisoners of war are priceless. It is the information age today, to be perfectly postmodern. Production and labor are overrated.

Jonathan: As much as I sympathize with you about current events, like you said, the effort is aimed at kids. You'll be hard-pressed to find a kid that cares about what's going on in Quebec that also has a problem with plunking his ass in front of a TV six hours a day. As for the Mariners, I don't think it would hurt anyone to listen to a game on the radio once in a while, and a week isn't that long. Baseball is one of the few sports that is better in some respects on the radio than on TV anyway.

As for the timing, Seattle is definitely NOT like the rest of America. Most areas of the country are pretty nice this time of year. Instead of just preaching to kids that it's a good idea to get outside, this effort actually asks them to do it and gives them a time frame for it. It's a logical progression and it's a good idea.

Jimmy: I noticed when I moved here from Hong Kong that most American kids are pressured by their parents to participate in school sports or run around the neighborhood with other kids and leave mom alone. I think it is a relief for Johnny to sit down in front of the tube and unwind. I agree that we need to promote TV viewing as a conscious act, but that point needs to be made clear, not be distracted by a much ballyhooed event that masks its real intent -- attacking TV and assigning blame for our people's poor health.

Jonathan: I don't think there's as much blame here as you're reading. The fact is that Americans, specifically young Americans, watch too much TV. Asking people to take a week off from TV to hopefully expose them to alternate -- ideally more healthy -- activities is a great step away from the Electric Babysitter mentality. Trying to enact a change of behavior isn't a move against the TV industry, it's merely a move toward a healthier, more well-rounded America.