"A Michigan State University study shows everyone knows about the transition; but 44% of Michigan residents are not ready for it. So to help, the MAB has teamed up with the Michigan National Guard."

"Workshops will also be available at National Guard education centers. Locally, one will be held October 23rd at the Wyoming center."

Michigan National Guard enlisted to help with DTV transition By Nick Monacelli

NEW YORK -- An estimated 81 million people watch broadband video, but this has not adversely affected TV ratings, according to a study released Tuesday by the Nielsen Co. and the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing.

The study said about 63% of the 129 million broadband users in the U.S. watched online video as of March, up 16% from 70 million in September. . . .

The report also found that 33% of those surveyed said watching broadband video actually increased their television viewing time compared with 13% who said it decreased TV consumption.

"Fathers in the United States are a lot less supportive and accepting than TV sitcom dads, even falling short of the low bar set by Homer Simpson, a study of college students' views suggests."

Study: Real dads don't measure up to TV fathers By Marilyn Elias

Comments: It's an obvious point, but Dads on TV are not realistic. Even the bad dads like Homer have more time than real dads to take care of their family. Real dads face real problems that cannot simply be solved in 30 or 60 minutes, like they can on TV programs. Looking to the TV for parenting norms may make dads feel inadequate and children feel cheated.

Even if we realize this consciously, the images on TV can seep into our views and expectations in subtle ways. Remember, the TV set has funny effects on the brain. When you watch TV, your brain slips into a hypnotic alpha brain-wave state. The messages enter your brain unfiltered. These messages are not analyzed properly, and will not be analyzed unless you make a significant effort to retrieve and review these messages after you turn off the TV.

According to this recent study, educated college students still rank TV dads better than their real dads. Although there may be a few real "bad dads", overall many dads may be getting a bad rap because they can't measure up to the phony TV dads.

This Father's Day, stop and take a moment to consider the achievements of your real father and the problems he has overcome in order to fulfill the demanding roles of parent, breadwinner, and husband to his family. Get rid of the expectations you may have had because of television shows and appreciate the real thing - your Dad.

Happy Father's Day to all the REAL Dads out there!

According to 2002 data, Indonesian children watched television for between 30 and 35 hours a week, or 1,560 to 1,820 hours a year. ... The children's Media Development Foundation (YPMA) recorded in 2004 that out of the 80 children's TV programs aired each week, only 12 titles were suitable for minors.

Creating child-friendly cities, a lesson Indonesia needs to learn by Nirwono Joga

Comments: Like their more affluent counterparts in the West, children in Indonesia are becoming more glued to the tube.

The author of this piece sees TV watching as a consequence of children not having sufficient safe places to play. He believes that offering more safe play options will lead to less TV and video game time.

Obviously, inner cities all over the globe could benefit from creating safe play areas for children to run around, play, and be happy. As a parent who lived in an inner city for a time, I can verify that not having a safe place for kids to play can be a problem.

However, even though providing fun, safe alternatives to TV can be a part of a solution, TV addiction can can keep kids indoors, independent of other factors.

The US has plenty of play areas that are underused as kids stay indoors in front of televisions, Game Boys, Xboxes in spite of the opportunity for play.

Parents are central to the solution to providing fun, safe, child-friendly environment. Children may need help getting their TV and video time under control. Parents may need to turn off their kids' TV, and organize with other parents to send kids outdoors to play together.

Diabetic children who spent the most time glued to the TV had a tougher time controlling their blood sugar, according to a Norwegian study that illustrates yet another downside of too much television.

Turn off TV to control diabetes

Comments: This may not only be important to Type 1 diabetics, but the general population. If the television is affecting blood sugar levels, then it stands to reason that it may be related to the rise of Type 2 diabetes and the obesity epidemic.

The study admits that it needs more research to determine the exact cause of the relationship between blood sugar control and television. TV watchers tend to be less active, to eat more junk food in general, and to snack more while watching a show. Any or all of these factors could be at play in this study, or they may be another yet unknown factor.

Until further research teases out the relationship between TV and blood sugar, it is safest to conclude that children with Type 1 diabetes should control their intake of TV, as well as their diets.

While Type 1 diabetes may not be linked with childhood obesity, TV is certainly linked with obesity. It seems that the TV is also linked with blood sugar control in Type 1 diabetes.

An appeals court said a new federal policy against accidentally aired profanities on TV and radio was invalid, noting that vulgar language had become so common that even President Bush has been heard using expletives.

Broadcasters Win FCC Expletive Dispute By LARRY NEUMEISTER

Comments: Those who have been keeping an eye on the FCC will remember the scandal last year when the agency was caught censoring its own taxpayer-funded studies on whether or not locally owned stations produced more local news. The studies found that locally owned stations produce an extra five and a half minutes of local news. These studies then disappeared, allegedly at the behest of the top members of the FCC, who wanted to implement policies at odds with the studies.

It seems that their policies with regard to taxpayer-funded studies are also "undefined, indiscernible, inconsistent," as Judge Rosemary Pooler wrote about the current case.

Furthermore, according to the Parent's Television Council, sexual references on TV doubled between 1998 and 2005. Characters may not be saying the f-word too often and networks may not show full frontal nudity, but characters are talking about and creatively doing "it" other ways. If the goal of the FCC was to keep the airwaves clean, they have clearly failed.

According to several studies, this is a real problem. Teens are more likely to experiment sexually if they watch large amounts of sexual content on TV (and other media too obviously).

So, this is a serious problem, but the FCC are not fixing it. They have shown themselves so unreliable that, as a parent, I wouldn't trust them with a dirty diaper, much less something as significant as TV content that is broadcast throughout the nation.

Fortunately, I do not have to rely on them. I can control the content my kids are exposed to in my home. I got rid of my TV to do it, but there are lesser steps parents can take to get in control. Beyond the v-chip, there are other devices which can help parents control TV. There is the TV Timer Bob and the TV Guardian both available from Family Safe Media. Parents could keep a close watch over the shows their children see, instead of relying on the TV as a surrogate parent. Of course, to do this, they would need to remove TV's from their children's bedrooms.

The FCC will never take the place of parents. They can't, and that is a good thing.

Hirsch found people ate an average of 44 percent more chips while watching Letterman and 42 percent more while viewing Leno, than when they did not watch TV.

"If you can concentrate on how the food tastes you'll eat less because you'll feel full faster," Hirsch said in an interview at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Toronto.

Entertaining TV programs make you eat, study finds

Comments: This is yet another way in which the TV makes you fat, and thus a factor in the obesity epidemic. Most viewers know from experience how easy it is to consume large amounts of food while engrossed in a show. Now they have proof and a possible explanation why this is so.

According to this study, the TV makes you eat more because it is distracting and this interrupts the messages to your brain that you are full. You are also less aware of what you are eating. There was another study last year that found similar results with young children.

So, if you want to control your diet, DO NOT EAT IN FRONT OF THE TV!

One day a guy named Dave came up with a simple solution to help him stop watching so much TV. Put a sign up on his TV screen to remind him of some of the other, more important things he had to do, like be with his family, read, and exercise.

Thus, the TV Inhibitor was born: a simple solution to a high-tech problem.

It’s a little goofy, but it really works! This simple 10”X14” plastic sign, when placed directly on the screen of your television, can help you watch less television, while at the same time encouraging you to engage in other, more productive pursuits.

TV Inhibitor

Comments: I like this idea. It makes people stop and think BEFORE they turn on the TV set. It reminds them that there are more important things they could be doing instead. The TV Inhibitor is available with 9 different reminders. My favorite are: "Closed for Family Time" and "Leave the TV Off and Play with your Kids!"

For extra effect hide your remote and disconnect your TV so that you have time to consider the message on your TV Inhibitor before you plug everything back in.

Other phrases that I would recommend for this product are:
"Go Outside and Play!" and "Are you sure you don't have something better to do?" Fortunately, they have blank screens available that you can customize with your own special message.

The study by university's communication and journalism departments led by Associate Professor Ron Warren examined commercials from 2 to 10 p.m., the hours schoolchildren typically watch television. Researchers found little difference in advertisements now as opposed to February 2005, when the industry announced it would begin changing its ads.

UA Study: TV Commercials For Junk Food Continue To Target Kids

Comments: If anyone was hoping the industry would clean up its act with regard to junk food commercials, the answer is no. The advertising industry continues to target kids for ads for junk food despite studies that show a link between such commercials and the eating habits and waistlines of young children.

Will the government regulate the commercials? Maybe.... There has been a push of late to give the FCC more power to regulate these commercials. This may happen. However, I would not count on it. The FCC has been notoriously unreliable in these matters. Furthermore, studies have shown that one of marketers' main strategies is to build brand loyalty in children. For example, they could show kids playing and having fun at McDonalds--not show any unhealthy foods--and still encourage children to nag their parents to go to the fast-food restaurant.

The only answer for concerned parents is to take charge.

Some suggestions:

Stop letting your kids watch commercials. Record everything and fast-forward through any commercials. This eliminates the commercial problem and cuts back on the time kids watch TV by 25% or more. Finally make sure kids do not eat unhealthy snacks while they are watching TV, as it is too easy to overeat.

Better yet, get rid of the TV, send kids outside to play, and prepare them nutritious foods when they are finished playing. Problem solved.

"Citing a January study, the Department of Public Health said that 70 percent of adults in the CNMI are either overweight or obese, which puts it near the top of countries with a high rate of obesity.

This alarming situation has prompted the department to launch a program called “Off the TV” that seeks to get people into a more active and healthful lifestyle."

70 percent of NMI adults are overweight By Marconi Calindas

Comments: That's great that the government is trying to tackle this issue and recognizes that TV is a central factor in the obesity epidemic. As always, I favor the empower-the-individual approach over a let-the-government-save-us fix. But maybe if the government focuses on raising awareness and supporting community solutions, they might have an positive effect. Plus, if it is to have any success at all, it will have to address the issue of TV addiction. That will be an obstacle to their success.

The TV-FREE System will also help them the Islanders in their quest to "Off the TV".