TV shutdown
Go Italy! Italians urged to
. This is a great idea. Could you go without TV for a weekend?
Television networks in Italy are facing a nationwide weekend walkout - not by staff, but by unhappy viewers. Instead of spending Friday, Saturday and Sunday glued to primetime TV, Italians are being urged to go out. The strike's organisers, campaign group Esterni, have arranged discounts at a range of venues for people who bring their remote controls with them. Organisers say they are expecting around 400,000 people to join the strike against what they call Trash TV. Esterni has held Viewers' Strikes in Milan for the past seven years, but this is the first national event with which they hope to show "The power of switching off."
Television is one of the principal causes of dullness and isolation, and is a drain on the precious commodity of human time, according to the Esterni website, "We want to say to people that there are better ways of spending their free time than to stay home staring at television," said spokeswoman Anna Spreafico. Museums, restaurants, bars, theatres and galleries across Italy have signed up to entertain the striking viewers. Other organisations are also joining in. The Italian Environmental Fund, Italy's equivalent of the National Trust, is offering discounts or free admission to hundreds of its properties, including historic villas, museums and parks.