Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge Debuts Sunday, April 30, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon

Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge Debuts Sunday, April 30, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon

A Five-Month Long Mini-Series Documenting Real Kids' Lives Stems from Partnership between Nickelodeon and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to Fight Childhood Obesity and Motivate Kids Nationwide to Get Healthy

Third Annual Worldwide Day of Play to Take Place Sept. 30

NEW YORK, April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge, which focuses on four kids' real life struggles and successes in the quest to make their lives healthier, debuts on Nickelodeon Sunday, April 30, 2006, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon. The five-month long mini-series, a first of its kind for the number-one kids' network, is the second TV event born out of Nickelodeon's partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint initiative of the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. It serves as the kick-off to a movement that aims to increase awareness among young people about the importance of eating well and being physically fit, and that empowers kids and families to be agents of change in their communities.

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The half-hour TV event, hosted by Devon Werkheiser from Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and Miranda Cosgrove from Drake & Josh, will follow four kids from diverse backgrounds -- 11-year-old Chris, "Activist"; 13-year-old Bianca, "Emerging Athlete"; 14-year-old Wes, "Barrier Breaker"; and 11-year- old Ayesha, "Health Warrior" -- in their pursuit of improving health and wellness issues in their own lives. Each kid maintains a different health and wellness goal, and Nickelodeon will follow them over the course of the next five months. Some of the health and wellness and lifestyle challenges these kids will face are: leading their community to engage in healthier living ("Activist"), transforming their attitudes and physical well-being by adopting healthier lifestyles ("Health Warrior"), finding ways to become physically active ("Emerging Athlete") or helping their families overcome a health or environmental barrier ("Barrier Breaker").

Helping these kids each step of the way will be an Advisory Board, which will consist of health educators, role model celebrities, physicians, psychologists and more. This group, some of which will be revealed on-air during the special, along with local coaches in each of the kids' hometowns, will formulate a healthy living plan for the kids, and provide support to them throughout the six month process, keeping it fun and maintainable for them.

After the Apr. 30 special, Nickelodeon will continue to follow the four kids in their quests through 11 to 12-minute segments to air at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT during TEENick (Sunday nights) throughout the next five months and continuous interstitials at various times. In addition, TurboNick, Nickelodeon's online broadband video service available on Nick.com, will continue to stream footage of the kids and take a deeper look behind-the-scenes of their daily challenges and conquests.

Kids across the country are encouraged to sign up for the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge by visiting www.Nick.com/letsjustplay. A comprehensive community activation plan will supplement the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge, which will include additional online elements such as practical tips and tools to provide kids with tangible steps that can improve their health, as well as local market events and activities and affiliate partnerships. Details of each will be announced in the coming months. These components will serve to encourage kids to get healthy and active, and begin their own "healthy challenge" in their local communities.

In addition to the online and local market activities, Nickelodeon Magazine will feature monthly activities and feature stories to inspire kids and encourage them to participate in the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge. The June/July issue will feature a smoothie recipe for hot summer days, and past issues have featured interviews with former President Clinton and Governor Mike Huckabee.

The Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge will culminate in a celebration of the kids on-air and all the kids around the nation who have taken part in the movement to get healthy with Nickelodeon's third annual Worldwide Day of Play on September 30, 2006. During Worldwide Day of Play, the network goes dark both on-air and online with only graphics telling kids to get up, go out side and play. Additional details about this year's Worldwide Day of Play are forthcoming.

Nickelodeon's "Let's Just Play" entered into a partnership in November 2005 with The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint initiative of the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association, to combat the spread of childhood obesity. The three organizations are combining forces on a comprehensive media and public awareness campaign, encouraging young people to engage in healthy and active lifestyles. Nickelodeon will utilize its multimedia platforms and the "Let's Just Play" campaign to reach millions of young people across the country and to spread the message of the Healthier Generation movement.

In the kick-off phase of the partnership, President Clinton participated in a Nick News with Linda Ellerbee episode "The Fight to be Fit," where he and Ellerbee discussed issues surrounding childhood obesity with young people from around the country. Nickelodeon has also produced and aired public service announcements (PSAs) Governor Mike Huckabee and will continue the PSA series with one featuring former President Clinton and other young people.

About The Alliance for a Healthier Generation

The Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association partnered in May of 2005 to create a new generation of healthy Americans by addressing one of the nation's leading public health threats -- childhood obesity. The initiative will focus on preventing childhood obesity and creating healthier lifestyles for children overall.

The alliance aims to target several areas that the group hopes will spark change and slow the increasing rates of childhood obesity in the U.S., and encourage healthier lifestyles for young people. The effort will focus on four key areas: industry; schools, healthcare professionals and kids.

For more information on the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, please visit: www.healthiergeneration.org.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon has committed more than $30 million and 10% of its air to health and wellness messaging. Nick held its second annual Worldwide Day of Play on Oct. 1, where the network went dark and helped motivate more than 250,000 kids to engage in healthy and fun activities for the day. As part of the "Let's Just Play" campaign, Nick is giving away more than $1.2 million through June 2006 through its "Let's Just Play Giveaway." "Let's Just Play," in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, has developed an outreach program that has been recognized for excellence and achievement by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' prestigious Governors Award, and has received more than 80 proclamations by both national and local elected officials. For more information on Nickelodeon, visit www.Nick.com, www.Nickjr.com or www.teachers.nick.com.

Nickelodeon, in its 27th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 89 million households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for more than ten consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:and)(NYSE:VIA.B).

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Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Joanna Roses of Nickelodeon, +1-212-846-7326; or Courtney
O'Donnell of William J. Clinton Foundation, +1-212-348-1710; or Kelly Kennai
Grunig of American Heart Association, +1-202-785-7925

Web site: http://www.nick.com/
http://www.nick.com/letsjustplay
http://www.healthiergeneration.org/
http://www.nickjr.com/
http://www.teachers.nick.com/

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