10:57 PM: Allan Sugarbaker says...
GAMA versus Television. And... fight!

GAMA has announced its first TV-Turnoff Week, coming up fast at April 24-30. While a good idea, and possibly a useful tool for retailers, isn't this a bit short notice? Even a "free promotional information package which includes event ideas and a fill-in-the-blanks press release" would benefit from having enough time to tell consumers about it. Still, a good idea, but it has me worried that the Origins Awards will have a rushed feel to them as well. Of course, any feel at all to the awards would be a step up over last year...

GAMA press release follows:

GAME MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES FREE NATIONAL PROMOTION FOR MEMBER RETAILERS

TV-Turnoff Week promotion helps retailers gain media exposure, draw new customers, and promote games as a healthy, creative, and social pastime

Columbus, OH - April 3, 2006 - The Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) proudly announces its first national TV-Turnoff Week promotion, running from April 24-30, 2006.

The promotion focuses on in-store events during TV-Turnoff Week, combined with national exposure on the TV-Turnoff website. TV-Turnoff Week provides GAMA-member retailers with a great opportunity to get free local press coverage by generating a natural local angle on a national story.

To participate in the promotion, GAMA-member retailers register online at www.gama.org/tvturnoff/signup. Registration is free and takes less than a minute. After registering, stores can download a free promotional information package which includes event ideas and a fill-in-the-blanks press release, and then begin planning their events.

The promotion grew from a new partnership between GAMA and the TV-Turnoff Network, the organization behind TV-Turnoff Week. “Our partnership with GAMA will go a long way in offering families options to screens,” said Robert Kesten, Executive Director of TV-Turnoff Network. “What better way to get to know your kids than to play great games with them?”

“Games give families and friends a natural reason to turn off the TV,” said Anthony Gallela, Executive Director of GAMA. “Promoting TV-Turnoff Week and game playing together makes a great combination.”

TV-Turnoff Week encourages people to turn off the TV and turn on life. According to Nielsen Media Research, Americans watch an average of over four hours of television each day. That adds up to more than one full day of TV each week or two full months of each year. By age 65, you spent over 1/7th of your life just watching television!

For more details about the promotion, visit www.gama.org/tvturnoff. For TV-free ideas and activities or to learn more about TV-Turnoff Week 2006 and how you can get involved, visit the TV-Turnoff Network website at www.tvturnoff.org. To learn about the benefits of GAMA membership, visit www.gama.org/membership.