AREA FAMILIES WON'T WATCH TV VIOLENCE TODAY

Instead of tuning in and turning on their television sets, many families who are tired of violence and sex on television are simply tuning out -- at least for the day.

Today is "Tune Out Violence on TV" day.

Mary Klaproth and her family are tuning out prime time television today as part of a state campaign.

Thousands of Missouri families have pledged to tune out television violence today in a campaign sponsored by the Missouri Association of Family Community Education Clubs.

The Cape Girardeau County Family Community Education Club sent a petition to the state as part of their effort, said Klaproth, a member.

Tuning out violence isn't as difficult as it sounds, she said, adding that many families will still watch television, just not violent shows.

Joanne Jordan and her family are going to visit relatives in St. Louis today instead of watching television.

"We hardly ever watch TV," she said. "We'll be busy and won't miss it."

Jordan's children only watch one half-hour program each day, she said.

Klaproth's family also watches few television programs, so tuning out violence for a day isn't tough.

"I could hardly tell you what's on prime time," she said, adding that she mostly watches programs on PBS and the Discovery Channel.

Local petitions signed by families pledging to turn off violent programs were sent to national club leaders before being sent to the Federal Communications Commission office.

"We are making some headway," Klaproth said of the campaign.

She cited national movements to rate television programs and the approval of the V-chip as examples of the campaign's success. The V-chip is a device that electronically blocks violent and objectionable programming from television screens.