In support of the national student walkout on Wednesday, Viacom cable networks suspended programming for 17 minutes to honor the victims of the February shooting at Parkland, Florida.
In a blog posted on Viacom’s website, the network said the act is part of an initiative to support those young people who are raising their voices to demand action in light of the attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month.
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“At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 14, all Viacom networks and platforms will suspend regularly scheduled programming for 17 minutes. This pause will coincide with the National School Walkout, a tribute to the 17 lives lost in the Parkland shooting, and to all young victims of gun violence. Students across the country will take over MTV’s social media accounts during the walkout,” the blog post read.
The brief blackout affected all of Viacom’s cable channels, including MTV, Nickelodeon, BET, CMT, Comedy Central, TV Land and Paramount Network, among others.
In addition to going dark, Vice Chair of Viacom’s Board Shari Redstone has declared a personal donation of $500,000 to the March For Our Lives movement.
“This generation continues to be the driving force for change,” said Viacom Executive Vice President of Global Inclusion Marva Smalls. “With more than 17 young people dying from gun violence every single day, unfortunately no community is safe.”
Viacom also plans to drive awareness of March For Our Lives, a rally scheduled in Washington, D.C on March 24, through their own coverage and on-the-ground initiatives leading up to the national event.
MTV and Comedy Central will change the color of their logos to orange in support of gun violence awareness on Wednesday and will maintain the special branding leading up to the demonstration. Shows on both networks will also build on their recent coverage about the anti-gun violence movement, the network said.
“We believe it’s critical to support the inspiring efforts of our youth, who are literally fighting for their lives. Viacom also has a responsibility to our audiences to do everything we can to elevate the many brave and bold activists to help them extend the reach and impact of their voices in this important movement,” Smalls said.
Organizers of March For Our Lives say they are expecting more than 500,000 attendees at the march in Washington, and other major cities plan to host local events in support of the movement.
