Gym company removes cable news channels from TVs

A Minnesota gym company has banned cable news channels from televisions in front of workout machines in order to keep with their philosophy of a “healthy way of life.”

Life Time Fitness, which operates 128 fitness clubs through the United States and Canada, removed CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and CNBC from its televisions, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The televisions are in view of everyone in the fitness areas, according to the Star Tribune, but audio can only be heard through headphones.

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A spokesperson for the company, Natalie Bushaw, said the company made the decision to remove the channels based on “many member requests received over time across the country and in keeping with our overall healthy way of life philosophy and commitment to provide family-oriented environments free of consistently negative or politically charged content.”

The televisions will still retain USA, A&E, Discovery, HGTV, ESPN and local channels.

Bushaw said the response to the move has been positive.

“We have received both messages of support and others seeking more detail around the decision,” Bushaw said, according to the Star Tribune.

In a statement posted to its Twitter account, Life Time said its goal in the move was to “meet the majority of members’ requests.”

“We believe this change is consistent with the desires of overall membership as well as our healthy way of life philosophy,” the statement read.