Whether you’re going out to eat, hanging out in a hotel lobby or hitting the gym, there’s probably a TV playing cable news not too far from you… and chances are, other viewers nearby may not share your political opinions.

But now there’s one place you won’t have to worry about running into your least favorite national cable news channel. Minnesota-based gym chain Life Time – which has 128 fitness centers across the U.S. and Canada, including a location in Laguna Niguel – has banned national cable news networks from its large TV screens. The gym will no longer be providing CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and CNBC, instead opting for less controversial options like USA, A&E, Discovery, HGTV and ESPN in addition to local news affiliates.

In a statement to KPCC, Life Time spokesperson Natalie Bushaw said the decision was “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.”

Bushaw continued, “I want to emphasize that we certainly are not against news delivered accurately and respectfully, and we intend to continue to have appropriate news channels on some of our large screens.”

In a time of high political tensions and increasingly partisan news, consuming political news in a public place can be stressful. Business owners, have you ever run into issues with playing cable news for your customers? How have you dealt with customer complaints and any conflicts it has caused between your guests?

Guest:

David Caplan, news editor at ABC News Digital who has been following the story; he tweets