On January 26, 2001, upwards to 8 million schoolchildren were compelled to watch a commercial urging them to eat more Hostess Twinkies.
Channel One has been bringing Hostess into America’s classrooms since the spring of 2000.
Jim Metrock said, “When you think about it, Channel One is a mean company. The are mean with their smash-mouth lobbying style. They are mean when they mislead the public and Federal and state legislators. They are mean when they advertise vulgar and violent movies to impressionable children just so they can make a buck. But they are also mean when they advertise junk food to a population of children struggling with obesity.”
Metrock said, “Channel One knows there is an obesity and Type II diabetes problem among its captive audience. They apparently just don’t care and that makes them cruel. Channel One has become one of the top vehicles for candy bar, soft drink and junk food peddlers to get to kids. Any principal that is still forcing Channel One junk food ads on students ought to consider early retirement. That principal has lost, or never had, any concern for the welfare of his or her students.”
Channel One’s list of junk food advertisers is long. Last May, Channel One ran a commercial to get children to eat more Nestle Crunch Bars so they could win a contest featuring an NBA player. Other junk Channel One has paraded in front of often-hungry children: Doritos, Milky Ways, Skittles, Twix cookies, Snickers, Pringles, Pepsi, Mt. Dew, M&Ms, and more.
Obligation urges parents and other taxpayers to contact the person in charge of school nutrient and if you have Channel One, request that it not be shown any more because it sends children unhealthy messages. At the very least, urge the school to not show any Channel One program that advertises anything to eat or drink. There is no local control over what Channel One urges children to consume. That is wrong. Let’s pull the plug on these mean marketers.
