It’s a public relations nightmare, but when you are hurting for advertisers, you sign up any company you can. Channel One News has always been a major conduit for junk food peddlers to get their messages to children, but their newest advertiser is a slap in the face to school boards.
With all the reports of rising childhood obesity, it would be a prudent course of action for Channel One to find non-junk food companies to advertise, but national advertisers are scared of Channel One News for two big reasons. First, the show is so controversial that a company risks negative public reaction if they are seen as a “partner” of Channel One. Second, the audience just isn’t there. (We will have a future article on the “Ever Shrinking Channel One Audience.”)
So Channel One News, in their collective wisdom, signed up Hershey. Add one more reason for a school board to end their contract with Channel One.
Obligation’s Jim Metrock said, “Channel One News should come with a warning label like those found on tobacco products. Clearly, Channel One News has been a factor in the rise of obesity among children.
Their long history of compelling students to watch commercials for M&Ms, Twix candy bars, Snickers, Milky Way candy bars, Pepsi, and Twinkies, to name a few products, is shameful. Now, their decision to try to get students to eat more Hershey candy is revolting. Channel One executives are behaving like thugs. These Fat Cat executives at Channel One News have no apparent compassion or concern for the health of the students.
You would think that these men and women who squeeze so much money from local schools by usurping taxpayer-funded school time, would be a little more considerate of the welfare of their young captive audience. This captive audience makes Channel One executives rich. These clowns are rolling in Pepsi money, Hostess Twinkies money and now Hershey money. Somewhere down the line these nicely-dressed and well-tanned executives will have to pay for what they are doing to kids.
Until that time, Jim Ritts, Jeff Ballabon, Jim Morris, Kevin Neary, Morgan Wandell, and Kent Haehl enjoy the cash.
