From Jim Metrock:
As this school year starts, there is more opposition to Channel One News than ever before. The company is paying the price for years of insensitivity to its captive audience of students.
Expect more ads for profanity-filled, sexually-charged, ultra-violent, drug and alcohol drenched movies from our friends at Channel One News. These Channel One executives make a fortune off of promoting this cultural rot to 8 million American schoolchildren.
Channel One News and Hollywood movie studios have had a long and sick partnership for the seven years we have been watching this “News Lite” show. From the pro-drug movie Dude, Where’s My Car? (that must have been approved by Channel One’ president Jim Ritts himself to the utter vulgarity of Adam Sandler’s Eight Crazy Nights, Channel One has dumped more garbage on children than any one company I can think of.
Channel One News will continue to run ads for junk food and junk drinks. Pepsi has cut back on its advertising but was still pushing their soft drinks in May. Hershey was a new advertiser this past school year. Channel One News is extremely vulnerable on the teen obesity front. This schoolhouse marketing company has been one of the most effective vehicles for junk food peddlers like Hostess Twinkies and Snickers.
This school year, Channel One will get busted for its incorporation of commercial content in the “news” part of the show. Channel One is violating their contracts by putting in too much commercial time, often way over the two-minute limit they promised school boards. The show is also over the 12-minute limit. All it takes is ONE state attorney general to look into their contracts and the actual length of their show and it could be a mess for the Channel One gang.
Right now, there is one lawsuit against a Oregon school board for showing Channel One News. I expect more and they could spring up from all over the country.
There is too much going on the state and local level that is not good for Channel One News.
For example, in Alabama our Governor is asking for a large tax increase, part of which will go to pay for five extra days of school. Well, Channel One contracts are robbing over 250,000 Alabama schoolchildren of almost exactly five school days. Other states are facing tax increases too and people are demanding an elimination of waste in public schools. It’s getting more difficult for schools to allow school time to be used for an actor from the recent X-Men movie to co-host Channel One so he could plug his violent movie to middle schoolchildren.
States will also address the public health problem Channel One News poses by its long history of advertising M&Ms, Twix bars, Hostess Cupcakes and Mt. Dew to name a few junk foods. I believe Channel One News will be held accountable this year for its marketing of junk food.
Quite frankly, I have never been more encouraged in this battle against this commercial exploiter. Channel One News is not too healthy. I listened to the PRIMEDIA conference call yesterday announcing their latest quarterly results. Channel One News took a hit last quarter. Parents and educators and others who have kept this fight for commercial-free classrooms going should feel good about their efforts.
In 1997, Channel One News people talked very openly to trade magazines about their future plans. They wanted to make Channel One News a brand like MTV. They saw MTV as their rival. They wanted Channel One movies in the movie theaters. They saw Channel One clothing with the Number One logo being the rage with young people. They saw riches beyond measure.
I am proud of Obligation’s part in making sure those dreams, or rather nightmares, never came true. We helped ruin their party. Obligation won’t quit until students are no longer compelled to watch the latest rap star singing his latest single when students should be studying. We won’t quit until this massive waste of tax money is gone.
This year, if schools don’t voluntarily turn off Channel One News, their communities will do it for them. Enough scantily-clad women selling Pepsi and movies to students. Let’s get back to education.
