To get the attention of schoolchildren, Channel One News has always played rock and rap music. They play music during the show’s introduction, going into and out of commercial breaks, during Pop Quizzes, during feature stories, and at the end of the show. Of course, there is even more music when a recording artist or band pay to be a guest host on Channel One.
This current school year, Channel One appears to be putting more emphasis on “pumpin’ up the volume.”
If a student brought a radio to class and played a small part of a popular song during class, he or she would be escorted to the principal’s office. Yet, the same song can come over Channel One’s TV sets and the principal does nothing.
Channel One News has changed from a current events show into an entertainment show with some news. Anyone who has read this site knows that Channel One allows many recording artists and movie stars to co-host the show so they can pitch their latest CD or movie. The Channel One web site devotes much of its space to celebrity-worship instead of news.
Channel One began broadcasting this school year on Monday, August 11. On that first day, students were subjected to music from the Plump DJs, the Foo Fighters. Wayne Wonder and a band called JXL.
The Plump DJs song was “The Funk Hits The Fans” which promoted the CD “Eargasm.” This UK group says they took their name from a porn magazine they liked. This Channel One-promoted rock group is best known for their song “Big Groovy F****r”.
Obligation’s Jim Metrock said, “The young Channel One News staffers get to decide what students will listen to during the show. These staff people have made truly horrible decisions in the past and they are doing so again this year. These are the people that thought it would be cool to play Marilyn Manson for 6th grade students. There is no responsible person at Channel One News who understands that there should be No music on the show. School boards didn’t agree to this practice of playing rock and rap to entertain students.”
On Tuesday, August 12, Channel One played music from Sidestepper, Kenna, Evanescence, Coldplay and Christina Aguilera.
On Wednesday, August 13, the featured artists were Frankie J, 311, Lumidee, Coldplay again, Jimmy Wayne, Dashboard Confessional, BT, and Santana.
Thursday, August 14, was the first “All-Request Thursday” on Channel One News. Each Thursday they play music that students vote for on the Channel One web site. The classroom rocked with music from Truby Trio, Jewel, Linkin Park, B2K, Wakefield, and Hilary Duff.
On Friday, August 15, the music was from the Goo Goo Dolls, BT again, Jane’s Addiction, Maroon 5, Kiley Dean, and Jason Mraz.
|
|
This is a typical Jane’s Addiction CD. Explicit lyrics are standard fare for them. Channel One picked a song with no explicit lyrics, but the purpose was to get the attention of the children. You can hear the kids say, “Whoa, can you believe our teacher is letting Channel One play Jane’s Addiction in class? She doesn’t have a clue.” Why is Channel One News promoting the music of Jane’s Addiction? Why is Channel One’s Jim Ritts showing such contempt for America’s schoolchildren? |
Is it any wonder that Channel One News has failed at signing up schools. C1N has roughly the same amount of schools it had back in 1993. What community needs their students listening to Jane’s Addiction instead of studying? If you have a school that still has a contract with Channel One News, then your school has a serious problem. They are wasting tax money and they are wasting student time. Mobilize your community and demand that they turn off the jukebox – remove Channel One News – and get back to the basics.
Metrock said, “The public is turning against Channel One News. Morgan Wandell’s idea of playing Jane’s Addiction or any popular music during class time is a disruption of the educational process. The public isn’t tolerating this type of nonsense like it did in the early 90’s. There is a good reason Jim “Sugar Daddy” Ritts, Channel One’s president, last year refused to provide the Texas State Board of Education with a list of the music groups played on air. Ritts thumbed his nose at the Texas School Board, but there is a time of reckoning coming soon.”
