Channel One’s web site now offers children an easy way to buy CDs. This is a major step for Channel One News.
Channel One has an arrangement with Amazon.com to drive children to Amazon’s site to make their CD purchases or DVD purchases. Channel One will receive a “kick back” or a portion of the sales price from Amazon.com.
Channel One constantly reminds students on their in-school TV show to visit channelone.com and to vote for their favorite songs. They are told that the winning songs will be played on All-Request Thursday. This is the bait to attract kids. Once the child is at the page to vote on the songs, he or she sees the new buttons labeled “Buy Now” under the artists name.
Clicking on one of these buttons takes the child to a page that says:
‘Now Leaving ChannelOne.com
You are now leaving ChannelOne.com. While on Amazon.com, you should:
(i) Review the Amazon.com privacy policy regarding the collection and use of your personal information and…
(ii) understand that you may view products that we do not endorse.
Disagree or Agree”
There is a link to Amazon’s privacy policy that no child should ever agree to. It is long and confusing like most privacy policy statements. It is written for adults and most children wouldn’t take the time to read the tortured language.
Once they agree to go to Amazon.com they can venture and buy anything they have for sale. A child could easily buy the most explicit lyrics CD such as Eminem and Channel One News would profit from the sale, because they brought the child to the site.
Obligation’s Jim Metrock said, “This is another case of Channel One News pushing the envelope with other people’s children. What is Channel One doing selling children CDs? or DVDs? It appears that children could buy R-rated DVDs and the most vile CDs at Amazon and Amazon would send some cash to Channel One News as a ‘finder’s fee.’ On Channel One’s All-Request Thursday page, I clicked on the ‘Buy Now’ button under ‘Christina Aguilera’. I agree to go to the Amazon site. Then I see what Channel One News was trying to sell me. It is Aguilera’s newest CD ‘Stripped.’ Holy cow. Why would they be aiming this stuff at children? Money. It is always about the money with Channel One News. I pass on ‘Stripped’ and start clicking around and realize I, or any child, could buy Emimen CDs or I could buy any R-rated movie. Since Amazon places a software cookie on a child’s hard drive Amazon knows they owe Channel One for any purchased made”
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If a child buys Christina Aguilera’s “Stripped” CD, Channel One News makes money. Why would Channel One News pick this particular CD to promote to kids? It appears that Channel One News executives are so strapped for cash that they are exploring various ways to make money off of kids. |
