This is an article based on a TV report from Bismarck, ND.
Incredibly, the school administrators in Bismarck are realizing that one hour a week of TV may not be the best use of school time.
Here is a great example of how a school district is fleeced by Channel One News.
The school district entered into a contract with Channel One "more than 15 years (ago)." Channel One has made a killing off this school district. Channel One generated ad revenue off this captive audience of North Dakota students. Channel One didn’t share a penny of that revenue. All they did was LOAN Bismarck some TV equipment. Imagine if this school district had back those 12 minutes a day, one hour a week PER STUDENT that they lost with the "free" Channel One deal.
Let’s hope Superintendent Paul Johnson talks with his school attorney and that he finds out the contract can be ended at any time. Let’s hope he will have some backbone and demand that all the TV equipment remains in his classrooms. Come on, guys, your students have paid for this ancient equipment many times over.
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Oct 14 2008 It’s how many students stay up on current events… And while the "Channel One" news program, shown in most Bismarck schools, does keep kids "in the know"… As our Amber Schatz explains… some educators say time might be better spent without it. (7:14/Jan Peterson) "A lot of kids don’t watch news at home, some kids do and they’ll talk about it in the morning, but a lot of kids don’t For many students at Simle Middle school… Their 20-minute morning dose of Channel One news … is the only source of news they watch (11:00/Collin Leier) "I watch news at nighttime with parents sometimes, sometimes I don’t." (14:38/Ashley Molstre) "That’s all I hear about is famous people because I really don’t watch the news." Schools across the nation originally signed up for Channel One to educate kids… and get tv’s in the classroom But after airing for more than 15 years in Bismarck schools… School board members may discontinue the show… because some educators feel the time could be better spent (1:27 Paul Johnson) "Wachter and Simle still like it and use it, high schools are a little more ambivalent I think students are not quite attentive to that, fewer teachers seeing it as a good use of classroom time While Johnson is still looking at contracts with Channel One, and gaining information from educators… the question of kids staying up-to-date on current events… through Channel One or otherwise… is still very important… especially during the age of technology (9:53 Jan Peterson) "For a lot of kids, they get up in the morning, they listen to their ipods music, get to school and have no idea what’s been going on overnight." (4:00/Paul Johnson) "Tv’s being watched, but not news, students go online a lot but it’s facebook or myspace, I think it’s a valid observation that they’re not getting a lot of current events." Educators say there are always some students who tune out the news program… but at Simle… many students say it’s a format that’s easier to watch than other news programs (13:58 Molstre) "During the real news, there’s older people talking and don’t pay attention that much, but kids more my age doing things I want to do, when I get older, I pay more attention to it (12:34) "I don’t think I would because there’s old people saying it, not teenagers like us, and they’re just saying their opinion." As for whether Channel One will stay on-air… Stay tuned Amber Schatz KX News.. Bismarck Superintendent, Paul Johnson says they will continue the Channel One discussion… at future meetings… when they know what the lifetime of their contract is… and how many schools want to keep it. He says there is also the possibility that classes may streamline the show online |
