Video from March 16, 2009.
Another Channel One “Shout Out.” This time it is Rainn Wilson pitching his animated movie Monsters vs. Aliens.
These “Shout Out” spots are not billed as advertisements and so they can be confusing to some schoolchildren. Confusion is what Channel One is aiming for. They pride themselves in mixing news and feature stories with advertising content. An ad that doesn’t look like an ad is much more effective.
When this “Shout Out” aired, Channel One News was being produced by NBC News. Rainn Wilson is an actor on NBC’s The Office TV show. Giving Mr. Wilson exposure to a captive audience of six million students effectively promotes his TV show along with his new movie.
Monsters vs. Aliens was released on March 27, 2009.
Notice the always-overly-expressive anchor Justin Finch thanking the actor for the plug. Finch doesn’t even pretend to be a journalist. A journalist would refuse to use their on-air time to so blatantly aid an advertiser. Mr. Finch will shill for anybody. That’s the ugly nature of Channel One “News.”
