Warner Brothers needs help from taxpayers. They have a new movie coming out that has all the makings of a major disaster.
The 3D Yogi Bear movie was going to be released this past summer but its release was postponed. That’s not a good sign for a movie. The few reviews of the movie so far have been unkind.
How can this Hollywood studio help assure kids will go see the movie? Why, have taxpayers foot the bill for a major ad campaign in public schools!
Sounds absurd? Only if you have never heard of the kiddie marketing company Channel One and their in-school TV advertising program called Channel One News.
Right now millions of schoolchildren from 10-years-old on up are being compelled to watch movie commercials for the Yogi Bear movie DURING THEIR SCHOOL DAY. Instead of learning math and English, they are watching movie trailers specifically chosen for their classroom TV. Warner Brothers pays Channel One News and Channel One in turn bombards a captive audience of students with ads for the movie. All of this advertising is underwritten by taxpayers who have paid for every second of school time. When Channel One News runs a 30-second ad for Yogi Bear that is 30 seconds robbed from taxpayers. (Don’t think that is a big deal? Multiple 30 X 6,000.000 and that is just the time lost for one commercial.) Citizens who support their public schools with their hard earned money never gave schools permission to use their money and time to aid a Hollywood film studio.
Any school administrator that allows this waste of time to happen is an administrator that should seek a different line of work. If an administrator thinks watching commercials during a school day is “OK,” he or she doesn’t understand the purpose of public education.
Not only is Channel One News airing commercials for the movie. they are also featuring actors from the movie in the “news” section of their program. This is Channel One’s idea of “journalism.” These guest celebrity appearances are very effective ads for the movie.
Below: Lead female actress in the Warner Brothers film Yogi Bear welcomes students forced to watch Channel One News on December 10, 2010.
