This is the 2010-11 bell schedule for a small Mississippi middle school.
They say timing is everything in comedy. Timing is also important to the kiddie marketers at Channel One. Channel One’s contract with schools requires schools to show the Channel One News program “between the bells.” That means the program has to be broadcast to students at a time they HAVE to be at their desks – after the tardy bell and before the dismissal bell.
The first “tardy bell” marks the beginning of the official school day. New Hope Middle School wisely has chosen to air Channel One News so that the very end of the show is on the TV screens as students arrive at their desks.
Advertisers pay for ads on Channel One News with the guarantee a captive audience of impressionable young people will actually see their commercials.
Advertisers hate what New Hope Middle School is doing. Channel One News hates this. But that’s reality. Good schools don’t have time for movie commercials.
So officially Channel One has said their student viewership has gone from 12 million students to “nearly 6 million,” but their viewership is very questionable. New Hope is not alone in their disregard of Channel One’s contract.
Schools like New Hope almost dare Channel One to come and pick up their ancient TV sets. Schools know that if Channel One openly acknowledges a breach of their contract, then they have to inform advertisers, and then audience numbers have to be reduced. If that happens, then advertising rates do down, and if that happens Channel One’s revenue shrinks even more.
