A screen shot of Channelone.com January 11, 2012.
When Channel One News wants to sell a young person something (which is the main reason the company exists), they don’t fool around.
For weeks Channel One has been pounding students in their classrooms and visitors to their website (channelone.com) with ads for the Samsung Focus smart phone. Above one sees a Samsung Focus banner ad at the top, a Samsung Focus commercial playing in the video player, and to the right a Samsung Focus ad just in case the other two ads were overlooked.
Teaser ad not appropriate
Channel One is allowing a “teaser” deal to be aired on its classroom TV show and on its website. A smart phone for 99 cents? That’s unfair. Young people, especially Channel One’s most loyal audience in the younger middle school ages, may not have the life experience to fully comprehend this offer before they begin nagging their parents for this phone. Nowhere does Channel One add language that informs young people that a two-year contract must be signed to get the 99 cent phone. Of course we all know about the two-year-plan racket, but does a ten-year-old?
Channel One never, ever errs on the side of giving its young audience information that will help them better process advertisements. That’s because Channel One News serves only one audience and that is its advertisers. Channel One serves its clients, and schools are not its clients. Samsung, Microsoft, and AT&T are in this case.
This is just one advertising assault by Channel One News. Teachers who actually watch Channel One know this is just the tip of the iceberg. A student unfortunate to have to endure Channel One News at his or her school is inundated with constant appeals from Channel One’s advertisers to buy this, buy that, go see this movie, buy this rap CD, and own your own smart phone for a ridiculous low price of 99 cents.
