Oops, they did it again.
It is difficult to get any true figures on how many schools still have Channel One. We know that their revenue has been cut in half over the years, so that would indicate that advertisers believe their audience is much less than before. Still, the public has to rely on what Channel One says about its presence in schools.
In the 90’s Channel One claimed to have 8.2 or 8.1 million students under contract. That changed in 2000 to "over 8 million." Then in 2002 "nearly 8 million teens." In July 2005 it became "over 7.7 million." And in December 2005 it settled in at "more than 7 million."
Now Channel One’s website is admitting they have "nearly 7 million."
Also, fewer and fewer schools are keeping Channel One.
Number of schools with a Channel One contract (according to Channel One’s published statements):
1999 "more than 12,000"
2000 "12,000"
2003 "nearly 12,000"
Dec. 2005 "11,000"
Sept. 2006 "nearly 11,000"
Obligation’s Jim Metrock said, "The public is tired of Channel One taking up school time. The market is taking care of this company. The market, even the education market, is efficient over time. Bad ideas go away. Good ideas are rewarded. It was never a good idea to watch commercials in school. In 2006, the company has put on a fresh coat of paint and hired some new faces, but it’s the concept of the company that is flawed. If Channel One was a worthwhile TV show, the company wouldn’t contractually require a minimum of viewing days. That is a tip-off off right there that the makers of the program know it stinks. If Channel One was worthwhile, the company’s captive audience would be expanding not decreasing."
For more information read our article called "Down, Down, Down, Down."
Thanks to Ken McNatt.
