From Jim Metrock:
An email similar to this one has gone out to dozens of public schools across the country since mid-August. Obligation is continuing to raise awareness of Channel One by concentrating on schools in eight states: Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, Alabama, North Carolina, and Georgia.
This particular email was sent to teachers and administrators at Avon Middle School South (Avon, IN). It was also sent to a small group of Avon parents and local civic leaders. Although it was part of the school day last school year, the principal responded that Channel One News was no longer being shown. Congratulations to Avon Middle School South.
Unfortunately, their sister school Avon Middle School North still is showing Channel One although sporadically. That earned them a nomination for our Wastin’ Time and Tax Dollars Award.
For those new to the ugly history of Channel One, this may be informative.
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Some students in your district are being compelled to watch the hyper-commercial Channel One TV show during their taxpayer-funded school day.
Teachers of English has a long-standing resolution urging teachers to actively work for the removal of Channel One from classrooms.) No educational organization endorses the use of Channel One. [National PTA] [2006 Coalition Letter] [Southern Baptist Resolution on Channel One News] Groups as diverse as the National Education Association, the American Family Association, Consumer Union, Eagle Forum, the American Federation ofTeachers, and Focus on the Family have called for Channel One to be removed from schools.
My name is Jim Metrock. I run a nonprofit organization called Obligation, Inc. in Birmingham, AL. I have been researching and reporting on Channel One since 1997. I’m a retired businessman that believes in capitalism and advertising, but advertising has its place, and its place is not in classrooms. This video will explain a lot: Not so fast, Channel One
Teachers are usually the most vocal proponents of commercial-free classrooms for obvious reasons. They want to teach. They don’t want to stand by while Hollywood movie studios promote their latest movies in homeroom or an academic classroom. Channel One News is not about journalism or education. It is a youth marketing TV show produced by a youth marketing company.
The president of Channel One has always been an advertising or marketing executive. It’s main goal is to compel a captive audience of students to watch specially-targeted advertising. What’s the purpose of Channel One News? Watch this video produced by their company. (Warning: teachers may become violently ill watching this video.)
The company’s home state of New York has always banned the TV show from all its public school classrooms. Thousands of schools, often at the insistence of teachers, have dropped Channel One in the last few years. [Ten Reasons To Be Glad You Never Heard Of Channel One News]
Channel One’s deal doesn’t make any financial sense for a school district. They loan secondary schools a rudimentary, TV network that features old, analog TV sets, in exchange for the school contractually promising to show their 12-minute TV show virtually every school day. If a school shows Channel One the minimum number of days required by the contract each student will spend more than an instructional week of school (32 hours) watching this controversial TV show. One lost week of potential academic time for each grade from 6th to 12th equals 7 lost weeks of school time. It only takes one teacher, one school board member, one parent to speak up about Channel One to start the process of throwing these kiddie marketers out of class.
The few defenders of the program contend there is no loss of school time whatsoever because it is shown in a non-instructional period like homeroom. That ignores the fact that if you didn’t have this Channel One contract with its onerous viewing requirements, you could shorten homeroom and add that time to academic classes. Imagine what an extra week’s worth of reading would do for test scores, especially when it replaces a week’s worth of television watching.
I am not selling anything. I have no hidden agenda. I find Channel One repugnant and I know many of you agree.
Channel One values teachers mainly as a tool to help deliver the eyes of students to the all-important commercial messages. Early on, Channel One News realized they could not trust classroom teachers. Teachers refused to turn on the TV sets at the appointed time. Channel One fixed that by placing a microchip inside each TV set that allowed the TVs to come on automatically. I know of several first-time substitute teachers who have told me they were stunned to have the blaring Channel One TV set come on when no one was near it.
What your school district is doing is unusual. The vast majority of secondary schools in our country do not show Channel One News. It has no place in your school. All students, not just rich suburban students who rarely are subjected to Channel One, deserve a commercial-free classroom.
The idea of allowing school time to be used to plug various rock and rap singers, upcoming movies, TV shows, websites,beauty products, military services, prescription contact lens, and video games is completely foreign to most U.S. educators and school administrators. Just because your district has been showing this TV show for years doesn’t mean it should continue.
There is reason to act now and not postpone the removal of Channel One any longer. This school year a major national effort will be made to shine a spotlight on schools that continue to compel students to watch Channel One’s commercially saturated TV show. Taxpayers in your district will not be happy, especially in this economic environment, to know their hard-earned money is subsidizing Channel One advertisers like Walt Disney. Why should Nintendo usurp precious school to plug their latest video game or game system?
Often the ads are specially created for Channel One’s captive audience. Just this month Channel One ran unique ads for a new, edgy TV series about witches calledThe Secret Circle.
Of course, your schools could be intentionally breaching the Channel One contract. Many schools show the program before the tardy bell or after school or during lunch. Some show only a portion of the daily program or air it one or two days a week. Some show only a portion of the 12-minute program. Some haven’t show the program in years. All of these violate the contract. Violating any legal contract is cheating – pure and simple. Better for everyone just to end the contract. Even if it has just rolled over for another three year term it can be ended today with no stipulated damages (no added penalty).
But they will take back their TV sets. Not necessarily. I can assist your school attorney by passing on information about other schools that have ended Channel One and been able to keep their TV sets.
Start the school year off right. Take back school time! Give students more time to learn their academic courses and to excel on their achievement tests. I hope you take action. Sometimes a great school is made better not by what is added, but by what is removed.
Much Obliged for your time,
Jim Metrock
President
PS Please distribute this widely, especially to parents.
