What will happen if I end my district’s contract with Channel One?
Q: Our school district has had Channel One in our middle and high schools since the early 1990’s. It’s the end of the school year and our principals all agree it is time to end our contract. Is it possible to end the contract now without penalty? The contract recently “rolled over” for another three year term.
a. It appears that Channel One is treating its own contract as unenforceable. The company has allowed schools to violate the viewing requirements in various ways. Channel One itself consistently disregards the terms of the contract. They routinely have more than two minutes of advertising per show (the maximum limit).
Obligation urges school administrators wanting to end Channel One to consult their school attorney and end the contract in the right way. The right way is to tell Channel One that the school will no longer show the program.
There is no extra penalty that we are aware of for a school that ends its contract before the three-year period is over.
Schools don’t worry about Channel One taking the old analog TV sets but they don’t want Channel One to take out the wiring for the network. Good news, Channel One never removes the wiring. That would be very costly for them.
The bracket the Channel One TV sits on can cost up to $75. Your school attorney will know your state’s “fixtures” law and will know if Channel One is permitted to take those out of the school. Schools should challenge Channel One if they attempt to take the brackets. If it is attached to the wall, a school can make a good case that it has become part of the building.
Even if your school writes Channel One and tells them to come pick up their equipment, don’t expect a quick response. Some schools have stopped honoring Channel One’s for YEARS and still have their TVs.
