Obligation reported on February 12 that Channel One’s web site was advertising Adam Sandler’s newest movie. We also reported that Channel One was sponsoring a contest with the purpose of encouraging children to see Sandler’s movie.
Now, we have just seen a tape of Channel One News for the first week of February and, incredibly, Channel One actually showed a commercial for this movie on the in-school broadcast sent to high schools. On the commercial Sandler, like he did in November 2002 makes a special appearance for “Channel One News students.”
When you know the background of this “Channel One News-approved” movie, you will feel even worse for the children who are forced to watch this TV show.
In 2003, Columbia Pictures was told by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) that “50 First Dates” would get a “R” rating. It wasn’t too surprising to Columbia since the movie is a typical Sandler sleazefest with drug content, sexual content and profanity. (Go to screenit.com for the movie content.)
Columbia appealed the decision and won on appeal. No changes to the movie were made by Columbia and that is important for readers to understand.
“50 First Dates” was an R-rated movie. The MPAA, the official group that applies ratings, reviewed the content and gave it an “R.” The movie was sent back, unchanged, unedited, with nothing cut, and the MPAA was asked to review it again. The MPAA changed the rating from “R” to “PG-13.”
Obligation doesn’t know how the MPAA appeal process works, nor is it important for this article. Our point is to show AGAIN how reckless Channel One News is, when it comes to the captive audience of children watching their show.
Channel One has a list of products and services they will never advertise. The list is almost comical since they include “abortion clinics” and “firearms” in the list, as if anybody would ever consider advertising these to schoolchildren. “R-rated movies” makes the list also.
Why did Channel One News accept commercials for this movie?
Didn’t they understand that the change in rating may have been because of studio pressure or because of some technicality and that really this movie was an R-rated movie or so close to being one that it should have been rejected by Channel One?
Jim Ritts is the man responsible for this cultural rot being drummed into America’s schools. He is the current, and hopefully last, president of Channel One News. Channel One has told reporters that they have a secret Advisory Board that reviews all advertising. When people have asked for the names of the people who serve on this important committee, Channel One has always refused to make the names public. Obligation believes there is no “Advisory Board.”
Obligation’s Jim Metrock said, “Adults at Channel One News played a very dirty joke on schoolchildren. They have done it over and over again, but it is still upsetting to see it happen. Channel One is needing money. They have gotten themselves in a position where they can’t turn away movie studio money, no matter what the movie needing to be advertised. Channel One News executives have got to be the most cold-hearted people in business. Even though these ads ran on the satellite feed delivered to high schools, Channel One is aggressively marketing the movie to middle school students via channelone.com which is advertised several times on each middle school version of Channel One News. This movie, as Channel One well knows, also makes fun of brain-injured people. Several reviewers stated they were sicken by the movie’s jokes about people who have brain injuries. This is just sick. Is this what we want public schools to be promoting to students”
