Schools that rent their TV equipment from Channel One are repeatedly
told what they must do in order to keep the equipment. No other public
school supplier has the audacity of Channel One. Schools are required
to show the daily TV show 90% of all school days. How gutsy is that?
Who is Channel One to tell teachers what they have to do? The equipment
is rental equipment and therefore only has "rental value." The
TV show, Channel One News, is a joke, with reporters and anchors pushing
advertised products like barkers at a circus. Does Channel One think
teachers really care about being the "enforcers" of their
corporate rules?
The picture above is taken from a Channel One video that teachers
are shown to remind them that they are unpaid employees of Channel
One News. Yes, this private New York company is trying to get public
school teachers, (government employees) to look after their corporate
interests.
"Ensure students watch in a controlled classroom setting." What
a joke.
Channel One also demands that teachers show the ENTIRE Channel One
News show to students. Channel One will not allow a teacher or administrator
to show only portion of a show. This is typical of Channel One’s anti-teacher
mentality. Teachers are to cede control of one hour a week to Channel
One executives. They (the executives) know, or think they know, what
is best for the students of the community, not the teachers. Channel
One wants the entire show untouched because they know what teachers
would do – they would cut out the commercials.
We added some words ("Channel One News demands that teachers…
Yeah, Right") to the Channel One demand (above) to indicate the
hopeless fight this company has in trying to maintain their control
of teachers. The harsh reality for Channel One is that teachers are
asking that Channel One be removed from their classrooms. If that isn’t
a possibility, then they are turning the sound down or turning the
TV completely off when Channel One News comes on. Schools are showing
Channel One News before students get to school (schools in Newnan,
GA have the 27" TV sets that Channel One gives to some of its
special schools and yet they show the program "before the bell" in
the morning.) Schools are fulfilling their "obligation" to
Channel One by broadcasting the show during lunch period (a "no-no" according
to Channel One) when few students even know the TV show is on.
The famous "Pizitz Letter" from
Channel One’s president Jim Ritts shows that certain schools are allowed
to disregard the entire contract. (The Pizitz Middle School has helped
promote Channel One’s TV show in Alabama and they are given permission
to disregard ANY term of the contract.)
If Channel One News got serious in enforcing their demands on public
schools, if they sent out a memo saying, "Enough funny-business,
guys, we are going to enforce our contract", then Obligation estimates
that Channel One would lose 90 + % of their schools. Their contract
is virtually worthless. That is why Channel One is unable to land a
major investor.
Channel One News is already struggling to survive. Add to the financial
woes, the growing national contempt for this company among educators
and it spells "doom" for the marketing geniuses at Channel
One.
