In August 2001, Channel One’s parent company, PRIMEDIA, acquired EMAP USA (both of these companies think it is cool to have their names in all caps). PRIMEDIA is basically a magazine publisher and they wanted EMAP’s large collection of magazine titles.
However with the purchase PRIMEDIA acquired something called the Gravity Games. This is a TV event, broadcast on NBC, that features such things as skateboarding, inline skating and dirt biking. The Gravity Games, much like Channel One News itself, don’t fit with the rest of the company.
Until they sell it off, PRIMEDIA is looking for every way they can to promote these games and get more viewers to watch so they will make more ad revenue.
Jim Ritts is not only president of Channel One News, he also in charge of the Gravity Games. Over the last two years, Ritts has shamelessly used Channel One’s in-school TV show to promote the Gravity Games. No disclosure is ever made on air or on Channel One’s web site. Students are led to believe Channel One News is being hosted by a dirt bike star because Channel One is interested in the Games for their news content.
On September 15, Channel One News broadcast their show from the Gravity Games site in Cleveland. Ryan Nyquist, a biker, co-hosted the show. The Gravity Games is what Channel One News considers “Big News.”
Obligation’s Jim Metrock said, “Channel One’s Jim Ritts must be doubled over laughing at the clueless schools that allow this secret advertising campaign to take place during school time. What teacher would ever know that the Gravity Games and Channel One News are sister companies? Channel One News simply does not have anyone in authority that has an ounce of journalistic integrity.
When Channel One News allows an entire show to be guest hosted by a person from the Gravity Games and Channel One refuses to tell their captive audience of young people there is a connection between the two, then they have committed a very serious wrong. Add this to all the other reckless and disturbing things Channel One News has done over the years and you get a company that deserves to go out of business.
Taxpayers, without their knowledge, helped to subsidize the promotion of the Gravity Games. Channel One used taxpayer-funded time to sneak in advertising for this counter-culture ‘sports’ event and that, in my mind, is almost criminal. As if to add insult to injury, Channel One News didn’t even consider the mentioning of the Gravity Games as ‘commercial time’ so once again they go over the two-minute limit on advertising time and they hope nobody will care.”
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Primedia has a lot of money on the line with the Gravity Games and they have no hesitation to use Channel One News to pump up the TV ratings for the Games. |
At the beginning of the September 15th show:
[COLD OPEN REMOTE SHOW]
[TAL=ALEX/JOSH/RYAN NYQUIST]
[PRO=FRYMARK]
[AIRDATE=9/15/03]
ALEXANDRA: THE TRICKS ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD, THE ATHLETES ARE GOING FOR THE GOLD, AND CHANNEL ONE IS ON THE ROAD. HEY GUYS I’M ALEXANDRA MONTOYA COMING TO YOU FROM THE 2003 GRAVITY GAMES IN CLEVELAND, OHIO.
JOSHUA: I’M JOSHUA TOOLE. AND WE’RE HERE WITH A GUY WHO’S ALREADY WON GRAVITY GOLD ON HIS BIKE… RYAN NYQUIST.
RYAN NYQUIST: THANKS, BUT THE COMPETITION IS NOT QUITE OVER FOR ME YET. I GOTTA GO BACK OUT THERE AND DO THE STREET FINALS IN A LITTLE WHILE, SO …
ALEXANDRA: ALL RIGHT, WELL LET’S GET STARTED. IT’S MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15TH.
JOSHUA: AND YOU’RE WATCHING CHANNEL ONE NEWS.
[GENERIC NEWS]
[TAL=ALEX/JOSH]
ALEXANDRA: WE’RE HERE AT THE GRAVITY GAMES WITH RYAN NYQUIST.
RYAN NYQUIST: HEY GUYS.
JOSHUA: HEY, HOW’S IT GOING? WELL WE HAVE A LOT IN TODAY’S SHOW, SO LET’S GET STARTED WITH THE TOP STORY.
[INTRO HURRICANE]
[AIRDATE=09/15/03]
At the end of the show:
AIRDATE=09/15/03]
[PRODUCER=FRYMARK]
[TAL=ALEX/JOSH/RYAN]
ALEXANDRA: RYAN, THANKS FOR HANGING OUT WITH US TODAY. AND, UH, BEFORE WE GO, CAN YOU TELL US, UH, WHAT SORT OF TRICKS YOU MIGHT HAVE UP YOUR SLEEVE FOR THE STREET COMPETITION?
RYAN NYQUIST: UM, PROBABLY GONNA DO A COUPLE BACK FLIPS HERE AND THERE, MAYBE A 540, POSSIBLY A 720, I DON’T KNOW, BUT UH, YEAH, I DON’T KNOW JUST ALL THOSE RUNS, YOU GOTTA DO A WHOLE RUN AND JUST GET A GOOD SCORE HOPEFULLY, BUT UH, YOU KNOW THE GRAVITY GAMES ARE GOING TO BE ON NC,NBC FOR LIKE THE NEXT 5 SUNDAYS, SO YOU GOTTA CHECK IT OUT.
ALEXANDRA: GREAT, WE WILL.
JOSHUA: WELL WE’RE OUT OF TIME. WE’RE GOING TO WRAP THINGS UP IN CLEVELANDAND WE’LL SEE YOU BACK IN THE HACIENDA TOMORROW. BYE.
ALEXANDRA: BYE. SEE YA.
RYAN NYQUIST: BYE.
