A Michigan high school is the “winner” of Channel One’s latest contest to promote a musical act. Adrian High School may be getting into deep trouble with their community by hosting a British singer named Craig David. His type of music is called “two-step” in England. It is a form of rap.
Channel One’s Craig David Promotion
Mr. David’s recording company, Atlantic Records, is the real winner. They will get to promote one of their artists on school property. Michigan taxpayers will help foot the bill to promote this singer and his new CD. This artist is better known in the UK, but is not well-known in the U.S. That is what this concert is about. It is not primarily to honor students like Channel One says. It is about getting this rapper rapidly known by teens and pre-teens in order to support his budding career.
Obligation’s Jim Metrock said, “Gerald Burg is the principal of this school. Dr. Lenore Janman is the Superintendent. Both obviously don’t have a clue as to the scam Channel One is running. Both Mr. Burg and Dr. Janman probably think that Channel One News is making a great sacrifice to honor deserving students. It is spooky to see educators fall for such a scam. Channel One needed to deliver a school to Atlantic Records to promote Craig David and they used a ‘contest’ to pick the school that would be the venue for the promotional stunt. Adrian High School is being conned by the marketing pros at Channel One. Does it matter to Mr. Burg and Dr. Janman that this artist’s music is filled with lyrics that promote underage drinking? I bet Mr. Burg didn’t spend any time at all researching this ‘contest and its real purpose. Looks like this ‘free concert’ may cost Adrian High School more than they expected. What a shame that truly deserving students that gave so much of themselves to help poor Mexicans, over several years, can only get honored by the likes of Channel One. Channel One News is widely considered a joke. What these students did is serious. The students deserve better than a Channel One Craig David concert. Michigan taxpayers deserve a more attentive principal and superintendent. They deserve a principal and superintendent that will not waste precious tax money.”
Notice that the school was told they were picked from “thousands” of entries. That is impossible. Channel One gets very few responses to anything it does and especially something like this contest where schools have to submit a video and support letters from their principal. Few schools would allow their students to enter a contest like this. (This type of thing could get an administrator fired.) The proof is at Channel One. Maybe a reporter can ask Channel One for the list of the “thousands” of schools that tried to win this prize. Channel One would never give out this list. Our guess is Adrian HS was chosen from a group of 20 to 100 schools.
Metrock said, “One wonders if any rock band or singer can now use public buildings at Adrian High School to play a concert so they can promote a new CD or their tour? Will this Craig David concert be after school hours or during school hours? If during school hours, the school board ought to be very upset. If I had a rock or rap band anywhere near Adrian High School, I would be lined up at Dr.Janman’s office to get my opportunity for a ‘gig’ at the school.”
Once Obligation gets the footage of the concert, we will put it on our web site.
Adrian High students, teacher win Channel One contest
By David Frownfelder — Daily Telegram Staff Writer
ADRIAN — Three Adrian High School students and their teacher have won a national contest from Channel One, the in-school cable television channel. The prize is a feature story on Channel One and a concert from recording artist Craig David Thursday at the high school.
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For the past five years, students from Adrian and Sand Creek high schools have taken the 36-hour bus ride to Los Olivias. The video showed students pouring concrete to reinforce a community building, eating with the residents and giving gift boxes to the children for the full story:
http://www.lenconnect.com/articles/2003/03/15/news/news16.txt
