Channel One executives just can’t pass up the money that movie studios wave beneath their noses.
On October 6, Channel One ran a commercial in middle schools around the country for a PG13 movie called “Pay It Forward.” To get the kids’ attention a partially-clothed Helen Hunt is prominently shown in the classroom commercial. Children see Helen Hunt with her blouse off and her arms out by her side and her middle school age son is sniffing her arm pits and he says, “You smell good.” She is wearing a skimpy baby blue bra. (We all remember Channel One’s infamous “Topless Girl” commercial from the ’99-00′ school year, don’t we?)
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SIZE=”-1″ FACE=”Arial”>Channel One has of course shown worse, such as this year’s commercial for the PG13 Supernova that showed a person being gutted and others being killed by “something” on a spaceship. These sexual images and ultra-violent images are part of the long heritage of Channel One.
Jim Metrock said, “You can imagine the disruption in class by seeing this young boy right up on the breasts of this ‘older woman.’ What would a teacher do if a boy brought a print picture of an adult woman in a bra and displayed it in front of the class? What should parents do to teachers and administrators who allow Channel One to do the very same thing to sell a movie? The problem is not that Channel One continues to show children ads for PG13 movies. The problem is that a captive audience of impressionable schoolchildren are compelled to watch commercials for ANY movie, for ANY product. If anyone thinks a PG movie is automatically appropriate for middle school students, then I think that person is completely clueless. Channel One is making huge profits by dumping movie commercials into our children’s classrooms. Nothing is sacred to these marketers.”
Metrock said, “Based on our experience in Alabama, there is no question that schools are turning off Channel One in record numbers. Teachers, principals, and school boards are fed up with having to defend the sexual and violent images Channel One insists on bringing into America’s classroom.”
ScreenIt.Com’s ratings for “Pay It Forward”
Alcohol/Drugs – Heavy
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude – Extreme
Profanity – Moderate
Sex/Nudity – Moderate
Tense Family Scenes – Extreme
Violence – Heavy
