Does your school still have Channel One News?
Learn how to unplug

Houghton Mifflin/Channel One News

Channel One News is a youth marketing company whose main purpose is to get advertising to a captive audience of impressionable schoolchildren. The company loans a school TV equipment in exchange for the school’s contractual pledge to show students a daily, 12-minute, hyper-commercial, TV program called Channel One News. Students lose one hour a week of schools time, which equates to one lost week of instructional time (32 hours) per year. No educational organization endorses the use of Channel One News.

Channel One has fallen on very hard times. Once they claimed over 8 million students were under contract. Since 1997 they have continued to lose schools and now they claim “nearly five million” students and the true figure is probably lower.

In May 2014, publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt acquired Channel One from ZelnickMedia the makers of the ultra-violent Grand Thief Auto video game series. Houghton Mifflin did not disclose the purchase price.

At the end of 2014 most of Channel One’s full-paying advertisers have abandoned the program.

Channel One Steps Closer To The Edge

December 20, 2006

Press Release Source: PRIMEDIA Inc. PRIMEDIA’s Education Segment to be Classified as a Discontinued Operation Wednesday December 20, 11:00 am ET NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–PRIMEDIA Inc. (NYSE: PRM – News) today announced that in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), the extent of the Company’s progress in exploring strategic options for the assets in...
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Last Show?

December 19, 2006

Obligation believes that today’s Channel One News program will be their last one – ever. Today’s show (December 19) is the last one before their normal holiday break, but with all the losses and lack of support for the company from their parent company Primedia, it makes sense for them to never come back...
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Going, Going, Gone?

December 14, 2006
Going, Going, Gone?

Channel One: Going, Going, Gone? Primedia Weighing Options for Its In-School TV Network By Claire Atkinson December 14, 2006 NEW YORK (AdAge.com ) — The future of Channel One, the in-school TV network that launched the careers of CNN’s Anderson Cooper and "National Geographic’s Ultimate Explorer" host Lisa Ling, is hanging in the balance....
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Commercial marketing in schools may discourage healthy nutrition environment

December 13, 2006

Wednesday, December 13, 2006 Commercial activity permitted in schools, such as soft drink ads; the use of Channel One broadcasts in classrooms; sales incentives from soft drink bottlers; and exclusive beverage contracts may discourage a "nutrition-friendly" environment for students, say researchers. Dr. Claudia Probart, Penn State associate professor of nutritional sciences who led the...
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Bureau Schools: Another Failure

December 7, 2006
Bureau Schools: Another Failure

From Jim Metrock: It was a good idea if it had worked: Cut programming expenses at Channel One and air student-produced news stories that would cost Channel One nothing. Since this spring Channel One has been using their in-school show and web site to constantly solicit schools to sign up as "Bureau Schools." Channel...
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Nelson’s Options

December 6, 2006
Nelson’s Options

Dean Nelson is the Chairman and CEO of Channel One’s parent company PRIMEDIA. Today he discussed Channel One at the Credit Suisse’s Media Week conference in New York City. If you were one of the remaining employees of Channel One and you listened to what Mr. Nelson had to say, you would be at...
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AAP Calls For Ban On All School-Based Advertising

December 4, 2006

December 4, 2006 Pediatricians call for less advertising to children By Marilyn Elias, USA TODAY Pediatricians should lobby for a ban or severe curtailment on widespread school-based ads, and Congress should prohibit commercials for "junk food" on TV shows watched mostly by young children, the American Academy of Pediatrics says Monday. The new policy...
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Another Confusing FlyPen Ad

December 2, 2006
Another Confusing FlyPen Ad

Above: This picture is taken from Channel One’s web rebroadcast of their in-school TV show. This is what the children see. This is a new commercial for LeapFrog’s Fly Pen. Do you see the fine print at the bottom? Can you read it? It’s difficult but you can read it because it is frozen....
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Bluestreaks, Eyeblasters, and Shoshkeles

November 21, 2006
Bluestreaks, Eyeblasters, and Shoshkeles

Here is a 26-page Channel One sales pitch to potential web advertisers. Channel One not only has advertising on its in-school TV show, but also on its web site Channelone.com. As more and more schools drop Channel One’s TV show or simply turn it off, Channel One has to ramp up the advertising on...
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Wii

November 18, 2006
Wii

Channel One screen shot : The ending of the commercial for the $250 Wii video game system. It’s nearing the holiday season and Channel One again is beginning to advertise expensive products for their preteen and teen audience. The objective is to get young people to nag their parents. Nintendo is a long-time advertiser...
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