Does your school still have Channel One News?
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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.

Bad News For The Knight Foundation

November 4, 2006
Bad News For The Knight Foundation

From Jim Metrock: One of the last organizations that should ever give money to Channel One is the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. This organization helps promote excellence in journalism. Now it appears they have expanded their mission to help underwrite bizarre journalism. As responsible advertisers have fled from Channel One’s controversial...
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Disgraceful

October 20, 2006
Disgraceful

    On October 13, Channel One reporter Cali Carlin barely could contain herself as she giddily told students about the Gatorade Play of the Week. Here is the script she read: GATORADE PLAY OF THE WEEK CALI: TODAY’S PLAY OF THE WEEK ISN’T JUST ONE PLAY, IT’S AN ENTIRE GAME. PAUL MCCOY –...
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Follow The Money

October 19, 2006

We just found this January 2006 article from a labor/education website. It is well written and researched. This writer understood the connection between Channel One News and Jack Abramoff months before the Senate Finance report. “Follow The Money”: From Abramoff and Lobbygate to ‘For Profit’ Education Filed under: General — Leo Casey @ 9:53...
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Buy Teddy Geiger’s CD

October 18, 2006
Buy Teddy Geiger’s CD

On today’s Channel One News show precious minutes are burned up with a trivial and inconsequential interview with another rock star that needs publicity for a his latest CD. Teddy Geiger’s 2006 CD "Underage Thinking" peaked at number 8 on the Billboard charts and is sinking like a ton of bricks. What to do?...
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Channel One’s Dirty Past Catches Up

October 16, 2006
Channel One’s Dirty Past Catches Up

  Abramoff Probe Touches Primedia’s Channel One, MPA by Todd Shields OCTOBER 16, 2006 – Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his associates repeatedly sought payment from the Magazine Publishers of America and Primedia’s Channel One as they orchestrated lobbying campaigns in Washington, according to a Senate report. A former Channel One executive prodded Abramoff...
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Still Funny

October 16, 2006
Still Funny

On May 18, 2005, Channel One issued a very impressive sounding press release entitled, "Channel One Website Launches Government Information Resource." The press release can be found in our article "This Is Funny." Today, October 16, 2006, we revisited this "centralized listing of public services at the local, state and federal levels." Nothing has...
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Report Uncovers Channel One’s Sleazy Tactics

October 15, 2006

MINORITY STAFF REPORT INVESTIGATION OF JACK ABRAMOFF’S USE OF TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATIONS PREPARED BY THE MINORITY STAFF OF THE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE UNITED STATES SENATE CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Chairman MAX BAUCUS, Ranking Member OCTOBER  2006 COMMITTEE ON FINANCE CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, Iowa, Chairman ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah TRENT LOTT, Mississippi OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine JON...
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The 1999 Senate Hearing

October 14, 2006
The 1999 Senate Hearing

From Jim Metrock: This is one of my favorite photos. This was taken on May 20, 1999 right after a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing on Channel One. Ralph Nader, Pat Ellis and yours truly of Obligation, and Phyllis Schlafly of the Eagle Forum. We all opposed Channel One’s presence in schools. Channel One opposed...
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Bombshell

October 13, 2006
Bombshell

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee has published emails and letters that document how Channel One’s lead lobbyist and convicted felon Jack Abramoff used his connections and Channel One’s money to buy ‘support’ for the controversial company. The information in this Minority Staff report released yesterday, October 12, shows how Channel One tried to crush...
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Fake Window, Live On Location

October 11, 2006
Fake Window, Live On Location

Deconstructing Channel One News: The anchor welcomes students to the day’s broadcast. (Notice the window behind him.) The Channel One News show is constructed in a way to make students think that it is live when in fact it is 100% taped. Parts of it are taped the day before and parts are taped...
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