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.

Can You Find What Is Different?

October 2, 2006

Can you tell what is different between these two video clips? Original opening to Channel One News, September 21, 2006. Altered opening to the same show. [Both clips are filmed from Channel One’s webcast. Obligation’s request for tapes of Channel One shows have been ignored by the company. One can see why Channel One...
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District 215

September 30, 2006

District Criticizes Channel One Service CALUMET CITY D. 215 officials said they still need service connected BY PHIL ROCKROHR Times Correspondent This story ran on nwitimes.com on Saturday, September 30, 2006 12:35 AM CDT CALUMET CITY | Channel One has provided local high schools with the free TVs and VCRs it promised, but no...
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Nutley Journal Editorial

September 29, 2006
Nutley Journal Editorial

Opinion from the Channel Off Wednesday, September 27, 2006 12:03 PM EDT For months, the Nutley Board of Education has been discussed airing a 12-minute news program in the classroom potentially scheduled to start next school year. The news program is provided by Channel One Network. While board members have been discussing the merits...
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Rutherford Institute Article

September 28, 2006

The Rutherford Institute Advertising Our Children to Death By John W. Whitehead 9/28/2006 Advertising has become a key defining characteristic of contemporary society. It’s everywhere. Schools used to be one of the few places that weren’t bombarded by advertisers. But even that is changing with the introduction of Channel One and BusRadio. Channel One...
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Another Contract Violation

September 26, 2006
Another Contract Violation

From Jim Metrock: Ken McNatt sent me an email about today’s Channel One script. He has found another example of Channel One violating their contractual promises to educators. This violation is a new one. From today’s Channel One transcript. Ken’s comments are in the parentheses. BUT ONE YEAR AND ONE-HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FOUR MILLION...
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Ad Age Reports On Coaltion Letter

September 21, 2006

Consumer Groups Lobby to Remove Ads from Schools Call for Boycott of Channel One, BusRadio By Meredith Deliso Published: September 19, 2006 NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — In an age where advertising is more aggressive and techniques that target children are controversial, there are those who want to keep at least one area free of...
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Panic! At The Disco

September 21, 2006
Panic! At The Disco

If you can’t read the title of this explicit CD by Panic! At The Disco, it says: Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off. Jim Metrock deconstructs Channel One’s Panic! At The Disco promotion. (Video) Part 1 Part 2   "And it sure as hell ain’t normal."...
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Come On, Judy. Stop It!

September 20, 2006
Come On, Judy. Stop It!

This picture is from the latest Channel One News ad campaign to get children to consume more Hubba Bubble bubble gum. Obligation has tried to convince Channel One’s executives that schoolchildren do not need more sugar in their lives. We obviously have failed. Hubba Bubba is an old brand that is trying to get...
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Subway At It Again

September 19, 2006
Subway At It Again

Screen shot of actual classroom ad on Channel One News.   Subway is back on Channel One News and they are doing the same thing they did all last school year: advertising their highest-calorie, highest-fat-content sandwiches. Students aren’t told what sandwiches are being displayed in this new ad, but these are not Subway’s famous...
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Coalition Letter

September 15, 2006

News Release For Immediate Release:                                                            For More Information Contact: Thursday, September 14, 2006                                                Gary Ruskin (503) 235-8012                                                                                                 Sarah Roberts (202) 255-8332 Children’s Advocates Ask Companies Not to Advertise on BusRadio and Channel One Children’s advocates sent letters today to...
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