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.
From Jim Metrock: Hey kids, Channel One News is basically closed down for the long summer, but I have an idea how we can squeeze some value out of their dismal website. So I go to Channel One’s website this morning and I see this poll they want visitors to take. The results of...
Read More »
From the archives. Excerpt: “Youth is critical to the soft-drink business,” said C.J. Fraleigh, vice president for cola marketing for Pepsi-Cola, which has advertised on Channel One since its inception. “That’s when so many people form their brand preferences.” He said Channel One was attractive to Pepsi because it reaches teenagers as efficiently as...
Read More »
This is an email I sent to Don Oldenburg. Dear Mr. Oldenburg Last year you wrote a glowing article about Channel One News for the Parent Choice website. You touched briefly on some people having a problem with “advertising.” You appear to be unfamiliar with what Channel...
Read More »
From Jim Metrock: John “Jack” J. Lynch, Jr. is the president and Chief Executive Officer of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Mr. Lynch’s task is to clean up the mess that Linda Zecher made when she headed HMH. One of Ms. Zecher’s biggest mistakes was acquiring Channel One News. Acquiring a pariah in the world of...
Read More »
From Jim Metrock: Channel One News did a major promotion for Teen Vogue in the closing days of this past school year. Many teens and preteens more than likely became subscribers or at least visitors to Teen Vogue’s website because of Channel One’s efforts. I subscribed to Teen Vogue after Channel One News devoted...
Read More »
From Jim Metrock: Why are these wannabe reporters saying “goodbye” to students? I thought Channel One News was THE place to keep young people informed about world events? Is there no news in June, July, and August. These guys could stream video news reports online all summer, if they wanted to. Alas, they don’t...
Read More »
From Jim Metrock: Today, May 25, 2017 will go down as an important day in the history of Channel One News. It’s important, but not in a good way. Today Channel One, the in-school, TV show for kids, devoted a significant amount of its program to promoting a magazine and website that, I’m guessing...
Read More »
From Jim Metrock: In 2007, Alloy, Inc. issued 150,000 shares of stock in connection with its purchase of Frontline Marketing. Alloy paid $5.8 million for Frontline, which included $1.8 million of stock. Alloy bought Frontline Marketing in...
Read More »
Watch Channel One’s commercial: C1 Cybiko 111601 From Jim Metrock: I become ill when I think of what Channel One News has advertised to American schoolchildren. I have been watching their commercials since 1996 up until several years ago when they made it virtually impossible for the public to see their ads. Today, what...
Read More »
From Jim Metrock: It appears that Channel One will once again avoid going out of business. I was hoping for an announcement (on May 4) that the infamous “kiddie marketing” firm would cease operations, but I understand now that probably won’t happen. Rats! Channel One News will continue to limp on and pursue its main...
Read More »
