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.

Buzzed

March 28, 2006
Buzzed

Who made the decision to air this in schools? From Jim Metrock: Before we go to the latest video, let’s give a go over a little history. Over and over again, year in and year out, I have witnessed Channel One News sending truly awful, irresponsible messages to young people about underage drinking. The message they send to their...
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Corpse Bride

March 27, 2006
Corpse Bride

Screen shot from Channel One News. This is not a commercial children would see at home. Movie studios are depending more and more on DVD sales to make a movie profitable. Tim Burton’s stop-action animated film Corpse Bride did well on its opening weekend back in September 2005 pulling in $20 million for a second place finish (Flight...
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Close Call For Ralph Reed And Channel One

March 27, 2006
Close Call For Ralph Reed And Channel One

  Ralph Reed has been a paid consultant for Channel One since 1999.   Texas district attorney cites 2-year statute of limitations No probe in Reed lobbying efforts By Jim Galloway COX NEWS SERVICE Monday, March 27, 2006 A Texas prosecutor on Monday announced he would not pursue misdemeanor criminal charges against Ralph Reed, a Republican candidate...
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More Empty Calories

March 24, 2006
More Empty Calories

Screen shot from Channel One News. It’s a full-scale advertising assault on school kids. Channel One News is pushing another sugared gum on its show. Wrigley’s needs more children to take up the chewing gum habit. That is why they are advertising on Channel One. The sugar in a stick of gum (2 grams) is not...
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Judy Harris Approves New Junk Food Ad Campaign

March 20, 2006
Judy Harris Approves New Junk Food Ad Campaign

This picture is a composite of Ms. Harris speaking about “healthy messages” at the NGA meeting and a screen shot of a Juicy Fruit commercial that ran on C1N shortly after that meeting. We added the words that seem like something she would say. Days after Judy Harris, Channel One’s CEO and president, appeared before...
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A Story Influenced By An Advertiser

March 13, 2006
A Story Influenced By An Advertiser

Channel One CEO Judy “Advertorial” Harris “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, “itmeans just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words meanso many different things.” ________ “Channel One is very serious about its role...
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Channel One News Is A National Joke

March 8, 2006
Channel One News Is A National Joke

Last night on The Colbert Report, March 7, 2006 The Colbert Report is a spin-off of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on the Comedy Channel. On the show last night the host reported on the study in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal Pediatrics. The study said that Channel One poses an “ethical dilemma” for schools (that...
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Very Disturbing

March 7, 2006
Very Disturbing

On January 23, 2006, Channel One began running a Verizon commercial whose purpose was to get young people to nag their parents for a cell phone with Verizon Wireless service. The commercial was pushing a new feature called “ringback.” When your friends call you they won’t hear the phone ringing, but instead will hear a song that you have...
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Ethical Dilemma For Schools

March 6, 2006

Students Remember More Ads Than News By CARLA K. JOHNSON The Associated Press Monday, March 6, 2006; 6:17 AM CHICAGO — Students remember more of the advertising than they do the news stories shown on Channel One, the daily public affairs program shown in 12,000 U.S. schools, a study has found. Students reported buying , or having...
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Judy Harris Speaks

February 26, 2006
Judy Harris Speaks

Channel One’s CEO Judy Harris Panel Discussion on Communicating Healthy Messages National Governor’s Conference, Washington, DC February 26, 2006 These ten video clips present every word spoken by Ms. Harris in the order she said them. It is impossible for us to put the video of the entire panel discussion on our site. Although...
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