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.

Veronica Mars

November 2, 2004
Veronica Mars

" These days, Veronica deals with her high school troubles during the day and helps her dad run a private detective agency at night. We’re not talking The Secret of the Old Clock. Seventeen-year-old Veronica is tracking down adulterers at sleazy motels and cops getting "favors" from exotic dancers. It’s a little much to...
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Not Too Smart

October 20, 2004
Not Too Smart

Warner Brothers movie studio once again needs the help of Channel One News. There is a new movie coming out called “The Polar Express.” It is based on the best-selling children’s book. WB, a major advertiser on Channel One has a huge amount of money involved in the movie. It is imperative that children see this movie in...
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Zapzyt

October 18, 2004
Zapzyt

This is bad. Somebody ought to be fired. Waltman Pharmaceuticals makes an acne medicine called Zapzyt Acne Treatment Gel. They got caught trying to advertise the product on children’s television programs earlier this year. On July 29, the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus announced that Waltman agreed to stop advertising during...
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Audience

October 13, 2004
Audience

Reality sinks in at Channel One News. From Jim Metrock in Bryant Park in New York City: Beautiful day in Bryant Park (right behind the New York Public Library). It is a beautiful little park that has a special feature I really like – free, high-speed, wireless Internet service. I have been in the Big Apple since Sunday and this...
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Herbal Essence

October 9, 2004

Everybody knows the outrageous TV ads for Clairol’s Herbal Essence shampoo. Recently, the company has toned down the “orgasmic/organic” angle and simply show images of women very happy using Herbal Essence. In September, Herbal Essence made its debut on Channel One News (both the high school feed and the middle school feed). The new ads don’t have the overt...
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Ominous News

September 25, 2004

Primedia is Channel One’s parent company. They have four divisions. One division is called Education and Training. This division has only three companies: Workplace Learning, Films for Humanities, and Channel One News. Primedia has repeatedly said this division is not doing well. These three companies remain "challenged" as company executives have told analysts in...
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No Programming VP, No Education VP

September 15, 2004

This is the third year that Channel One News has refused to hire a Education Vice President to replace Dr. Paul Folkermer who walked out in 2001. Education has never been a mission of Channel One News. They hired Folkermer, a NJ middle school principal who had allowed his school to be used for...
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Anchors Away

September 13, 2004
Anchors Away

Eight, Seven, Six, Five… Four Will Derrick Shore be the last person remaining at Channel One News?   In a little over a year’s time, Channel One News has cut back from eight news anchors to four. This drastic cut is obviously due to the financial troubles that plague the company. The remaining anchors are Derrick Shore, Seth...
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Channel One Advertiser Offers Graphic Sexual and Drug/Alcohol Images for Teen Cell Phones

September 7, 2004
Channel One Advertiser Offers Graphic Sexual and Drug/Alcohol Images for Teen Cell Phones

The official web site for Channel One News has a new, shocking advertiser. The name of the advertiser is Ringingphone.com. This company is paying Channel One News so they can have access to the children that visit channelone.com. (The in-school TV show, Channel One News, repeatedly urges students to visit Channel One’s site.) On...
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Good Riddance to Channel One’s Message Board

August 17, 2004
Good Riddance to Channel One’s Message Board

This screen shot is from ChannelOne.com on August 17.   Obligation’s reporting on Channel One’s vulgar message boards has apparently led to their shut-down. These Channel One News "forums" have had graphic sexual content, instructions on how children can mutilate themselves, and drug discussions. Channel One even hosted a discussion among kids about whether...
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