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.

Channel One News Hall of Shame: The New Republic article (1999)

January 18, 2017
Channel One News Hall of Shame: The New Republic article (1999)

    https://obligation.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/c1-Changing-the-Channel-New-Republic.pdf
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An absurd waste of taxpayer money. What Channel One News did on January 5, 2017.

January 6, 2017
An absurd waste of taxpayer money.  What Channel One News did on January 5, 2017.

From Jim Metrock:   On January 5, Channel One News devoted over two minutes of their time, and more importantly taxpayer-funded school time, to the topic of… wait for it… new colors of ballet leotards.  You can watch this story at the link below. Why do this? Was this what school officials had in...
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Channel One News rubs pot in faces of preteens

January 4, 2017
Channel One News rubs pot in faces of preteens

From Jim Metrock:  Oh no, Channel One News is about to tell schoolchildren about new laws going into effect in 2017.  Since I have watched Channel One since 1996, I know that the numbskulls at Channel One will most definitely have a segment about marijuana – they love telling kids about pot.  I don’t...
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Channel One News say “Bah Humbug” to Christmas, again.

December 23, 2016
Channel One News say “Bah Humbug” to Christmas, again.

  From Jim Metrock:  I have watched Channel One News since 1996 and I have never heard anybody on the show ever wish students a “Merry Christmas” or make any mention that Christmas is an important religious holiday in America.  This year it is same.  Channel One News signed off for the year without...
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Channel One News Hall of Shame: First Day Is All Horror Day

December 17, 2016
Channel One News Hall of Shame: First Day Is All Horror Day

From Jim Metrock: This article was originally published on August 16, 2005. This story underscores Channel One’s sick policy of forcing the same news story on students no matter what age. August 16, 2005 – First Day Is All Horror Day Screen shot from Channel One News show for middle school students. Above all, you must get...
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Channel One News Hall of Shame: Explain this, Channel One. (2012)

December 11, 2016
Channel One News Hall of Shame: Explain this, Channel One. (2012)

This article was originally published on August 25, 2012.   ____________________________________________________________ December 11, 2016 – From Jim Metrock: This is the typical cultural rot that Channel One News advertises to American schoolchildren. I am unable to verify what is being advertised on the controversial in-school TV show now, but I assume it’s more of the...
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Channel One News teaching schoolchildren America is safer with sanctuary cities.

December 9, 2016
Channel One News teaching schoolchildren America is safer with sanctuary cities.

Once again Channel One News pushes its agenda on a captive audience of schoolchildren. 85% of story is supportive of sanctuary city policies. School administrators have no idea of Channel One’s attempt to mold the minds of students.   From Channel One’s official December 6 transcript: Okay, after the break, why some cities are...
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Rhode Island taxpayers help out Channel One

December 5, 2016
Rhode Island taxpayers help out Channel One

      Watch for yourself:   channel-one-ferri-ms-dec-22016 From official transcript: Students: We’re Ms. Hunt’s homeroom from N. A. Ferri Middle School in Johnston, Rhode Island, and Channel One News starts right now! Tom: The running man and the dab? Mind blown. Thanks to Nicholas Ferri Middle School for getting us in gear.   ...
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Sharleen Smith VP Product Management out the door at Channel One News

November 30, 2016
Sharleen Smith VP Product Management out the door at Channel One News

From Jim Metrock: Sharleen Smith did everything she could to bring more advertising into public school classrooms and to make Channel One News relevant again.  She worked at Channel One News for three years then left five months ago. Her efforts to create a digital product that educators would actually subscribe to and make...
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Channel One News to kids: How will history treat a brutal human rights violator?

November 29, 2016
Channel One News to kids: How will history treat a brutal human rights violator?

“Discussion prompt” from Channel One’s Nov. 28 newsletter to teachers. Ugh.   From Jim Metrock:  Yesterday Channel One News told students that when it came to the brutally repressive regime of Fidel Castro there were – get ready – pros and cons. Channel One News purposefully misled schoolchildren by implying the entire country of...
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