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 writes the contract that schools must sign if they want to get their "free" TV equipment. It has now become very clear that Channel One attorneys have removed the "80%" clause from many, if not all, contracts. This is big news for schools. Channel One used to require schools to promise they...
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Atlanta Constitution (July 31, 2003) One channel worth changing By JOSH BUICE Are Channel One’s features and advertisements inappropriate for middle and high schoolers? We live in a day where passwords are required for televisions and computers to ensure that children have a safe environment for entertainment and Internet options. With technology rapidly growing,...
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Morgan Wandell decides what stories are on the in-school TV show. He is also in charge of the Channelone.com web site. Mr. Wandell is not what you call a "heavyweight" in the world of journalism. He was a low-level producer for Channel One in the early 90s. He left and went to Disney TV....
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It’s not a good sign for the few supporters of Channel One News. Channel One is moving again. This time they have moved out of their Jimmy Carter Blvd. digs in Norcross, GA to less expensive accommodations at 3100 Breckenridge Blvd., Suite 529, Duluth, GA. Two years ago, Channel One was forced to move out of...
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December 9, 2002 – Obligation’s Survey of Channel One Advertising A Survey of 100 Random Shows Over The Last Five School Years 1997-98 to 2001-02 From Obligation’s president Jim Metrock: This survey is very unscientific. Obligation, Inc. actively opposes classroom commercialism. Therefore a biased group is doing the survey. The normal safeguards used in...
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From: Jim Metrock Date: Thu Jul 17, 2003 12:29:55 PM US/Central To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Subject: Application Dear Mr. Wandell: I understand you are needing anchors. Please consider me. I know, you
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Registration is required to read the full article but it is free. Here are some of Ms. Quart’s comments about Channel One. July 16, 2003 Welcome to (Company Name Here) High™ By ALISSA QUART It’s easy, like selling candy to children." In the last month, that bromide has taken on a whole new meaning...
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Another Channel One on-air personality has left the TV show. This time it is Gotham Chopra. Chopra has been a fixture at Channel One for many years. He is the son of New Age guru Deepak Chopra. Much like Gloria Vanderbilt’s son, Anderson Cooper, Gotham Chopra didn’t need the baggage of Channel One News...
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From Jim Metrock: I was honored to deliver a keynote address to the Council of Urban Boards of Education on Saturday, June 28, 2005 in Chicago. This important group is a part of the National School Boards Association. They represent over one hundred city school districts. My remarks concerned the broad issue of “school/business...
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