From Jim Metrock: When I was told that Stealing Harvard was advertised on Channel One, I had doubts. It was too filthy and didn’t Channel One understand they are in big trouble pushing sleaze on Texas schoolchildren? I keep on overestimating the intelligence and responsibility of Channel One executives. Last night I received tapes of Channel One from...
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Does your school still have Channel One News?
Learn how to unplug
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.
Stealing Harvard – Where is MADD?
Iowa City Students Want Channel One Out
Wednesday, October 9, 2002 City High students raise concerns about Channel One By Mike McWilliams Iowa City Press-Citizen Four City High students challenged the Iowa City School Board on Tuesday to reconsider its contract with Channel One, saying it is more of a detriment than a benefit to its viewers. The 12-minute satellite news...
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Junk Food Comes Back
Channel One just finished a two-part series on children getting fatter and getting Type II diabetes. Yesterday’s show had no regular commercials, just public service announcements. That makes the show a perfect one to send to school boards as an example of Channel One’s programming. It is a lie of course, but Channel One is struggling to survive...
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Another Violent Movie Gets Promoted In America’s Classrooms
They just can’t give it up. Channel One should be cleaning up its act before the super critical November 15 Texas State Board of Education vote, but they can’t turn away from their Hollywood money train. DreamWorks needed kids to see its latest movie The Tuxedo and Channel One took their money and ran their movie commercial on...
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Robert McChesney on Channel One
On October 18, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, hundreds of media literacy experts will gather to kick-off the creation of the Action Coalition for Media Education (ACME). Obligation is one of the early supporters of this organization. This weekend the keynote address will be given by Robert McChesney author of Rich Media, Poor Democracy. We...
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Punk Rock Day on Channel One News
Every Thursday, unknown to virtually all parents, Channel One News has their “All-Request Thursday”. This is the day that students get to pick the music that Channel One News plays on the air. On the other days of the week Channel One’s staff gets to pick out their favorite rock and rap artists to put on the show....
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Texas Editorial
Costs of Channel One By David Bloom The Baytown Sun Published September 15, 2002 Channel One trade ad in Advertising Age: “We have the UNDIVIDED ATTENTION of millions of teenagers for 12 minutes a day. 8.1 million teenagers in classrooms nationwide … And since they’re not channel surfing, talking on the phone or...
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Good Grief – Channel One Dumps More Junk Food Ads On Middle School Kids
Yet another junk food is being pushed on schoolchildren by Channel One. The latest addition is called Snak Stix from Kellogg’s. Brandweek magazine reported on this new sugary product in May of this year: “Kellogg Pops Up Its Tarts NEW YORK — Kellogg next month will extend its Pop-Tarts brand with a new Snak-Stix version, backed...
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Texas To Vote on Channel One Resolution in November
From Jim Metrock: The Texas State Board of Education is considering passing a resolution that would urge local school boards to remove Channel One from their schools. Testimony was heard on September 13 but a Channel One-hired lobbyist told the Board that they had insufficient time to prepare a defense. The Board voted to table the vote until...
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