Channel One has come off one of its worst years and now faces a very challenging 2002-2003 school year. National advertisers don’t see Channel One as a “sure bet” anymore in their efforts to get commercial messages to young people. Serious questions remain about the enforcement of Channel One’s contract. As Obligation has stated for years, we know...
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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.
Survival Year For Channel One Begins August 12
Junk Food Ads Have Made Channel One Fat With Profits
Since 1996, when Obligation began monitoring the show, Channel One has advertised high-sugar, high-fat, high-caffeine junk food and drink to schoolchildren. Channel One has run contests that dangle $2 million in front of children to get them to eat more M&Ms. Candy bars, cupcakes, Twinkies and assorted junk food have been regular advertisers on Channel One over the...
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Why Are These Men Smiling?
You would too if you received the money they do from Channel One. There is an obesity crisis among our children yet these three are happy to do whatever they can to keep Pepsi and Twinkie commercials in classrooms. “Deal with it, kid,” they might tell an unfortunate student in a school with Channel One. Violence a...
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Santa Rita Principal Could Be On The Hot Seat
Madonna owns a recording company, Maverick Records, and they are an advertiser on Channel One News. C1 partnered with Maverick to get one of their new artists some publicity to help her new CD. The plan was simple: find a principal that would agree to host a concert for Maverick’s Michelle Branch and allow Channel One to film...
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News About Channel One – Jan. to April 2002
News About Channel One – 2002 Obligation, Inc. The Year Of The Taxpayer Revolt Use Our New Search Feature Maverick Records Comes To Santa Rita H.S. ……….Boone Grove Stands Up To Channel One……….Chopra, Greene, Menounos Leaving C1……….Madonna’s Recording Company Advertising on C1…Contest Could Land Principals In The Doghouse………Ralph Reed Keeps Working For Channel One……….Questions...
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Boone Grove, Indiana
From Jim Metrock: I have just returned from a successful trip to Boone Grove, Indiana. (About 50 miles SE of Gary, IN) I met with parents and other citizens who are upset that their school administrators and school board voted to sign a contract with Channel One without many parents knowing about it. School...
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Branch Contest Draws Five Schools? Who Will Be The “Winner”?
Incredible as it seems, five school principals have approved the use of their school to promote Michelle Branch, a new artist for Madonna’s Maverick Records. The sponsors of this contest/promotion are Maverick Records and Channel One. The five schools announced on Channel One’s web site are; Alexander Jr. High School, Brookhaven, MS Antonian College...
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Running For The Hills! Anchors To Leave Sinking Channel One
Times are tough at Channel One. Three anchors and possibly more are leaving the controversial TV show. Maria Menounos is going to Entertainment Tonight (Channel One could be called "Entertainment This Morning") and she is bragging about her own show on MTV. Krystal Greene is also leaving Channel One after this season. Gotham Chopra...
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Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!
From: Jim Metrock Let the good times roll! as they say in New Orleans. I have just come back from the 62nd National School Board Assn. convention in New Orleans. Obligation had a booth in the exhibit hall that urged school board members to remove Channel One from their schools. I was overwhelmed by...
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“The Academy Award For Most Moronic Pretend News Show Goes To… Channel One!”
The Oscars returned to Hollywood last night for the first time since 1960. Lucky for school kids, Channel One’s studio is in Hollywood so it was easy for them to cover this important current event. Below is part of today’s transcript. (KRYSTAL ON CAM) IT WAS AN EXCITING NIGHT IN HOLLYWOOD BECAUSE...
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