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.

C1N Advertises “MonkeyBone” Sleaze Fest to Kids

March 14, 2001

f MonkeyBone has just finished jumping down the front of this woman’s dress and exploring the woman’s body under her clothes. He tells her, "I left my phone number on your underwear." This is a sample of the sleaze that oozes from this sex comedy that Channel One promoted to children as young as...
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Channel One Urged To Drop Soft Drink Commercials

March 14, 2001
Channel One Urged To Drop Soft Drink Commercials

March 14, 2001 (Birmingham, AL) Obligation, Inc., a Birmingham, AL-based child advocacy organization, called on the controversial in-school marketing company, Channel One, to stop airing any commercials for soft drinks to its captive audience of schoolchildren (ages 11-18). According to Channel One, over 8 million schoolchildren, between the ages of 11-18, are under contract...
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Monkeybone

March 12, 2001
Monkeybone

Another Filthy Movie Advertised on Channel One Protest Letter to Paul Folkemer and Noreen Clarke of Channel One Channel One Urges Kids to See Vulgar "MonkeyBone" Movie Warning: This letter contains graphic language describing content in this "Channel One-approved" Dirty Movie  This scene was shown in classrooms. Parents have no idea what utter sleaze...
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Channel One’s Parent Company Into Hardcore Porn

March 9, 2001

  Warning: This news release contains graphic language.   NEWS RELEASE – March 9, 2001 Contact: Jim Metrock, President Obligation, Inc. 205-612-3376   PRIMEDIA Jumps Into Hardcore Pornography   Birmingham, AL – An Alabama child advocacy and media watchdog organization has urged PRIMEDIA’s Chairman Tom Rogers to get his company out of the pornography...
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ChannelOne.com’s Privacy Policy

March 3, 2001

We at ChannelOne.com care about your safety and privacy. That’s why we’ve set up this area of our site to tell you about our privacy policy. We’ll tell you what personally identifiable information of yours is collected; how the information is used; with whom the information may be shared; what choices are available to...
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Pushing Plastic

February 24, 2001
Pushing Plastic

Credit Card Company Teams With Channel One to Hook Children on “CarryingPlastic”   Channel One is pushing the American Expresses Cobaltcard hard. Channel One wants to have millions of children sign up for the equivalent of a credit card. Obligation successfully exposed the ZapMe! Corporation’s efforts to promote this very card to students.     HEIGHT=”135″ ALIGN=”BOTTOM”...
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15 Years of Learning Lost in 2 Minutes

February 19, 2001

  On January 22, Channel One did its first story on the Inauguration of President Bush. Then, after the commercial break, a Channel One “reporter” named Derrick Shore does an extended story about a “Channel One high school” from Illinois (Marion Catholic HS, Chicago Heights, IL) that is marching in the Inaugural parade. This is a silly report...
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New Year, New Level Of Sleaze Advertised On Channel One

February 9, 2001

  Universal’s Dirty Movie “Head Over Heels Is Advertised To Children   Warning: This is possibly the dirtiest movie Channel One has ever crammed down the throats of students. We are going to tell the public what is in this movie. It is unfortunate that the Channel One Network and PRIMEDIA, its parent, are making it necessary that...
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Who Is Lawrence Kaplan?

February 6, 2001

For over ten years, Channel One has used TV sets as bait to get schools to sign their contracts. Those days are gone. Television sets aren’t good bait anymore. With tougher curriculums and all-important “exit exams”, few schools have the luxury of wasting time with Channel One’s TV show. TV sets are so cheap...
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Eat More Twinkies, Kids.

February 6, 2001
Eat More Twinkies, Kids.

  On January 26, 2001, upwards to 8 million schoolchildren were compelled to watch a commercial urging them to eat more Hostess Twinkies. Channel One has been bringing Hostess into America’s classrooms since the spring of 2000. Jim Metrock said, “When you think about it, Channel One is a mean company. The are mean with their smash-mouth...
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