Channel One’s Jeff Ballabon quoted in the Harrisburg, PA Patriot-News, referring to the efforts of scholars and conservative and liberal groups opposing Channel One: “It’s hard to express how unconcerned we are that this is going to impact us negatively.”
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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.
Jeff Ballabon Quote
NYU Honors Obligation and Commercial Alert
NYU Honors Obligation and Commercial Alert for Work Against Commercialism in Schools Arianna Huffington presented Gary Ruskin of Commercial Alert and Pat Ellis and Jim Metrock of Obligation with an award to honor their efforts against companies like ChannelOne and ZapMe!. Ralph Nader was also honored and he also spoke against Channel One’s commercial exploitation of schoolchildren.
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Alabama Pediatricians Pass Resolution Opposing Commercials in Classroom
No big surprise here – pediatricians don’t like anyone forcing children to watch commercials for candy bars, soft drinks and violent movies. Alabama pediatricians deserve a lot of credit for standing up for the poorest children in Alabama who are injured the most by Channel One’s advertising assault. Here is part of the resolution: “Be it Resolved, The...
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Today’s Channel One Poll on Channelone.com
DO YOU BUCKLE UP? Always Usually When I think of it No way This is a typical Channel One poll. Everything with Channel One is value-neutral. The idea that they have “No Way” as a cool-sounding answer is irresponsible. There is only one good answer for teens (and adults). Why even ask this...
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“Meth in America”
Channel One Shocks Teachers and Parents With Controversial “Meth in America” Series From Jim Metrock: I have just seen the three-part series entitled “Meth in America” that appeared on Channel One February 9,10, and 11. The report was actually done by MTV and a MTV “reporter” (who use to be a Channel One “reporter”)...
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The Ghost of Chris Whittle Returns
WIDTH=”254″ HEIGHT=”190″ ALIGN=”LEFT” BORDER=”0″ NATURALSIZEFLAG=”0″> SIZE=”+1″ FACE=”Arial”>March 1, 2000 – Channel One Returns to Whittle Days in Stunning Announcement Channel One has been without a permanent president for over six months. Today they announced the hiring of Jim Ritts as Channel One’s new president. There is nothing “new” about Ritts. He was one of the co-founders of Channel...
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CBS Early Show
It appears that ABC News has ended their "special relationship" with the controversial Channel One TV show. Gone are any signs of ABC News on the dismal channelone.com site. Gone are the references to the ABC/Channel One partnership. Some programming and news reports may still be seen on Channel One but it appears that...
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Public Should Be Mad At MADD For Teaming With Channel One
Mothers Against Drunk Driving have steered their organization into the national controversy over Channel One. They have agreed to enter into a partnership with Channel One in order to get more children to hear their important message. The fact that Channel One is commercially exploiting schoolchildren doesn’t seem to affect the MADD central office....
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The Ugliest Joke Yet On Children
If you can imagine the Ku Klux Klan giving seminars on racial tolerance, then you’ll have no problem accepting Channel One teaching media literacy to the schoolchildren who are forced to watch their TV show and commercials under force of contract. The term “media literacy” is relatively new. Roughly it attempts to teach children and adults how to “read” media...
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Valley Grove Superintendent and Board Sell Out Kids
The Valley Grove School Board lead by their superintendent gave Channel One a big vote of approval. Board president Robert Lewis mocked the petition with 287 names opposing Channel One. He said out of 6,000 residents that was not impressive. Mr. Lewis was the man who brought Channel One into the school system in the early nineties....
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