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.

Today’s Channel One Poll on Channelone.com

March 11, 2000

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”

March 6, 2000

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

March 1, 2000
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

February 17, 2000

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

February 12, 2000

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

February 4, 2000

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

January 26, 2000

  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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Over 280 Valley Grove, PA Citizens Sign Petition To Oust Channel One

January 20, 2000

  In the western Pennsylvania town of Valley Grove, citizens have expressed their concern about the controversial Channel One TV show. At a board meeting on Monday, January 17, over 280 names and addresses of citizens were presented to the school board urging the removal of Channel One. The Valley Grove school board is apparently a very pro-Channel One...
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Channel One Sending Out Two Signals

January 19, 2000

Dr. Paul Folkemer, VP of Education for Channel One, told the Valley Grove, PA school board this week that Channel One is now sending out two signals. One signal is for children under 13 and the other for 13 and older. The only difference he mentioned concerned PG13 movies. It seems that Dr. Folkemer, the person who approves all...
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News About Channel One – June -Dec. 1999

December 31, 1999
News About Channel One – June -Dec. 1999

  News About Channel One – First Half of 1999 (Second Half of 1999)   Channel One – Peddlers of Despair May 21, 1999 – Channel One Restarts Intrusive Web Ads U.S. Senate Hearing on Channel One WIDTH=”450″ BORDER=”1″ CELLSPACING=”2″ CELLPADDING=”0″> ALIGN=”BOTTOM” BORDER=”0″ NATURALSIZEFLAG=”3″> Ralph Nader, Pat Ellis, Jim Metrockand Phyllis Schafly at the May...
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