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.
From Jim Metrock: It is so easy to get sick of Channel One News. The company is constantly selling kids something. Often their ads don’t appear like ads. Channel One is a master at mixing news with advertising. On May 6, the classroom TV show Channel One News starts off with...
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From Jim Metrock: Do you ever read the terms of service for websites you visit? If you are like me, you just check the box indicating you agree with the terms without actually viewing, much less, reading the terms of service. These terms of service are written in legal language that is hard...
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Website Terms of Use Updated: June 7th, 2013 Welcome to Channel One! This is a site operated by Channel One, LLC (“Channel One” or “we” or “our”). While we are located on the Internet primarily at the URL www.channelone.com (and at some related and sister sites and URLs), we may change this URL and any...
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From Jim Metrock: This is an email I wrote to Ms. Sadie Camac, a fifth grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in August, KS. Ms. Camac, As an elementary school teacher you probably are not too familiar with the controversial nature of Channel One News. Historically the firm has aimed their program...
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From Jim Metrock: This is a commercial for a new cartoon show. It aired on Channel One News. Millions of schoolchildren wasted precious school time to watch this ad. Why? Why would they put their school books down and watch this nonsense? Why would any teacher allow this silliness to be...
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Channel One News gets more great press, but at a co$t. From Jim Metrock: Kathleen Bunn has gone cuckoo over Channel One News. She is a Florida blogger who on three occasions has written very positively about Channel One. Ms. Bunn maintains a blog called Life With 4 Boys. Like Andrew Kardon’s site (remember...
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From Jim Metrock: Good grief. What is the problem with you Channel One News executives? There is an obesity crisis among American youth. Don’t you “news people” ever read a newspaper or watch the nightly news? Why in the world are you people continuing to pound schoolchildren with commercials for the high-sugar SunnyD drink? Another...
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From Jim Metrock: Lissa Moses Johnson appeared on Channel One News today to urge school teachers and administrators to purchase a subscription to something called Channel One News Curriculum. This is a new way for Channel One News to obtain much needed revenue. Ms. Johnson was an “education content producer” at Channel One. I say “was”...
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From Jim Metrock: It’s the time of year when Channel One’s on-air personalities make their decisions to either stay or leave Channel One News. Based on my viewing of the show, I submit my predictions. % chance of staying at Channel One News for next school year Scott Evans 85% chance he...
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Reporter Shelby Holliday shills for military. From Jim Metrock: On April 17, Channel One News devoted nearly one third of its program (30%) to a “news story” about the U.S. Army. Students may have watched this news story or they may have ignored it. One thing I am fairly certain of is that few...
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