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.

More on Channel One advertising Hulk Hogan’s violent video game.

November 12, 2011
More on Channel One advertising Hulk Hogan’s violent video game.

   
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Channel One News and Promethean bring punching Hulk Hogan into classrooms…

November 8, 2011
Channel One News and Promethean bring punching Hulk Hogan into classrooms…

to sell a new violent video game. From Jim Metrock: Oh the humanity. Oh the stupidity. Schoolchildren who are unfortunately in schools that have Channel One News began their school day yesterday, November 7, watching Hulk Hogan scream at them. “Here you go maniacs. Hulk Hogan here. The greatest of all time! I want...
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A man standing up for the integrity of public schools.

November 8, 2011
A man standing up for the integrity of public schools.

Paul Scott: Ads in Rochester schools would be a disservice to our children November 2, 2011 – Rochester (MN)Post Bulletin I was disappointed to see this newspaper support the idea of selling ad space in Rochester public schools. A proposal before the school board would allow advertising in the hallways and public spaces. Classrooms...
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New Feature: Question and answers about Channel One News

November 7, 2011
New Feature: Question and answers about Channel One News

            Q: Why is Channel One advertising The Vampire Diaries to teens and preteens?     A:  Channel One News is constantly promoting The Vampire Diaries because the Vampire books and the TV show on the CW Network were created by Channel One’s parent company Alloy Media and Marketing....
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Powdersville Middle School up for Wastin’ Time and Tax Dollars Award

November 5, 2011
Powdersville Middle School up for Wastin’ Time and Tax Dollars Award

The Wastin’ Time and Tax Dollars Award has a new nominee. Powdersville Middle School in Greenville, SC joins three other nominees so far:  Lardner Middle School, Niles, MI Avon Middle School North, Avon, IN Clark Middle School, Laredo, TX  Powdersville Middle School principal is Todd Binnicker.        
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Clark Middle School, Laredo, TX Congrats! Sorta

November 3, 2011
Clark Middle School, Laredo, TX Congrats! Sorta

  Clark Middle School in Laredo, TX has been nominated for the Wastin’ Time and Tax Dollars Award. Rene Rodriguez principal of Clark Middle School, Laredo, TX, wastes school time by showing movie commercials (and other ads) on Channel One to his students.   More on the Wastin’ Time and Tax Dollar Award and...
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A few of the remaining employees at Channel One News.

November 2, 2011
A few of the remaining employees at Channel One News.


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Karen Knapstein, Shakespeare, and Sony Pictures

November 1, 2011
Karen Knapstein, Shakespeare, and Sony Pictures

From Jim Metrock: This video from Channel One’s web site is fascinating. I learned much about William Shakespeare. Last year I read Bill Bryson’s Shakespeare: The World as Stage and loved it as I do all Bryson’s books, but I am surprised that many of the facts in this video were left out of...
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Here’s an idiotic use of school time.

October 30, 2011
Here’s an idiotic use of school time.

  DreamWorks Studios promotes their new movie Puss in Boots during the first ten seconds of the October 27th Channel One News show.    
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Watchdog Mom nails Channel One News

October 27, 2011
Watchdog Mom nails Channel One News

Channel One News and Your Schools October 11, 2011 – Channel One News is a ‘school-safe’ news channel which informs teens on current world events and pop culture. It’s free to schools, which means it’s funded by a lot (LOT) of advertising. Earlier today I posed as an interested parent wanting to get Channel...
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