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.
I Am Number Four
This PG13 movie was advertised not only on Channel One’s web site, but also on the in-classroom TV show Channel One News. Channel One allowed the main actor to open their show with a “shout out” to students. The company has had a sordid history of advertising movies that promote teen drinking and drug...
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Channel One asked to end energy drink promotions.
Channel One News uses “news” stories to get Red Bull brand in front of students.Red Bull uses Channel One News to get the very youngest secondary school students interested in high-caffeine drinks. Check out: https://obligation.org/2011-02-02-how-channel-one-news-cleverly-advertises-redbull-energy-drink-to-middle-school-students News story today from NBC Miami: UM Study Says Energy Drinks Pose Serious Risk to Kids A study...
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Tron advertised in public schools.
December 8, 2010 – Days before it is to be released, millions of schoolchildren are forced to watch this commercial for the remake of Tron. Taxpayers foot the bill as students take a break from learning to watch the movie trailer. Principals and teachers in outstanding schools don’t show commercials to their students....
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Oh yeah, buy this video game.
Channel One News is a cesspool of commercials. There are regular commercials, there are commercials that appear to be news stories, there are feature stories that are nothing but promotional videos, there are guest hosts plugging products, etc. At the end of the November 30, 2010 Channel One News program students hear this...
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Care Bears on Fire burn up school time with plug.
From Channel One’s middle school broadcast November 23, 2010.
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How Channel One News cleverly advertises Redbull energy drink to middle school students.
On January 26, 2011 Channel One News had a feature story that had nothing to do with the news. It was a “Road To Glory” segment which is sponsored by the U.S. Army who airs recruitment ads on the program. This story is about how a stunt pilot named Kirby Chambliss who participates in...
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Why am I listening to We The Kings?
Channel One News is watched by as many as 6 million secondary school students each school day. Teachers are often too busy to watch the show with students. Teachers also don’t have time to discuss the non-commercial and commercial content of the show. Therefore there is little or no chance for teachers to deconstruct...
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New Hope provides little hope for Channel One News and advertisers
This is the 2010-11 bell schedule for a small Mississippi middle school. They say timing is everything in comedy. Timing is also important to the kiddie marketers at Channel One. Channel One’s contract with schools requires schools to show the Channel One News program “between the bells.” That means the program has to be...
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Channel One does its part to promote MTV’s pornographic “Skins”
From Jim Metrock: Let’s go through this sordid situation step by step. 1. There is a terrible new show on MTV called “Skins.” The Parents Television Council calls Skins “the most dangerous program ever” for children.” Here is one article about the show. Just type “MTV Skins” in a search engine and you’ll...
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