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.

Can you find the news?

September 13, 2010
Can you find the news?

Channelone.com’s homepage today September 13, 2010.  Everything in blue is an ad for Staples. No joke. Channel One is obviously hurting for money and so they are turning their website into one big billboard.  This is what has been happening to their in-school TV show.  This is why Channel One’s anchors on the TV...
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Is this an ad?

September 12, 2010
Is this an ad?

Does this look like a commercial?  No. It looks like a nice actor stopped by and wanted to say “Hi” to his old school.  Isn’t that sweet? Channel One News uses the Shout Out feature to sneak some extra advertising into their already ad-loaded show.This actor mentions he stars in Star Trek.  He says...
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From the archives: Undivided Attention

September 11, 2010
From the archives: Undivided Attention

From Jim Metrock:  This was a full page ad in Advertising Age on May 11, 1998.  This is what Channel One News is all about: eyeballs.  Make millions of schoolchildren contractually obligated to watch your TV show during school time, and then sell those eyeballs to the highest bidder.  This is one repugnant ad....
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From the archives: The Stupidity of Channel One.

September 10, 2010
From the archives: The Stupidity of Channel One.

This was an informative advertisement paid for by Obligation that appeared in certain zip code areas in the Greater Birmingham, AL area in the spring of 2004.   for complete PDF: https://obligation.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/c1stupidityofchanneloneadbhamnews.pdf
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“He’s here all week, right in your classroom. Let’s hear it for Tyler Bryant!”

September 9, 2010
“He’s here all week, right in your classroom.  Let’s hear it for Tyler Bryant!”

This press release shows how Channel One News coverts taxpayer-funded school time into advertising time.  Tyler Bryant’s recording company signs a contract with Channel One News; Tyler Bryant’s music is heard for one week in 8,000 schools.  Hear It Now is a feature Channel One News developed to get more than the allowed 2...
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From the archives: Have a long term relationship with our teens.

September 8, 2010
From the archives: Have a long term relationship with our teens.

A full page ad in Advertising Age magazine around 2000. (Click for PDF) “Have a long term relationship with our teens”?  Sure, Channel One felt they owned students- at least for one hour a week.  Channel One News was telling potential advertisers: We have these kids for six years.  They can’t turn off your...
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Jeff Chester on Alloy’s unfair online marketing practices

September 7, 2010

This article is about the creepy advertising Alloy Media and Marketing is doing in partnership with Kmart.  Channel One News, owned by Alloy, is already promoting First Day on Channelone.com and we suspect on their classroom TV show.  (In 2007, Channel One News began censoring their commercials from their web rebroadcast so the public...
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Kathy, did you pass on the letter?

September 4, 2010

This is a copy of a certified letter than was mailed to Kathy Goodman, the Vice President of Operations for Channel One.  The letter was accepted by Channel One, but we haven’t heard from ZelnickMedia the company that has a lot to lose if they are buying Channel One as part of their purchase...
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More on Alloy and Kmart

September 2, 2010
More on Alloy and Kmart

http://www.democraticmedia.org/jcblog/?p=997 Digital Destiny Jeff Chester Reports on Digital Media and the Public Interest Teens are ground zero for the digital marketing industry, worldwide, since they are seen as the “always-on” online generation.  Companies such as Microsoft, AOL, Sulake, MTV/Nick and many others closely research the digital behaviors of youth–all so they can be better targeted...
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The true value of Channel One. Delivering a captive audience to Alloy content. from AdAge

August 30, 2010

Teen-Centric Company Behind ‘Gossip Girls’ Partners With Kmart for the Launch of ‘First Day’ The Player: Alloy Media & Marketing Location: Los Angeles and New York Key Execs: Matt Diamond, CEO, Alloy Media & Marketing; Sean Horvath, exec VP-branded entertainment, Alloy Media & Marketing; Josh Bank, president, Alloy Entertainment, East Coast Key Projects: “First...
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