Does your school still have Channel One News?
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More and more “reporters” for less and less audience.

September 10, 2015
More and more “reporters” for less and less audience.

From Jim Metrock: It is getting very hard to find a school district that is showing Channel One News.  Without the fear of Channel One taking away their TV network, schools no longer have a need to honor the terms of the old Channel One contract.  [Show our daily, 12-minute TV show to student...
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What Skoollive told the Tanque Verde USD.

September 7, 2015
What Skoollive told the Tanque Verde USD.


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The letter that ended Chris Whittle’s Channel One News

September 3, 2015
The letter that ended Chris Whittle’s Channel One News

  From Jim Metrock:  Three years ago, Channel One News was forced to send this letter to the relatively few schools that still had their TV equipment. It marked the end of the original Channel One News – the one that was extremely profitable back in the 90’s. In 2012 the few remaining executives at Channel One...
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Thinking about Skoollive? Read their contract with Murrieta Valley USD

August 29, 2015
Thinking about Skoollive?  Read their contract with Murrieta Valley USD

        For Skoollive’s contract with the Murrieta Valley USD, Murrieta, CA:  SkoolLive agreement  Murrieta Valley USD            
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Skoollive contract: Revenue from Display of Kiosk System Content

August 27, 2015
Skoollive contract: Revenue from Display of Kiosk System Content

      From Jim Metrock: Are you a school board member whose board is considering entering into a contract with the youth marketing firm Skoollive? You owe it to your community to take some time to better understand what is in the Skoollive contract. Here is one section (1.7) and one subsection (1.7.1) of the contract....
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If Skoollive’s electronic billboards can sell students products, then maybe…

August 17, 2015
If Skoollive’s electronic billboards can sell students products, then maybe…


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No one cares to watch Channel One News at the Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart

August 15, 2015
No one cares to watch Channel One News at the Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart

From Jim Metrock:  The Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart knows its students don’t want to watch Channel One News.  That’s why the school shows the controversial TV show before school starts.         This school like many others that still have Channel One have been breaching Channel One’s contract for years.  https://obligation.org/2012-10-10-catholic-hs-refuses-to-honor-channel-one-news-contract
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Let’s hope this person isn’t too busy.

August 12, 2015
Let’s hope this person isn’t too busy.

     
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Channel One News quietly begins season. Student audience kaput.

August 11, 2015
Channel One News quietly begins season.  Student audience kaput.

  Poor Channel One Once this controversial, kiddie marketing company had 8 million students forced to watch their program.  Although Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Channel One’s owner, continues to state Channel One’s audience is “nearly 5 million,” the true number is probably closer to  2 – 3 million.  Channel One used to update their ever-decreasing estimated...
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Deconstructing Skoollive’s sales video

August 11, 2015
Deconstructing Skoollive’s sales video

From Jim Metrock: Skoollive recently published this video in an effort to make school officials more comfortable with their controversial, in-school marketing company.  If your school district is thinking about bringing billboard advertising into your school hallways, please take a moment and watch Skoollive’s “feel good” video, then consider reading my remarks about the video. The opening...
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A company that doesn’t know how to spell its own name.

August 9, 2015
A company that doesn’t know how to spell its own name.

From Jim Metrock:  There are so many things wrong with SkoolLive that I hate to bring up this minor point.   Normally, a lot of thought is put into the name of a business.  Why SkoolLive chose to misspell “school” is their concern.  However I do find it interesting that company employees are confused about their own...
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Fauquier Co. Public Schools become a leader in… hallway advertising.

July 30, 2015
Fauquier Co. Public Schools become a leader in… hallway advertising.

From Jim Metrock:  The Fauquier County board of education has agreed to bring at least 11 electronic billboards into their secondary schools. What?! Why would a school board do that?   They are the only school district in Virginia, that we know of, to sell their students to the controversial, California-based  SkoolLive youth marketing...
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From the archives: 07/5/2003 Keynote Speech To Council Of Urban Boards Of Education

July 27, 2015
From the archives:  07/5/2003  Keynote Speech To Council Of Urban Boards Of Education

From Jim Metrock:  This speech from 12 years ago is unfortunately still timely.  Students are still being commercially exploited by old tired kiddie marketers like Channel One and new upstarts like SkoolLive.  Parents and educators need to stay vigilant for those who only see schools as a source of easy ad revenue.   Keynote Speech...
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Hold the phone!! Is SkoolLive interested in obtaining student educational records?

July 26, 2015
Hold the phone!! Is SkoolLive interested in obtaining student educational records?

From Jim Metrock: While looking through a SkoolLive contract with an Arizona school district, I found this disturbing paragraph: 6.17 Student Educational Records. School District’s students’ educational records are protected by the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1232g (“FERPA”). SkoolLive will comply with FERPA and will not access or make...
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What Skoollive doesn’t show school boards: Commercials, “Call to Action” ad campaigns, and “Your brand here”

July 21, 2015
What Skoollive doesn’t show school boards: Commercials, “Call to Action”  ad campaigns, and “Your brand here”

  From Jim Metrock: Skoollive is an in-school marketing firm.  Such companies by definition suffer from a split personality. On one hand, the company has to sell advertisers on its ability to place advertising in front of “X” number of schoolchildren, while at the same time it has to sell itself to school boards as a company primarily...
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Cody (Wy) trustees open door to potentially disruptive video commercials playing in school hallways.

July 20, 2015
Cody (Wy) trustees open door to potentially disruptive video commercials playing in school hallways.

    Controversial youth marketing firm gets approval to place electronic video billboards into school hallways.   Digital kiosks make grade for Cody schools Posted: Friday, July 17, 2015 5:09 pm By JANICE DOWNEY Staff writer  Two Cody schools will have a new “kid” in the hallways this year: door-sized digital kiosks. By a vote of 6-1,...
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From the archives: 01/12/2001 Drinking And Drug Advice Is Outrageous

July 18, 2015
From the archives: 01/12/2001  Drinking And Drug Advice Is Outrageous

Drinking And Drug Advice Is Outrageous January 12, 2001    America’s schoolchildren are being inundated with ads for About.com. About.com is a company that owns several pornographic sites and will be merging with Channel One’s parent company, PRIMEDIA, Inc. at the end of February or the beginning of...
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From the archives: 2/6/01 Channel One News advertises Twinkies in classrooms

July 16, 2015
From the archives: 2/6/01 Channel One News advertises Twinkies in classrooms

Eat More Twinkies, Kids. February 6, 2001   On January 26, 2001, upwards to 8 million schoolchildren were compelled to watch a commercial urging them to eat more Hostess Twinkies. Channel One has been bringing Hostess into America’s classrooms since the spring of 2000. Jim Metrock said, “When you think about it, Channel One is a...
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Do you have what it takes? Do you have a valid driver’s license?

July 15, 2015
Do you have what it takes?  Do you have a valid driver’s license?

  From Jim Metrock:  Do you want to be a part of a youth marketing company whose purpose is to bring advertising into public schools?  Well, here’s your chance to be a part of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s controversial Channel One News show.   When Channel One says, “We are a small and tight knit group,”...
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The embarrassing reality of “Ask An Anchor”

July 13, 2015
The embarrassing reality of “Ask An Anchor”

  From Jim Metrock:   Keith Kocinski knows that show biz requires you to keep on smiling no matter what. Mr. Kocinski is one of the remaining “reporters” at the struggling Channel One News youth marketing firm owned currently by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Mr. Kosinski recently filmed an  “Ask an Anchor” video which showed him answering questions from...
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Call to Action: Skoollive starts playing advertising hardball.

July 12, 2015
Call to Action: Skoollive starts playing advertising hardball.

  From Jim Metrock: Skoollive is boasting of their ability to place Call to Action (CTA) marketing right into the hallways of public schools.   “Call to Action” marketing is just as coercing as it sounds.   From Wikipedia: In marketing, a call to action (CTA) is an instruction to the audience to provoke an immediate response, usually using...
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June 25, 2015

Cody Enterprises, Cody, WY District should say no to kiosks Posted: Wednesday, June 24, 2015 4:38 pm John Malmberg General manager    Just because you are able to do something, doesn’t mean you should. At last week’s regular board meeting of Park County School District No. 6, Instructional Technology Director James Kapptie pitched the idea...
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