Commercial exploitation of Schoolchildren Hall of Shame: ...
A look back to 2023: Another bad idea in...
Where are they now?: Channel One’s Kent Haehl selling...
Pop Quiz: Maggie Rulli has just… January 2, 2026 I just saw Maggie Rulli...
From Jim Metrock: About six years ago, I met several Edmodo employees at an...
Kent Haehl was Mr. Channel One News. He presided over the company for six...
Jim Metrock: The remaining employees of Channel One News have to be feeling pretty low. Their audience keeps getting smaller and smaller and schools are more and more disregarding Channel One’s viewing requirements. Here’s what Channel One says in their contract: Channel One News must be shown when students are present and seated in...
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From Jim Metrock: Channel One’s advertising has always been the main reason schools have refused to allow Channel One News into their classrooms. Channel One is now offering an advertising-free version via a subscription. I am assuming they are charging $3.50 per CLASSROOM and not per student. Channel One doesn’t make that clear in...
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From Jim Metrock: We can assume few Sharyland Rattlers are watching Channel One or its commercials. It has to be irritate the marketing executives at Channel One to know schools are showing their TV show before school and then on top of that to be allotting 10 minutes for the 12-minute program. What’s...
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From Jim Metrock: Signs of Channel One’s ruin are everywhere. Is there a school ANYWHERE in the U.S. that is honoring Channel One’s viewing requirements?? I don’t know of any, but there certainly could be a school somewhere that does. South Caldwell High in Hudson, North Carolina shows Channel One before school. The...
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From Jim Metrock: Webster County High School is in the small town (pop. 650) of Dixon, Kentucky. The current bell schedule shows 8 minutes devoted to showing the 12-minute Channel One News program to students. This school, along with many others that still technically are showing Channel One, has little...
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From Jim Metrock: Ugh. The Kiddie Marketers at Channel One News can’t help themselves. Now they are sponsoring a “sweepstakes” for young people. “Sweepstakes” is a gambling term originally used in horse racing, then used in lotteries, and then used by marketing firms. Channel One wants to get kids to buy tickets...
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From Jim Metrock: The newest member of Channel One’s team of “reporters” is Tom Hanson. His background looks rock solid. His credentials are easily the most impressive of Channel One’s current crew. However Mr. Hanson is different than other Channel One on-air personalities. He appears to be doing his career in reverse. It’s too...
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From Jim Metrock: You would think Time Warner wouldn’t need to rip off American taxpayers. After all Time Warner had a net income in 2012 of a little over $3 billion. That’s not revenue, that’s income… net. The Cartoon Network is part of Time Warner. Stuart Snyder is the president of Cartoon Network....
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From Jim Metrock: This is getting painful, even for me. Jessica Kumari is around the age of my sons and I hate to see someone damaging their career at such a young age by doing something that is utterly moronic. Ms. Kumari, why are you doing Nintendo ads on Channel One? It might...
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From Jim Metrock: When a movie studio comes to Channel One wanting C1’s help getting kids to buy tickets to their movie, Channel One News goes into overdrive. Channel One will do whatever it takes to make that movie studio happy. (What about what’s best for students? You gotta be kiddin’. This is Channel...
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From Jim Metrock: Well she showed up. I was wondering what happened to Jessica Kumari after she left Channel One News this past May, After working at Channel One for an unbelievable stretch of six years! I was interested to see at what her next job would be. On September 18 I found out...
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From Jim Metrock: Channel One News has a new on-air personality. He is Keith Kocinski. With his work background and education it is surprising he settled for being a member of Channel One’s “News Team.” But alas, it’s a tough job market out there. Mr. Kocinski probably hasn’t taken the time to learn...
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to help research news stories and help develop educational… no wait, that’s not the duties at all. Wait just a minute – Channel One’s “Research Manager” is all about… advertising and marketing! (Shocking!) This person isn’t going to be focused on benefiting students; this person is focused on focus groups and target marketing of schoolchildren....
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From Jim Metrock: I saw a movie today that was advertised on Channel One News. It was horrific. It was extremely violent. It was repulsive. Channel One News is a small company. It’s CEO Ms. C. J. Kettler has to know what is going on in every aspect of the company. She had...
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From JIm Metrock: Thanks to the teacher who took time to call Channel One’s Demetrius Pipkin on some sloppy reporting. It’s a relatively minor thing, but it does show Channel One’s lack of attention to details. Mr. Pipkin tells students that 63% of people in a new poll are “COMPLETELY opposed” to bombing Syria....
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From Jim Metrock: In 1996 I found out about Channel One News. I was sickened by the thought of schoolchildren being compelled and often forced to view commercials during their school day. Since then Obligation, Inc., the nonprofit I run, has been steadily eroding this marketing company’s presence in American schools. Obligation never...
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Bob McCannon My email to the Media-L list serve (media educators) I’m very sad to hear of Bob McCannon’s death this week. He was a friend and mentor. Bob wanted purity in media education. No conflicts of interests -Don’t allow Big Media to fund efforts to inform the public about Big Media. He...
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From Jim Metrock: Those lovable youth marketers at Channel One are back at it. It’s just August and they are advertising age-inappropriate movies to children. This is standard fare for Channel One. They have done it every year since 1996 when I started to research and report on the company. There was some hope...
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From Jim Metrock: Channel One News had a major overhaul this year in an attempt to stop the relentless stream of schools dropping their TV show. They moved Kent Haehl out of the CEO’s position and put Ms. C. J. Kettler into his spot in order to create a more family-friendly company. They came...
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From Jim Metrock: In the late 90’s, Channel One News had eight reporters on their staff. This school year the controversial youth marketing company has only three reporters. As American schools continue to remove Channel One News from their daily schedules, and their student audience continues to shrink, there simply isn’t enough money...
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