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Channel One, Stop Your PepsiCo Gatorade Commercials

May 3, 2006
Channel One, Stop Your PepsiCo Gatorade Commercials

  For the health of all the schoolchildren who are compelled to watch Channel One News under the threat of confiscation of their classroom TV sets, Obligation urges Channel One News to immediately terminate all advertising for Pepsico’s Gatorade. Obligation’s Jim Metrock said, "With the news today that soft drink companies are ending their...
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The Army Channel

May 2, 2006
The Army Channel

  The Army has been a major advertiser on C1N for years. On Friday, February 24, Channel One devoted half of its program to US Army-related content. During the first of two commercial breaks, students watch a very odd 30-second spot. Students don’t know what they are watching. The small “US Army” logo at the end of the commercial...
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Schools Get Smart

May 1, 2006
Schools Get Smart

  Spendora High School, TX before the first bell   North Mason High School, WA made optional   Bishop O’Reilly High School, PA shown in its entirety before students enter classrooms   Avon Park Middle School, FL background noise for breakfast   As Channel One News becomes more and more irrelevant, schools find more...
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Italian Trio

April 30, 2006
Italian Trio

Jon Lovitz is a comedian. Apparently, so is Channel One’s CEO Judy Harris. It has to be a joke, right? Why else is comedian Jon Lovitz on the classroom TV screen? Channel One’s approval of this latest Subway ad wouldn’t make sense unless it was all a dirty joke played on students. At the first of this 2005-06...
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Duluth, GA

April 27, 2006
Duluth, GA

  Duluth High School   From: Jim Metrock: I was in Atlanta on other business today and decided during my free time to call on schools in and around Duluth. Channel One Network has a major office in Duluth (Greater Atlanta).You would think Channel One would have all the schools in the area sewn up. I was, however, expecting to find the...
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“They shot the boy in the head.”

April 25, 2006
“They shot the boy in the head.”

  From Jim Metrock: After ten years of reporting on the content on Channel One, I shouldn’t be shocked by anything they do. But I was today. This morning I received an email from a parent in Virginia. His 12-year-old daughter told him that she would rather read in the hallway rather than sit in her classroom and...
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A Day Without News

April 23, 2006

From Jim Metrock: Channel One News is a news show that promises a lot, but delivers little. In their press releases Channel One calls their own company " the preeminent news and public affairs content provider to teens." Nobody else calls them "preeminent" but America is a great country and you can pretty much...
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All-White Advisory Board

April 20, 2006

See the lineup at: http://www.channelonenetwork.com/corporate/bios/advisory_board/ From Jim Metrock: A few weeks ago, Channel One News announced the members of their “Advisory Board.” If you click on the link above you will come to the bios of each board member. They have several things in common. All the board members are teachers. Although some of them may be parents,...
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Reporter/Model

April 19, 2006
Reporter/Model

  Channel One’s reporter C
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Notes From Chicago

April 18, 2006
Notes From Chicago

8,000+ local school board members met at McCormick Place April 8-10 From Jim Metrock: For three days earlier this month, I manned Obligation’s exhibit booth at the National School Boards Association’s annual conference in Chicago. The sole purpose of the booth was to let school board members and superintendents know that they don’t have...
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The Death Of The Hacienda

April 13, 2006
The Death Of The Hacienda

Channel One News announced this week that they will close their Hollywood studio, often called "The Hacienda." The company will relocate the remaining production staff at an unidentified location in Washington, DC. Channel One’s public relations firm tried to spin this shocking news as a positive story, but it is clear Channel One News...
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Chicago Is My Kinda Town

April 10, 2006
Chicago Is My Kinda Town

  8,000+ local school board members met at McCormick Place April 8-10 From Jim Metrock: Wow. What a thrilling time I have had in Chicago. Obligation had a booth at the National School Boards Association convention. I manned the booth by myself and was busy handing out information to board members and local superintendents from across the country....
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Dear Channel One, Stop Your Deceptive Advertising

April 3, 2006
Dear Channel One, Stop Your Deceptive Advertising

  Picture taken from the actual commercial Channel One aired in classrooms. Looks like regular paper.   From Jim Metrock: Channel One News is now advertising the FLY Pentop Computer by LeapFrog. The ads are aimed at the very youngest in C1N’s captive audience (5th through 8th grade students). LeapFrog has struggled over the last few years....
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Incendiary Newscast Rocks Schools

March 31, 2006
Incendiary Newscast Rocks Schools

Channel One’s Errol Barnett showcases teens who skip school to protest. From Jim Metrock: This week, I received a Google news alert that referred to an incident at an Arizona high school. I was in the middle of a project so I just glanced at the news article. This is the article: From the Arizona Daily...
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Buzzed

March 28, 2006
Buzzed

Who made the decision to air this in schools? From Jim Metrock: Before we go to the latest video, let’s give a go over a little history. Over and over again, year in and year out, I have witnessed Channel One News sending truly awful, irresponsible messages to young people about underage drinking. The message they send to their...
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Close Call For Ralph Reed And Channel One

March 27, 2006
Close Call For Ralph Reed And Channel One

  Ralph Reed has been a paid consultant for Channel One since 1999.   Texas district attorney cites 2-year statute of limitations No probe in Reed lobbying efforts By Jim Galloway COX NEWS SERVICE Monday, March 27, 2006 A Texas prosecutor on Monday announced he would not pursue misdemeanor criminal charges against Ralph Reed, a Republican candidate...
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Corpse Bride

March 27, 2006
Corpse Bride

Screen shot from Channel One News. This is not a commercial children would see at home. Movie studios are depending more and more on DVD sales to make a movie profitable. Tim Burton’s stop-action animated film Corpse Bride did well on its opening weekend back in September 2005 pulling in $20 million for a second place finish (Flight...
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More Empty Calories

March 24, 2006
More Empty Calories

Screen shot from Channel One News. It’s a full-scale advertising assault on school kids. Channel One News is pushing another sugared gum on its show. Wrigley’s needs more children to take up the chewing gum habit. That is why they are advertising on Channel One. The sugar in a stick of gum (2 grams) is not...
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Judy Harris Approves New Junk Food Ad Campaign

March 20, 2006
Judy Harris Approves New Junk Food Ad Campaign

This picture is a composite of Ms. Harris speaking about “healthy messages” at the NGA meeting and a screen shot of a Juicy Fruit commercial that ran on C1N shortly after that meeting. We added the words that seem like something she would say. Days after Judy Harris, Channel One’s CEO and president, appeared before...
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A Story Influenced By An Advertiser

March 13, 2006
A Story Influenced By An Advertiser

Channel One CEO Judy “Advertorial” Harris “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, “itmeans just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words meanso many different things.” ________ “Channel One is very serious about its role...
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Channel One News Is A National Joke

March 8, 2006
Channel One News Is A National Joke

Last night on The Colbert Report, March 7, 2006 The Colbert Report is a spin-off of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on the Comedy Channel. On the show last night the host reported on the study in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal Pediatrics. The study said that Channel One poses an “ethical dilemma” for schools (that...
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Very Disturbing

March 7, 2006
Very Disturbing

On January 23, 2006, Channel One began running a Verizon commercial whose purpose was to get young people to nag their parents for a cell phone with Verizon Wireless service. The commercial was pushing a new feature called “ringback.” When your friends call you they won’t hear the phone ringing, but instead will hear a song that you have...
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