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Chewing Gum Commercial

May 3, 2005
Chewing Gum Commercial

Click on picture for Channel One ad. Federal regulations prohibit the sale of certain foods, determined to be of minimal nutritional value, in the school foodservice area during meal periods. In Texas, chewing gum is considered a "food of minimal nutritional value" or a FMNV. So why is Texas and other states that have...
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Hubba Bubba To The Max

May 1, 2005
Hubba Bubba To The Max

Actual screen shot from Channel One News. They just don’t learn. Channel One can’t stay away from the junk. Wrigley Gum has used Channel One for over a decade to sell gum to preteens and teens. Now, in 2005, Wrigley is reintroducing a "classic" gum from about thirty years ago – Hubba Bubba Bubble...
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Channel One Begins Advertising Endurance Formula

April 25, 2005
Channel One Begins Advertising Endurance Formula

Judy Harris, the new Channel One CEO, is quickly establishing herself as a hard-nosed marketer, just like her predecessor Jim “Sugar Daddy” Ritts. When the Wall Street Journal ran a story several weeks ago about a new intense brand of Gatorade being introduced, Obligation wrote Channel One News and asked them to not advertised the new “Endurance Formula” Gatorade...
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Splat

April 17, 2005
Splat

It is time that the public gives Cingular a call, or better, a hand-written letter, telling them it is time to stop advertising on Channel One News. Cingular is easily one of the three largest advertisers on the failing in-school TV show. (The U.S. Government and Gatorade are the two others.) Cingular should be singled out as one...
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Senator Harkin

April 9, 2005
Senator Harkin

Food and ad industry warned to stop targeting children 06/04/2005 – Democrat Senator Tom Harkin yesterday sent a strong message to the food industry, saying that it must move swiftly to stop the advertising aimed at children that was creating a “botched” generation. His speech was given at a joint conference of the American Advertising Federation, the...
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Bubblicious

April 3, 2005

Children watching Channel One News at school are now watching repeated commercials for Bubblicious bubble gum featuring NBA star LeBron James. At least three times each show, students are urged to go to Channelone.com. At this web site, students see banner ads for Bubblicious. Clicking on the banner ads immediately takes them to Bubblicious.com. Obligation’s president Jim Metrock said,...
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Kids, Channel One will help you determine if you have a drinking problem.

March 28, 2005
Kids, Channel One will help you determine if you have a drinking problem.

Students routinely see feature stories on Channel One News about teenagers with drug or alcohol PROBLEMS. Typically, the Channel One reporter will end the story looking at the camera and saying, "If you know someone with a drinking problem, visit Channel One.com." The executives who produce Channel One News clearly believe that occasional or...
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Channel One Urged To End Gatorade Ads

March 26, 2005
Channel One Urged To End Gatorade Ads

Note: Gatorade has been for over a decade, and is currently, a major advertiser on Channel One News. Each Friday, Channel One runs a long-form advertisement for the product called the "Gatorade Play of the Week." Students send in video clip of a sports play and then if their clip is chosen the school...
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Master Of Sleaze

March 23, 2005
Master Of Sleaze

Casino Jack Abramoff and Ralph Reed Don’t let the smiles fool ya. Masters of Sleaze by David Brooks Op-ed in the New York Times March 22, 2005 Down in the depths of the netherworld, where Tammany Hall grafters and Chicago ward heelers gather amid spittoons and brass railings, a reverential silence now spreads across...
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Channel One: The Reality Show

March 22, 2005
Channel One: The Reality Show

Each year Channel One News offers a chance for students to help produce one week of the program. This is called Student Produced Week (SPW). For months, Channel One wastes valuable time on their show to promote this event. This year they took a page from reality shows and had four students co-host the...
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Gary Boyes On Channel One

March 21, 2005

Gary Boyes believes his daughter’s school should serve his daughter and other students, not Pepsi or Channel One. He has even sued Channel One in his home state of Oregon. He first made news for protesting his school district’s exclusive cola contract. This outrageous contract prevented his daughter from selling water to raise money...
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Kids Have No Chance Against Channel One’s Attorneys

March 17, 2005
Kids Have No Chance Against Channel One’s Attorneys

Before we explain the strange language above, how about a little quiz? Watch this video clip from the end of a Channel One show. The questions will pertain to what you read on the video clip. It will play at the actual speed students saw it in their classrooms. Obligation didn’t speed it up, honest. You can watch...
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Dodgeball

March 16, 2005
Dodgeball

From Screenit.com’s content review of Dodgeball (PG13) released 2004: SEX/NUDITY content includes: wIn a video promo for White’s gym, we see various close-up shots of shapely young women’s butts in small and tight-fitting shorts, as well as some shots of bulky male bodybuilders. wNecrophilia is listed as a genetic disorder. wWe see an old...
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A Digital Future For Channel One?

March 16, 2005

01011110100010110000000000000000000000   From Jim Metrock: Last year, at an education conference I met several superintendents and principals who painted a dismal picture of Channel One and their maintenance contractor Convergent Media. TVs weren’t being maintained or replaced on a timely basis. Network problems were taking months to be fixed. The problems with Convergent will...
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Judy Harris

March 15, 2005

PRIMEDIA press release: PRIMEDIA Names Judy L. Harris President & Chief Executive Officer of Channel One NEW YORK, NY (March 09, 2005) — PRIMEDIA, Inc. (PRM) The country’s leading targeted media company, today announced the appointment of Judy L. Harris as President & Chief Executive Officer of Channel One, the largest source of news and information for young people...
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Ad Age

March 15, 2005

Excerpts from Advertising Age magazine March 14, 2005 Channel One hits bump, losing ads and top exec In-school TV network often targeted by critics hurt as Kellogg, Kraft shy away due to kid obesity debate By Claire Atkinson Its equipment is badly in need of an upgrade, advertisers are fleeing, critics are declaring they want to put it...
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It’s Official: 2004 Was A Disaster

February 28, 2005
It’s Official: 2004 Was A Disaster

From today’s PRIMEDIA press release: “The Education Segment continued to experience advertising revenue declines in 2004, due largely to the performance of Channel One. The concern by certain advertisers about the obesity issue in schools caused them to stop or reduce advertising into schools. The decline was somewhat mitigated by a number of new advertisers that Channel One...
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Hard Sell Gets OK From Channel One

February 21, 2005
Hard Sell Gets OK From Channel One

If you have a child in secondary school and he or she wears glasses and he or she attends a school that still shows Channel One News, then your child is probably dreading the next Channel One program. For the last several weeks, Channel One has approved and aired a hard-hitting, insensitive commercial for Acuvue contact lens. The purpose...
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How They Voted In Alabama

February 20, 2005
How They Voted In Alabama

Last week, Alabama handed Channel One a major setback. The State Board of Education voted 5-1, with one abstaining, to recommend Channel One News refrain from advertising junk food, over-the-counter medicine, and movies that receive a rating based on sexual, violent, alcohol or drug content. Students were well served by this action. As other...
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Vanessa Carlton “Plays” Red Mountain HS

February 17, 2005
Vanessa Carlton “Plays” Red Mountain HS

Give Vanessa Carlton a Grammy for “unmitigated gall.” The students at Red Mountain High School in Mesa, Arizona thought they won a Channel One contest and the first prize was a Vanessa Carlton concert at their school. On the surface that appears to be just what happened, but it doesn’t take much brainpower to understand that this high...
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Why Channel One News is Unhealthy for Students

February 15, 2005
Why Channel One News is Unhealthy for Students

Click to print out our newest brochure “10 Reasons Why Channel One News is Unhealthy for Students.” (PDF format)
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CEO Jim Ritts Leaves Channel One

February 12, 2005
CEO Jim Ritts Leaves Channel One

From Jim Metrock: The president and CEO of Channel One News has left the building. Jim Ritts is out. In a move that shakes the company to its core, Channel One did not offer any explanation or reason for his departure. Ritts was there at the beginning of the company in 1988. (Channel One was rolled out nationally...
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