Channel One bills itself as the ONLY source of news for many children.  Funny, Channel One doesn’t even believe their own words. This Thanksgiving Day weekend from Wednesday, November 21 to this morning, November 26, Channel One’s web site took a holiday. Funny, the news didn’t take a holiday, but then Channel One has little...
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Today, Channel One urged their captive audience of children to watch MTV tonight.  MTV has become a major partner of Channel One and few parents know this.  A former C1 anchor who now appears on MTV was back on Channel One today to pitch a show tonight about gangs. Jim Metrock said, "Being required...
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Our complaints about Channel One’s web site having a "Personal Ads" feature have finally been heard. Indeed, Channel One has taken concrete steps to address our concerns. They changed the name of "Personal Ads" to "Meet & Greet". Same content as before. Children exchanging email addresses with complete strangers. Sample from 11/17/97: "My name...
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From Jim Metrock:   Janet Choi is the Channel One anchor that came from MTV’s often vulgar TV show called The Real World. With the growing closeness of MTV and Channel One, it made sense to hire Choi even with her notoriety. Last week’s report by Choi on the U.S. airdrop of food over...
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Jewel’s appearance on Channel One was timed for today’s release of her newest CD. The loss of advertisers has cause Channel One to sell air time to companies that want to promote singers, television shows and movies. This is a big gamble for Channel One since it openly violates the contract with schools. This...
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There are eight anchors at Channel One. These are young people who schoolchildren have to watch each day because of the Channel One contract. These on-air personalities are the "face" of Channel One. They are the facade. These are the "pretend reporters". No matter how bad they are their audience is locked-in. Over the years,...
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What the heck is this?! Below: How to make a teacher feel like a fool. November 12, 2001 – The Latest Insult To Teachers Channel One has a big problem.   Potential advertisers are staying away from Channel One because Channel One can’t give them accurate figures for its audience. Many schools have kicked Channel One...
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Channel One’s in-school TV show constantly urges students to go to its channelone.com site.  These advertisements for channelone.com are in addition to the "regular" advertising on the show. This breaches the Channel One contract that limits ads to no more than two minutes, but so far no school board attorneys that we know of...
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Last week, Primedia’s CEO Tom Rogers proudly told a conference call for investment analysts that Channel One will continue their relationship with MTV. There will be another special on Channel One that will be coproducer by MTV. It will air before the end of the year. Most parents understand the offensive content on MTV. MTV...
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Soleil Moon Frye, Channel One co-host on October 5, 2001 shouts "Check me out!" to promote that night’s premiere of TV show. How do you tell 8 million young people that the premiere of "Sabrina, The Teenage Witch" is on tonight? Answer:  Pay Channel One to have an actress from the show co-host Channel One...
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They have already gotten rid of their VP of Education.  They said goodbye to their ivory tower on Madison Avenue.  Their staff size has shrunk.  Life isn’t good at Channel One nowadays. The days of free spending and high-living are over.   Now Channel One has announced a cancellation of their Student Produced Week.  This is...
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Channel One vowed that no guest hosts would ever, EVER, plug a product on the air. They even put it in writing.  Channel One told teachers and school boards that they understood the special nature of the captive audience they were serving.  Yet guest hosts are now a major advertising component of the controversial Channel One...
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From Jim Metrock: On Sunday, September 30, the WB Network and Channel One produced and aired an hour special on the terrorist attack. (7 p.m.CDT WB Network) It was billed as an hour where young people could express themselves about the changed world they now live in.  Indeed, the show was named "The Day It All Changed." The...
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Polaroid thought Channel One was the perfect vehicle to advertise their I-Zone cameras and Sticky Film. They were a huge advertiser on Channel One last year. What Polaroid’s marketing people didn’t understand is that a large number of classrooms with Channel One TV sets don’t watch Channel One News. Channel One’s claim of an...
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Channel One is basically on life support. It is only able to pay its bills and make its payroll because of one unlike benefactor – the U.S. Government. If our Federal Government stopped supporting Channel One, Channel One would be finished. That is the incredible situation in which Channel One finds itself at the end of...
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A New York Post article yesterday speculated that Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, majority owners of Channel One’s parent company Primedia, may take Primedia private and auction off pieces of the company. Primedia (PRM) was once at $34 a share and is now struggling to remain above $2. Primedia has over $2 billion of debt and...
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It happens a lot.  Today was just the latest violation. Channel One’s "News Standards" were published several years ago in an effort to ease growing concerns about the sloppy quality of their TV show.  The new crew at Channel One now probably doesn’t even know about the policies the company created. Channel One vowed never...
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A sultry singer is dressed in a skimpy two-piece outfit with see-through mesh on her legs and midriff. She struts down a runway surrounded by screaming fans. She falls on her knees and provocatively sings to the captive audience of schoolchildren forced to be shown Channel One. With moves that would challenge any belly...
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An employee of Primedia told Obligation that 1440 Broadway is the headquarters for About.com.  This is to be the new home for Channel One. About.com has fired so many people that they have some extra space for the Channel One gang. This further cements the relationship between Channel One and About.com.  This will not...
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In June, Channel One lost one of its best salesmen – Paul Folkemer. In 1998, Folkemer walked away from Benjamin Franklin Middle School where he was the principal to take a job with Channel One. Overnight, Folkemer went from worrying about the carpool line to a cushy job as "Vice President of Education" with...
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