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Channel One Melt Down Around Corner?

September 3, 1998

Alabama’s second largest school system, Jefferson County, has taken the very responsible action of halting the required viewing of Channel One. This does not mean they are opposed to the program or in support of the program. This appears to be a very reasonable response to a controversial issue. "I applaud Jefferson County’s decision...
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Alabama Department of Education Survey – School Districts And Channel One

September 1, 1998

CHANNEL ONE COMPARISON OF SCHOOL SYSTEMS AND PER PUPIL EXPENDITURES TOP TEN PER PUPIL EXPENDITURES SYSTEM EXPENDITURES CHANNEL ONE MOUNTAIN BROOK CITY $6,241 NO HOOVER CITY $5,732 NO HUNTSVILLE CITY $5,471 NO SHEFFIELD CITY $5,470 NO FLORENCE CITY $5,422 NO DECATUR CITY $5,410 NO LINDEN CITY $5,374 YES AUBURN CITY $5,328 NO ANNISTON CITY...
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Did Channel One Advertise Pagers To Children?

August 24, 1998

On Channel One’s web site several recent notes on the message board have been critical of Channel One. These appear to be from students in schools that make Channel One mandatory viewing. Two of the writers talk about ads or promotions on Channel One that featured pagers, or beepers, that kids could either buy or win. In the Birmingham,...
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Editorial – The Birmingham News- “Channel One – There are better uses of student time, taxpayer dollars”

August 15, 1998

Alabama’s largest newspaper condemned the in-school, advertising device called Channel One News. In a no-holds-barred editorial, the News blasted the poor business deal Channel One contracts represent. Also the age-inappropriate content was mentioned. The News said the Channel One web site “provided links on its website to pornographic material.” The News may be referring to some other incident(s), but Obligation has...
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State Superintendent Urged To Halt Channel One TV Show for 37 Systems

August 13, 1998

37 Alabama school systems that are on academic "alert" or "caution" status are also losing one hour a week of school time to the controversial TV show called Channel One according to a recently released Alabama Department of Education study. Obligation, a Birmingham-based child advocacy organization, has called on Dr. Ed Richardson to instruct...
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Jefferson County Schools Again Make Mandatory Commercials Part of Curriculum – Local Group Criticizes “Sell-Out” Of Students – Controversial Channel One Remains Required Viewing For Jeffco Secondary Students

August 10, 1998

Over 23,000 Jefferson County system secondary schoolchildren will return to school on Tuesday, August 11, and for yet another year be required to watch the controversial Channel One in-school TV show for up to one hour a week. Channel One is the daily 12-minute news show that contains commercials. Schools get the use of...
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State of Alabama Completes First Ever Statewide Channel One Survey

July 9, 1998

It has taken months to achieve, but now all Alabama public school systems have responded to the State Superintendent’s request for information concerning Channel One. This information will be published on this web site as soon as it is received by Obligation. As many concerned parents and school officials have found out, Channel One will never tell the public what...
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Channel One Suspends Reviewing R-Rated Movies For Children

June 30, 1998

For nearly two years Channel One has reviewed R-rated movies for children visitors to its official web site. many of these movies contained graphic sexual content, ultra-violence, and non-stop profanity. Channel One officials also gave children a link to the movie’s official web site which often contained material not suitable for children. Channel One routinely asked children to send in...
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A Partial Listing of R-Rated Movies Channel One Reviewed At Its Children Web Site – www.channelone.com

June 12, 1998

I Know What You Did Last Summer, Kiss The Girls, Def Jam’s How To Be A Player, Goodfellas, LA Confidential, The Game, Nothing To Lose, Con Air, Face/Off, Soul Food, The Peacemaker, Wild Things, Air Force One, Jackie Brown, Scream 2, Mimic, Switchback, Starship Troopers, The Edge, Pulp Fiction
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Local Group Files FTC Complaint Against Channel One – Personal Information Sought From Children Without Parental Knowledge, Other Problems

June 11, 1998

June 11, 1998 (Birmingham, AL) Obligation, Inc., a local child advocacy organization, filed a complaint today against the Channel One Network with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). They are owned by PRIMEDIA, Inc. (formerly K-III Communications), which is majority-owned by Kohlberg Kravis and Roberts. Obligation alleges that Channel One’s web site: · solicits personal information from children without parental approval, ...
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Channel One Web Advertiser Has Links to Pornography

June 10, 1998

A child needs merely to click on "The Mining Company" ad banner on Channel One’s site and he or she is in a site that has links to pornographic pictures. Children are given warnings about the sexual content they will see if they keep clicking, but this site should not be connected to a...
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Satellite Problem To Cost Channel One Up To $5 Million

May 28, 1998

Channel One’s parent company, PRIMEDIA, issued a press release on May 26 preparing investors for lower earnings in their second quarter. It could be up to a $5 million loss caused by the malfunction aboard the Galaxy IV satellite. This summer every dish on every school will have to be readjusted to a new...
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Channel One Goes Dark – Students Freed From Mandatory Broadcast

May 23, 1998

It’s been a fairly bad year for Channel One: growing condemnation of its brash, in-your-face style of marketing to children, a major study showing Channel One is a monumental financial rip-off, a U.S. Senator calling for hearings on Channel One’s waste of school time, and now a freak satellite problem pulls the plug on...
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Obligation Contributes Article to National School Boards Association’s “School Board News” Newspaper

May 12, 1998

The most controversial show on television is not “Jerry Springer”. It’s called Channel One and...
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Channel One Web Site for Kids Offers Quick Link To Adult XXX Videos

May 1, 1998

Channel One has made another mistake. Channel One’s in-school TV show for schoolchildren daily advertises their official web site (www.channelone.com). On this site, children are bombarded with even more advertisements. Commercial advertisements are not suppose to be on a children’s educational site, but Channel One’s site, like its TV show, is mainly an advertisement...
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U.S. Senator Richard Shelby Blasts Channel One and Calls for Senate Hearings On This Controversial TV Show

April 29, 1998

Richard Shelby (R-AL) sent a "Dear Colleague" letter to each U.S. senator asking for new hearings on Channel One and other commercial programs in public schools. "Parents entrust their children to the care and supervision of the local school system. Establishing this trust is not done blindly. While parents likely know and interact with...
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PRIMEDIA, the parent company of Channel One, announced record first quarter sales from continuing businesses of $328.5 million and record earnings of $63.1 (EBITDA)

April 23, 1998

“The Education segment’s record first quarter sales and EBITDA from continuing businesses largely reflect continued advertising strength at Channel One…,” said William Reilly, chairman and chief executive officer of PRIMEDIA. Channel One continues to convert taxpayer money to their private profit. Jim Metrock, Obligation president said, “Our students aren’t benefiting, our schools aren’t benefiting, and taxpayers aren’t benefiting, but Channel One is...
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School Systems Urged To Temporarily Halt Channel One Because of Child Predator Dangers – State Superintendent And Attorney General Help Sought

March 11, 1998

March 11, 1998 (Birmingham, AL) FBI Director Louis Freeh testified before a Senate hearing yesterday that child predators are a growing problem on children’s web sites and chat rooms. A local child advocacy group says that Alabama children are being needlessly exposed to Internet dangers by the controversial in-school TV show, Channel One. Obligation...
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Channel One’s Guide On How To Cheat On Book Reports

February 13, 1998

 We were tipped off to this by a teacher in Canada. (Our friends to the north are being plagued with a Channel One clone called YNN.) Channel One published this on their official web site. It attempts to be humorous and at the same time instructional. The problem: You have a book report due tomorrow and you haven’t read...
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Lawrence Central High School, Indianapolis, IN, Article On Channel One

February 10, 1998

(Article removed to protect privacy of students)
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Students See Baby Shot In The Face On Channel One

February 2, 1998

A distraught mother in Utah wrote us that her 12-year-old son was traumatized by a violent segment on Channel One. She said that on January 28 and 29, her son watched a sniper put the cross hairs of a rifle on a baby’s face and then a shot rang out. The boy has a new baby sister, the...
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“Channel One Practices Raise Tough Questions”

January 12, 1998
“Channel One Practices Raise Tough Questions”

SIZE=”-1″ FACE=”Arial”>Cover of “Alabama School Boards” magazine for December 1997. “Alabama School Boards” is the monthly magazine published by the Alabama Association of School Boards. They asked Obligation to write an article about the controversial Channel One TV show and web site. Obligation hopes that articles like this will encourage Alabama school boards to quickly remove this marketing device from our...
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