Bluestreaks, Eyeblasters, and Shoshkeles

November 21, 2006

Here is a 26-page Channel One sales pitch to potential web advertisers.

Channel One not only has advertising on its in-school TV show, but also on its web site Channelone.com.

As more and more schools drop Channel One’s TV show or simply turn it off, Channel One has to ramp up the advertising on its web site.

Just as CEO Judy Harris has embraced "advertorials" on the classroom version of Channel One News, she is also promoting Channelone.com as a place where commercial content is welcome in every section of the site.

Here is the real Channel One – a company that seeks to "integrate" advertising into every segment of its classroom and web presence.

Here is one page from the sales presentation:

Above: They are pointing out to potential advertisers that Channel One can put your ads EVERYWHERE on their web site. Ban deodorant advertised on the site and Channel One makes it impossible for a visitor not to see Ban’s ads. Channel One knows that young people like to give their opinions so they exploit that by creating some "eye-catching" feature, such as "Rate the Annoying Habits" and once someone clicks the "Vote now" button they see even more Ban advertising. Like the forced viewing of commercials during the school day, Channel One wants each young web visitor to be saturated with commercial content. That is how Channel One pays the bills and the salaries of their "fat cat" executives in Manhattan.

Above: "Every page in every section has an opportunity for integration." "Integration" means merging their advertising message into parts of the site that aren’t normally for advertising. "Integration" is a step beyond normal ad placement. Nothing appears to be off limits for advertisers if they have enough money. "Shoshkeles" and "Bluestreak" and the other terms are different methods of presenting web advertising.

As an experiment, turn off your browser’s "pop-up blocker" and go to Channelone.com. You will see what young people see. There are "pop-ups" that give no clue as to what they are about or where you might go on the Internet if you click it. You will notice that by clicking on most banners, a child is taken to a different web site and then they may be sent elsewhere. Take a couple of the quizzes and see the advertising that accompanies each panel of the quiz.

Taking the "Who killed JFK? quiz, a young person has really clicked on a Navy ad. The "What’s your fear factor?" quiz is really a Verizon ad. Channel One is having a lot of fun playing tricks on kids. The ads may change, but the point is parents and educators need to understand why Channel One’s classroom TV show is trying to get students to visit their web site. Channel One’s commercial assault on children only starts in the classroom.

Below: Some of the companies that have utilized Channel One’s web site to sell to teens and preteens.