Channel One Episodes
Rent
The entire Channel One News show for November 7, 2005 (large file - be patient)
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Commercials For Movies, TV Shows
Dude, Where's My Car?
A drug movie, pure and simple. This Channel One-approved movie is filled with sex and pot jokes. Advertised in middle schools. (2000)
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Eight Crazy Nights - A Raunchy, Animated Movie (Part 1)
No movie has been advertised more intensely than this vulgar cartoon by Adam Sandler. This is another Channel One-advertised movie that promotes alcohol use by young people.
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Eight Crazy Nights - Part 2
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Eight Crazy Nights - Part 3
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Eight Crazy Nights - Part 5
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Eight Crazy Nights - Part 7
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Starsky & Hutch
Cocaine use is normalized in this vulgar movie. "Good cop" uses seized cocaine to intoxicate two women so he can have sex with both. This is date rape with a laugh track. Classroom ad has Snoopy Dogg (in real life a notorious drug user) making a drug joke. Simply unbelievably insensitive for C1N to promote this drug rubbish to children. (2004)
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Dawson's Creek
A long-time advertiser. The sexual content of this show was off the charts. The show normalized under-age alcohol use. Aired: Fall 1998 This commercial is outrageous on several levels. It is a contest. Contests are totally inappropriate in a public school classroom. This contest wants students to watch more TV and to drink more soft drinks. They lure the students by offering a chance to win a role on the show. It has a lot of small print that is inherent deceptive to children who cannot read it. (Many commercials on Channel One are filled with small print. One ad they ran this year was promoting a contest that if you could read the small print said it had expired two months before. 'Opps, sorry about that kids.") The purpose of this ad was to get preteens and teens to see the premiere episode for Dawson's Creek's second season. This commercial is advertising a very controversial TV show. The first season made national news because of the language, drug and drinking references, and a story line that had a 15-year-old main character having a sexual affair with his teacher. They even showed the student having sex with the teacher. (There was a close-up of the teacher's face during one encounter with her student.) Channel One thought this programming was OK to promote to children as young as eleven.(1998)
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Stephen King's The Shining
Channel One's long history of promoting violent entertainment to children is exemplified in this commercial. Channel One ran this ad to get children to watch one of this violent TV version of the movie Jack Nicholson made famous ("Here's Johnny!"). Notice the images presented to the children: A man wielding a mallet, a woman clutching a knife, a hideous face that disintegrates, a frighten child in a hallway being grabbed by monstrous hands, "murder" written backwards on a mirror. These nightmare images were forced on children as young as 11. Channel One has never apologized for any of its commercials for violent entertainment. This was one of many offensive commercials obtained from tapes of Channel One shows that were broadcast to a local middle school at Pizitz Middle School (Vestavia Hills, AL). It shows that parents cannot trust a principal or teacher to "screen" Channel One. It's impossible to screen it. This horrific commercial was "screened" Pizitz principal David Miles and approved and then shown to Pizitz students. (1997)
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The New Guy - Part 1
This movie promotion is typical for C1N. Ads run on Thursday or Friday before the movie comes out. Students are told they must see the movie or they won't be able to win prizes the next week. (Sexual content, normalizes prescription drug abuse by minors.) (2002)
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The New Guy - Part 2
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Missy Elliott's Road To Stardom
Channel One billed it as a contest for students to make their own anti-domestic violence video, but it was mainly a promotion for the rap star Elliott and her new UPN realilty show. Elliott is known for her drug glorifiying, profane and ultra-violent lyrics. (2005)
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Monkeybone
Monkeybone refers to the raunchy cartoon monkey that is the alter-ego of the cartoonist's (Brendan Frasier) penis. The title is a slang for the male genitalia. When the randy cartoon monkey takes over the body of the cartoonist, all sorts of sexual situations are possible. This sex comedy was approved by then Channel One's VP of Education Paul Folkemer. (2001)
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Rollerball
An ultra-violent movie promoted by Channel One in February 2002.
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MTV Video Music Awards
Few parents know the connection between Channel One News and MTV. These two controversial entities have agreed to produce shows for each others network. MTV personalities have appeared on C1N to promote MTV. Ads such as this one help drive young viewers to MTV.
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The Animal
Sex with animals? Bestiality jokes are just part of this C1N-approved raunchfest. The plot of this comedy has a man receive transplanted organs from animals and he becomes sexual attracted to animals. Taxpayer money subsidized the advertising of this cultural rot in classrooms. (2001)
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Buffy The Vampire Slayer
"Hurry, she's lost a lot of blood!" This gruesome ad is one of many for Buffy, The Vampire Slayer TV show. The sexual content of the show was over the top, especially the lesbian content. No TV show has been advertised on Channel One News more than this occult, sexual, violent show.
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The Starlet
A sexy reality show for pre-teen viewers? C1N made good money by heavily promoting this show to middle school students. (2005)
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Good Night, and Good Luck
George Clooney pops in to sell his movie. C1N doesn't consider this advertising. This is news. Oh, common sense, where art thou? (2005)
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Guest Hosts Pushing CDs, Movies, and TV Shows
A Few Channel One Guest Hosts
C1N violates "No Plug" promise made to schools. Channel One does not count this time as commercial content.
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Ryan Cabrera
Singer uses news show to push new CD. (2005)
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Alanis Has A New CD
Faded singer gets a taxpayer-assist to promote CD. C1N allows her to be a news anchor for the entire show.
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Reliant K - Intro
A new band gets to promote their tour and CD during the Channel One News show. This is not considered "commercial" time by C1N so they can increase their ad revenue without technically overstepping their 2-minute limit on ad time. The joke is on the school boards that think C1N is 10 minutes of hard news each day. (2005)
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Reliant K - End Of Show
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Monica
A singer plugs her new CD as the Channel One anchor gushes. All Channel One anchors and reporters push products. This is ugly journalism. (1999)
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Influence Your Parents
WebTV
C1N knows the "nag-factor" works in this older commercial. This ran just before the Christmas holidays. (1997)
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$150 Cell Phone
Aired before Christmas holidays. Students are to get their parents to spring for this expensive phone. (2005)
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Junk Food, Junk Drinks
Chicken Parmesan
Subway sponsors a "eat healthy" segment on the show but precedes its with an ad for a 12" sandwich that contains over 1,000 calories and 38 grams of fat. They could have advertised one of their "under 6 grams of fat" sandwiches, but chose not to.
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Pepsi Blue
The worst of all worlds. Promoting a new sugary soft drink with the cross-promotion of a rock group known for their explicit lyrics. (2002)
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Mountain Dew - Part 1
Aired: All 1999 At the 1999 U.S. Senate hearing on Channel One, Senator DeWine of Ohio asked Channel One's Dr. Paul Folkemer about this "funny" commercial. The Senator didn't like what he saw. Dr. Folkemer said it wasn't an easy decision deciding on this commercial. Evidently, some at Channel One thought it was inappropriate because it shows a teenage parking attendant recklessly driving a car. Others must have had no problem with it. Dr. Folkemer told Senator DeWine that on a close call they went with airing the ad. That is the mentality of Channel One. It has an inherent conflict of interest with the best interests of children. Dr. Folkemer didn't catch his mistake. He erred on the side of the advertiser, not the children. A "close call" doesn't even break towards the kids. When big money is involved good people make bad decisions. Mt. Dew is a product that has been relentlessly advertised on Channel One for every year Obligation has been monitoring it (since 1996).
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Mountain Dew - Part 2
It is hard to believe a school would allow this to be shown in class. Is it really "cool" to be reckless behind the wheel? (May 2002)
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Do Something
This nonprofit spot ends with a Pepsi logo. This is an ad for Pepsi along with being a public service announcement. Channel One's president Judy Harris is on the Do-Something board of directors. She approved adding this Pepsi promo to the ad.(2006)
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Pepsi
This commercial shows the power of Channel One. This is a specially-made ad for Channel One students. It shows the making of a commercial and then the commercial is played. It is a two-minute commercial for a new junk drink. With a captive audience Pepsi knows they will stay put to watch the entire ad. Many commercials on C1N are unique and would not be seen by young people at home. (2002)
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Pepsi And Shakira
Shakari is a Latin singer who appears in this Pepsi ad to help her sell some CDs. She is dressed in a black, two-piece outfit and has a see-through, fishnet body stocking on. If this doesn't get some attention in a classroom, then nothing will. She parades down a runway like a stripper and throws herself on the floor and sings to the students on all-fours. She then grinds her hips and shakes like an exotic dancer. All this to get the kids to drink more Pepsi. Channel One turns the classroom into a circus. (Sept 2002)
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Winterfresh Gum
Sugared gum has been a major advertiser on the show. The message of this ad is "Winterfresh will allow you to kiss the girl (or boy) of your dreams (and no telling where that will lead.) (2005)
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French Fry Runner
McDonalds has always been a significant advertiser.
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Snickers
This is just one of dozens of Snickers ads that ran for YEARS on C1N. Notice that it isn't a regular candy bar. Channel One execs helped push the "Big One" on their captive audience. Snickers would often have a commercial on every school day for a week. (1996-2002)
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Subway's MegaCalorie Sandwich
Not a junk food ad but an ad for a 1000+ calorie sandwich right before a "One Step To A Better Me" segment. (2005) Also running during the same time period this ad that shows how "funny" it is to be a mindless eating machine.
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Subway - What Are You Doing?
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Lay's Potato Chips
Why use a casino-themed commercial to sell junk food to middle school students? Heck, why is Channel One News advertising Lay's Stax potato chips to begin with? The tag line is: "Betcha can't eat just one." What are we doing daring our children to try to be restrained with this snack? Is that funny to Channel One executives who approved this nonsense for students? Stax has more calories per serving than regular Lay's chips. (2004)
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Twinkies Truck
Hostess Twinkies signed up for a multi-year, mega ad campaign to get students to eat more Twinkies. The ads worked according to Channel One's own sales literature. Students were swamped with Twinkie commercials as they watched Channel One.
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Twinkies Vultures
Another Twinkies advertisement.
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Messages From Channel One
Supernova
Aired: January 14, 2000 PG-13 Violence, Language and Nudity - This is not only a commercial promoting violent entertainment, it is a violent commercial. You will see a woman screaming. People being thrown around and gutted and killed by something that isn't quite clear because of the quick-cut nature of the ad. This commercial was shown to children on the Friday of its premiere. This was done to maximize attendance during the crucial opening weekend. It also gives parents little chance to find out about the movie. You can hear students telling their parents, "Oh, it's a good movie, our school told us to see it." This movie had so much nudity, that one reviewer renamed the movie "Flesh Gordon." Obligation and many other organizations, including major education organizations, believe that no commercial for any product or any movie, whether it is PG13 or G, is ever appropriate in a public school classroom unless it is being used to study advertising. Dr. Paul Folkemer, VP of Education for Channel One, approved this commercial for children.
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Messages From Jim Metrock
Introduction To Channel One
A short introduction to the section of our web site devoted to the Channel One controversy. (2004)
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Video Message about 'Rent'
Channel One advertises Rent to preteens. (Nov. 29, 2005)
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Video Message from Jim Metrock
Channel One's growing problems. (Nov. 1, 2005)
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Video Message concerning C1's anchors
Message to Channel One's remaining anchors. (Nov. 10, 2005)
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Jim Metrock Speaks To Chicago Media Watch On Channel One
From Jim Metrock:
It was an honor to be invited to be a speaker at the spring Chicago Media Watch conference. Advertising to children was the focus of their meeting. I was to talk about Channel One. I had already committed to another meeting, so I filmed my presentation and put it on a DVD so I could give a virtual presentation. This is what I sent to Chicago. The download may take some time. I give a 32-minute overview of Channel One with several video clips from the show.
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News Stories
Channel One Reports That Half of Parents Smoked Pot When They Were Young
This clip makes parents literally jump out of their seats. I know. I have shown this clip to parents groups and it always evokes a strong response against Channel One. The nerve of them to report to children down to ages ten and eleven that half of their parents smoked marijuana when they were young. And that half of parents expect their children to do drugs no matter what the parents do! Teachers weren't watching as this garbage was on. There were no responsible adult ready to talk to children about this brutal message.
What a devastating way to start a school day. How frustrating for a child who is trying to avoid using drugs. This type of reporting goes on all the time with Channel One. That is what happens when you give up control of the classroom to Channel One.
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Jack Abramoff
Channel One fails to disclose to student viewers that Abramoff was Channel One's main lobbyist for five years. This is an example of how Channel One disrespects its youthful audience. (2006)
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An Example of Channel One News
Aired: January 27, 1997 This isn't a commercial. It is the beginning of a Channel One "news" show.
We picked this one because it shows how Channel One wastes time with sports and weather-related stories. The show begins with a teaser (why have a teaser? this is a captive audience) about a Super Bowl report coming up later in the show and then proceeds to the top news of the day - flooding in Northern California. Weather stories take up a large amount of time on Channel One. It's easy footage and the element of destruction may bring eyes to the TV for the upcoming commercials but many have criticized Channel One for its reliance on weather and sports as a substitute for real, hard news. Eight million children, according to Channel One, are viewing their program. These children are giving up a lot of time for what? What value is a story on flooding? This is just lazy news production. Another clip we have shows the anchor talking about a hurricane as their top story and indicates that it was the top story the day before. When you don't want to, or can't, dig deep into a real hard news story, then you go with a natural disaster and take up a lot of time doing it. This is what you get when a "news" show is produced by a marketing company. We have many tapes of shows where a wild fire, hurricane, tremors, or a snow storm takes up a large portion of the show. As Mark Crispin Miller of NYU points out the "news on Channel One is just filler" between the commercials. And often the filler isn't very filling.
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Gay Marriage Story For Preteens
Does Channel One News have a "gay agenda" for America's middle school students? You would think so after seeing this report. This news story normalizes men marrying men. Notice the question posed to students: "Should gay couples be allowed to get marry?" The unescapable message sent to kids is that men marrying men and women marrying women is neither right nor wrong -it's whatever you think it is. (2004)
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Another Gay Story For Preteens
Is this the "top" story of the day for middle school students? (2004)
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Drinking By Teens, OK?
A breakdown of typical Channel One drinking report. Teens and preteens who drink "too much" may need help. (2002)
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Do You Have A Drinking Problem?
Everyone in their audience is below the legal drinking age. Why would you write a script that encourages children to find out if they have a "drinking problem"? It sends the message to students that drinking is "OK" but "drinking too much" may not be good.
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Bat Mitzvah Shooting
Horrific scene at party is "must-see" TV. Murder and gory are staple items at C1N. (2000)
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Nicholas Berg
Many newcasts refused to show the video of American Nicholas Berg as his Iraqi captors prepare to behead him. Channel One got in major trouble with schools when they aired this video. Preteens not only see the blindfolded man about to be killed, but unbelievably Channel One's producers allow the tape to continue to show the killer pulling out his knife. (Channel One even highlights the knife in case 6th graders didn't know what they were watching. (2003)
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The Start Of Channel One News
One minute wasted each and every day.
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Gatorade Mixes Ads With News
Gatorade creeps into the news portion of Channel One News.
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Barnett Sniper
One of many stories covering the sniper shootings in Virginia. Murder gets the attention of the young audience. (2002)
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Other Footage
Small Print
Many Channel One commercials have small print at the bottom. It is deceptive to have such print explaining important information to students because even the students nearest the TV set can't read the words. In 2002, Channel One began running important contest information toward the end of the show. This clip runs at real time. It is not speeded up. This is how Channel One played it. Most notices like these tell the audience that "no purchase is necessary" or it tells the odds of winning. When you don't tell children this information in a manner they can comprehend, then you are lying to them. A school shouldn't allow that to happen. (1996-present day)
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NBC 13 - Alabama - Community Meeting
Parents fed up with Channel One talk to the camera. (1999)
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Judy Harris, Channel One CEO
Panel discussion at Feb. 2006 National Governor's Conference. Ms. Harris's remarks are presented in the order in which she said them. Obligation offers a filmed response to each comment.
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Other Products
Cobaltcard
A "credit card" for children. (2003)
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Ban Flasher
This will get the attention of students. (2005)
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Cingular Wireless
Channel One blurs the line between advertising and content. The Cingular Question of the Day is a way to get more than two minutes of ads each day. (2005)
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Oxy Balance
Aired: 1998, 1999 This is a cruel commercial. Many of Channel One's commercials try to get children to worry about their looks. This is a typical one. It features a very attractive and thin model. The camera freezes an image of her face. She is absolutely perfect, but wait ... The camera zooms in to see an ever so slight elevation on her forehead. Oh my goodness! she has a bump. You can barely see it, but the voice-over tells the schoolchildren that our lovely model is not perfect. She is flawed like the students watching the commercial. The commercial says that with a computer you can erase such an imperfection. The bump is magically erased. But in real life you have to use Oxy Balance products. Buying this product will make your face clear. You will be pretty. What a deception! Setting aside the fact that the sales pitch is a gross overstatement of the products benefits, Channel One knows that this commercial sends a terrible body image message to children and yet they ran this particular commercial over and over and over. Commercials on Channel One often show the "ideal" girl as being thin and with "model" looks. This ad is just one of many on Channel One that present young girls with depressing messages about their bodies. This commercial shows that even if you are thin AND very attractive you still are not perfect unless your face is free of all blemishes. Bottom line: Unattainable perfection should be the goal of all girls. Again, this commercial was approved by Dr. Folkemer and his staff.
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Old Spice
Channel One News knows that "sex sells." (2004)
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Nature's Cure
A shocker for parents. Channel One begins to advertise pills to students. These pills are considered a drug by the FDA. School boards could have a major legal problem if a student is harmed by school-advertised pills. Also this is a deceptive ad. It claims it can cure acne. Students are directed to "BuyTheCure.com." (2005)
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Public Service Announcements
Kid Hit By Car
Drugged out driver runs over a young child on a bike. One of several "horror" PSAs by the ONDCP. Channel One never asked schools if these were acceptable. They weren't and Channel One stopped showing them after getting pressure from educators. (2004)
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Guns and Pot
Teen shoots another teen in the head. Another "horror" PSA. (2004)
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Ax Murderer
Two terrified young people are going to be butched by a man with a hatchet. Screams fill the classroom, but wait, it's all a joke on the kids. (2005)
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Tick
Environmental Defense wants the hearts and minds of schoolchildren. The world is doomed unless people start doing what Environmental Defense whats them to do. This is propaganda. This is controversial. Channel One violated their news standards by accepting this controversial spot. (August 2006)
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Sales Tape
Channel One's Sales Tape
Sales pitch aimed at potential advertisers. Channel One tells the public that students don't pay attention to the ads, so nobody should be worried about the ad content. They tell advertisers something different. (1999)
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Student Artwork
Student Artwork To Begin The News
Only student artwork that doubles as a Channel One advertisement is shown on TV.
Pity the poor student artist that wants to see his or her artwork on Channel One. Just think - millions will see your art on their classroom TVs. Channel One urges students to send in their art because each show begins with one piece of artwork. There is only one hitch - you have to paint in a Channel One "1" or put the words "Channel One" in the picture. It doesn't matter if it is a portrait or a landscape. If you want your art to be considered, it must become an advertisement for the Channel One show. Channel One makes students become unpaid graphic artists for the company. Obligation has always thought that Channel One owes each student artist about $1,500 for their graphic design seen by up to eight million. Exploiting young people is what Channel One does best.
On September 11, 2002, Channel One News began their special 9/11 Anniversary show with a beautiful picture of the Twin Towers painted by a student. Even this painting had "Channel One News" painted in the sky. Marketing never, ever stops at Channel One.
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Video Games
Blockbuster
The "cool" role model here plays games for five days and nights straight. All players show us their thumbs which are deformed from so much video game playing. Why would a school show a commercial like this that encourages this type of lifestyle. Add this sedentary behavior to eating a lot of junk food and you get overweight children. (2001)
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Gameboy Advance
Lose yourself in the game. (2005)
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Gameboy Micro
New effort to get girls to become video game players. (2005)
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Walk Through Traffic With Your Gameboy
Lose yourself in the game. The game is the most important thing in your life. (2005)
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