Does your school still have Channel One News?
Learn how to unplug

Time Out

March 19, 2002
Time Out

From Jim Metrock: There is just so much stuff! We can’t keep up and we are falling farther behind. There are still reports we should write and publish concerning Channel One from the 2000-2001 school year! I had hoped that 2002 would be a year that Obligation would shift some of its resources to...
Read More »

Channel One Wants Principals To Help Promote Madonna’s Recording Company

March 18, 2002
Channel One Wants Principals To Help Promote Madonna’s Recording Company

Developing story: Madonna’s recording company, Maverick Records, is now a very significant advertiser on Channel One News. Channel One is running a major contest that is loaded with problems for teachers, principals and school boards. On Channel One’s web site the "top story" of the day, a Monday, was the introduction of this contest....
Read More »

“BRANCHING OUT” CONTEST RULES

March 18, 2002

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. 1. Eligibility: Entrant must be a Channel One Network student between the ages of 11 and 18, and a legal resident of the 48 contiguous United States and the District of Columbia as of Sunday, March 17, 2002. Employees...
Read More »

Ralph Reed Continues To Push Hollywood’s Pipeline To Kids – Channel One

March 16, 2002
Ralph Reed Continues To Push Hollywood’s Pipeline To Kids – Channel One

Why is this man smiling? You would to if you had the money Channel One News was paying Ralph Reed.   Ralph Reed continues to work in the shadows for Channel One. Reed has been receiving money from Channel One since at least 1999, although he does not publicly acknowledge his contract with them. Obligation...
Read More »

Women’s Sports Foundation

March 14, 2002

A new advertiser on Channel One is the Women’s Sports Foundation. This nonprofit has been running their spots on C1 for the last two months. On yesterday’s and today’s show, Donna Lopiano,a spokesperson for the Foundation was given significant interview time for a story about a 1972 law concerning sports programs for women and girls. Also, the...
Read More »

THE CINGULAR ‘QUESTION OF THE DAY’ PROMOTION

March 12, 2002

OFFICIAL RULES NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. YOU MUST BE 13 YEARS OF AGE TO ENTER THE PROMOTION. 1. Eligibility: Entrant must be from a Channel One school, between 13-18 years of age, and a legal resident of the 48 contiguous United States and...
Read More »

Apologize – Email To Jim Morris

March 11, 2002

From: <jimmetrock@mindspring.com> Date: Sat Mar 09, 2002 11:43:25 PM US/Central To: jmorris@channelone.com Subject: Apologize on air for using reporters to push products Dear Mr. Morris: Although I believe you should resign for allowing your young reporters to unethically do ads during the non-commercial part of Channel One News, I think it is much more...
Read More »

Channel One’s Supermodel – Derrick Shore

March 8, 2002
Channel One’s Supermodel – Derrick Shore

This is Derrick Shore. He is a Channel One reporter. He is proudly wearing a Columbia Sportswear jacket. We have already reported on his modeling of advertiser’s clothing during the Olympics. Shore is not a real journalist, so apparently it did not cross his mind that he was violating journalistic standards, but still he...
Read More »

Cingular

March 7, 2002

When Channel One’s obituary is written, March 6, 2002 will surely be mentioned. Yesterday, after the second and last block of commercials, Channel One reporters did an extended commercial for Cingular Wireless cell phones – during the supposedly non-commercial part of the TV show. Obligation’s Jim Metrock said, "This is a shocker. To see...
Read More »

Smell Tax Money Burning – One Way C1 Wastes School Time

March 5, 2002

This video clip is from the introduction to the January 31 show. It is similar to every other day. What you will see when you click on the link to the QuickTime movie is what children in Channel One schools saw at the very beginning of Channel One News. Imagine you are a student...
Read More »

NBA AND CHANNEL ONE NETWORK ENTER MULTI-YEAR PROGRAMMING AGREEMENT

March 1, 2002

NBA Becomes First Pro Sports League to Ink Deal With Teen Network Channel One New York, March 27, 2001 – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Channel One Network, a Primedia company (NYSE: PRM) and the number one source of news for America’s teens, have entered a multi-year agreement that will bring NBA players...
Read More »

Running On Empty – Primedia Seeks To Sell Channel One – Partnership Possible

February 21, 2002

The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that Primedia, Channel One’s partner company, has hired the investment banking firm of Allen & Co. to find a buyer or partner for Channel One. (WSJ 2/21/02, p.B6) Microsoft and McGraw-Hill have talked about partnering with Channel One but failed to reach an agreement. Obligation’s Jim Metrock said, “Channel One...
Read More »

Horrific Bat Mitzvah Shooting Shown On Channel One – “Repugant Decision Making At Channel One News”

February 21, 2002

One reason Channel One has been unsuccessful is it has always been insensitive to the special nature of its unique audience. Children as young as ten are in Channel One’s captive audience, yet Channel One delivers the same editorial content to middle school children as they do high school students. On January 22, Channel...
Read More »

Ads Go Overboard – Channel One Jeopardizes Contracts With Schools

February 20, 2002
Ads Go Overboard – Channel One Jeopardizes Contracts With Schools

Much to the chagrin of serious educators, Channel One has spent much of its show this month covering the Olympics. Whenever a daily show would be featuring a report from Salt Lake City, Channel One would begin the show with this graphic: This would alert students to be watching for what Derrick Shore would...
Read More »

Channel One Flirts With R-Rating – “Just This Side Of An R-Rating”

February 18, 2002

For years, Channel One reviewed R-rated movies for children on their web site. They would encourage children to write their own reviews of violent and raunchy movies like “How To Be A Player” and “Kiss The Girls.” That ended because of pressure from Obligation, but now their is an alarming new trend on the in-school Channel One News....
Read More »

Ken McNatt

February 14, 2002

Ken McNatt is a Pennsylvania high school student who is opposed to Channel One. He started a student organization opposing Channel One in his school. Last year, when Ken heard that a school in Woodward, OK was thinking about getting Channel One, he tried to warn them. This is his follow up letter to...
Read More »

Channel One Sends Wrong Message About Ecstasy

February 12, 2002

From Jim Metrock: I have been watching Channel One since 1996. There has not been a show that has not made me very angry. As a conservative, as a parent, as a taxpayer – on many levels, this TV show is repugnant. The messages that Channel One sends our children about drugs really upset me. Channel One...
Read More »

Channel One Rains Down More Violent Entertainment On Children

February 10, 2002

This is from an article Obligation wrote for a Midwest newspaper. “A movie of such rank stupidity and appalling taste that it would seem impermeable to analysis, much less critique.” OREGONIAN “Loud, violent, mindless” DALLAS MORNING NEWS These are a few of the more charitable reviews for “Rollerball” an ultra-violent and profanity-filled movie that premiered on...
Read More »

Rock The (School) House

February 7, 2002

Elektra Records needed more exposure for the fairly unknown group called Dakota Moon. Elektra had sunk a lot of money into this group that combines soul and rock. Their second CD "Looking For a Place To Land" had to do well and teens and preteens could be just the people to help make the...
Read More »

School Time For Olympics?

February 6, 2002

After spending days promoting the extreme sports of the Winter X Games, Channel One announced this morning that the Olympics will be a major part of their telecast for the next two weeks. Channel One anchor Derrick Shore said that Channel One will be partnering with NBC to bring Olympic coverage into classrooms. NBC’s...
Read More »

Controversial Winter X Games Ad Chosen For Channel One

February 5, 2002

It’s a puppet show – with a violent and in-your-face twist. It was a commercial for the Winter X Games a ESPN-driven sporting event that features extreme sports like snowmobile racing and snowboarding. ESPN is owned by Disney/ABC which is a major advertiser on Channel One. The commercial, which ran at least once on...
Read More »

Fox and Channel One Promote “Malcolm” To Kids As Young As Ten

February 4, 2002

On January 31 and February 1 (and possibly on other dates) Channel One ran commercials for “3-D Ruffle” potato chips. It looked like just another junk food ad that has made Channel One despised by pediatricians and parents. But two products were being advertised not one. Along with junk food, junk TV was being promoted. One of the...
Read More »