From Jim Metrock:

I don’t believe in astrology.  I understand that some people do.  Everybody has the right to believe in whatever works for them.

However, I do have a problem when Channel One News offers horoscopes to children visiting their official website.

Children now can get their daily horoscope on Channel One’s web site.

Channelone.com homepage July 28, 2010

Below: Channel One’s main page for horoscopes. http://life.channelone.com/horoscopes

Below: I checked out my horoscope.  Thanks, Channel One News.

The problem with horoscopes is for most people they are for entertainment, but Channel One News doesn’t say anything about that.   That might be because decision makers at Channel One probably are “believers.”

Kids might not fully understand that what Channel One News is putting out as the truthful “facts” are just made-up stuff.  Channel One would like nothing better than convince children that horoscopes are important and that children should check their’s DAILY at Channelone.com.  That way they can get more hits on their website and their advertisers will pay them more money.

Many parents who are trying to raise their children with religious values would be appalled that Channel One News is suggesting to kids that it’s the STARS that control their lives.

Here’s a free horoscope for the handful of Channel One employees left at the company. No need to thank me.

Your friends think of you as an underachiever.  Don’t let them get you down.  Yes, you are a slacker who can’t find gainful employment with a company that doesn’t exploit schoolchildren, but you have other qualities.  You know how to get money out of children.  That’s a talent that many of your friends don’t have.

You also have an active imagination.  You may actually think of your company as a “news” organization.  That rich imagination will be of help when your employer closes the door.

You love playing tricks on unsuspecting children.  You know how to mix advertising with news.  You know how to get personally identifiable information from a pre-teen.  You know how to fudge compliance reports when schools are not watching your program.  You know how to mislead schools into signing contracts. (“What controversy?  We’re not controversial.”)

And last, you are loyal.  As your company continues to lose school after school after school, you still report to duty at Channel One.  Such loyalty is rare nowadays and this personal quality is admirable.  Appreciate your strengths and forget about your weaknesses.  Have a great day, Kiddie Marketer.

From Jim Metrock - Channel One has an official web site. It is called “channelone.com”. Its abuse of children is legendary. (Take a look around our web site for some of the most offensive servings from Channel One. R-rated movie reviews for kids? Reviews of sexually-explicit CDs for your child? Channel One wanting to post your child’s picture on the Internet? Channel One running a “Personal Ads” section for your son or daughter?

This company was for years reckless with the safety of children. Now, with the real threat of congressional hearings, Channel One is trying to clean up its image. Channel One’s problem is that – it can’t clean up. It would go out of business. That is why they can’t stop pushing adult-content movies and TV shows on kids. They are making too much money off the advertisers.

The web siteis trying to come back and we are seeing them struggle with trying to entice kids to their site yet dealing with a growing number of parents and educators that now are checking the site because of its reckless past.

Recently, Channel One posted several articles about Horoscopes on their site. They provided children links (a very scary thing to do when you have Channel One doing it) to astrology sites on the Internet. I will give you a sample of one site that kids may visit because Channel One provided the direct path to them (one mouse click). “Astrology and Your Erogenous Zones – Many books and manuals have been written about lovemaking, but few pay attention to the unique knowledge of erogenous zones supplied by astrology. You can use astrology to become a better, more sensitive lover. The throat and neck is Taurus’s sensitive area …. This technique (that I have left out) will thoroughly relax Taurus and make him or her very receptive to lovemaking.”

Why is Channel One even talking about horoscopes and astrology to our children? Why are they launching them into the Internet to get this age-inappropriate material? Because these people, both in Hollywood and New York City, see children as a commodity. So many pork bellies. Eyes to be sold to advertisers on the web and on the in-school TV show. It’s all about money to Channel One executives. These folks are probably having a ball with their Christmas bonus this week. Except for their satellite going down (Obligation refuses to confirm or deny our involvement with the mysterious events surrounding the Galaxy IV satellite “anomaly” in May), Channel One has apparently made a ton of money off of schoolchildren again this year. I digress.

The person running the web site has been around Channel One for several years. Her name is Peggy Li. She evidently sees value in astrology and wants to share some thoughts on the matter with your children. This is the same young woman who was Channel One’s advice guru. This time last year, she answered a very scary letter from a 15-year-old girl who related a suicide attempt she made. “Suicide still crosses my mind often,” the girl wrote Channel One’s advice giver. In the answer Li commented, “You said that you are still feeling suicidal, and I’ll be honest, suicide is (for some people) a coping mechanism. When we think about dying it is a good ‘escape’ from the hurt of right now. And sometimes, especially when depressed, it can be pretty normal…”

Suicide is not a “coping mechanism”, Channel One. And you can keep your love of astrology to your self. This writer and Channel One, the company, should not be talking to children. They should be thrown out of public schools.