Does your school still have Channel One News?
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Pat Ellis: Pornography in Alabama schools and youth organizations? You be the judge

February 9, 2023
Pat Ellis: Pornography in Alabama schools and youth organizations? You be the judge

9/28/2022 Texas and Alabama parents share the same problem. The difference: Texas parents know it, and Alabama parents don’t!  What am I talking about? “How-to” sex-ed manuals in public schools and youth organizations. Sex-ed manuals to train children in a variety of sex acts, heterosexual and homosexual. The Comprehensive Sex Education program “Making Proud...
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An awful website gets buried.

October 29, 2022
An awful website gets buried.


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Tom Hanson

August 31, 2022
Tom Hanson

Channel One News had many on-air personalities who acted goofy. Tom Hanson is shown here mugging for the camera. At the time, he was trying to look “younger” for his captive audience of middle school students. Many Channel One “reporters” thought that acting immature – making silly faces – would fool students into thinking...
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Where did Channel One News people go?

January 28, 2022
Where did Channel One News people go?

It’s been a tough road for many who hoped to leap from Channel One to legitimate journalism.
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Three villains

July 20, 2021
Three villains

Channel One News has been gone since 2018. However, there is concern that some new youth marketing company will try to bring back the company or parts of it. That is why Obligation will release a video series documenting the abundant problems with Channel One. Before the videos start in August, let’s reintroduce a...
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Channel One News converted learning time into marketing time. New video series will explain how it ended.

December 30, 2020

Channel One News was a classroom marketing company. It grew at a phenomenal rate in the mid-90s until it ran into its toughest opposition: Obligation, Inc. My name is Jim Metrock. I’m president of Obligation. I am one of the reasons Channel One News exited classrooms. I am one of the reasons millions of...
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Who are these people??

February 2, 2020
Who are these people??

From Jim Metrock: Few schools are aware of a marketing company called OurCampus. So far in 2020, apparently 8 schools in the Greater Las Vegas area are using its services. This is not a new company.  It is a transformation of an older one that apparently ceased operation in 2018 under a cloud of...
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The 8 schools that have signed up for OurCampus.

January 26, 2020
The 8 schools that have signed up for OurCampus.

Three charter school systems around Las Vegas, NV have decided to gamble on the controversial OurCampus marketing firm. The people behind the failed Skoollive company are behind this new venture. As of January 26, 2020 Pinecrest Horizon Pinecrest Inspirada Pinecrest St. Rose Pinecrest Sloan Canyon Mater Bonanza Mater Mountain Vista Somerset Sky Pointe Somerset...
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OurCampus’s outrageous Terms and Conditions.

January 23, 2020
OurCampus’s outrageous Terms and Conditions.

From Jim Metrock: I actually read this long document.  Principals won’t read this. They won’t think it’s worth their time. They care about their students but not enough to even skim this massive collection of words. School board members won’t read it either. Teachers? No, they are too busy. Parents? No, they don’t even...
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It’s alive!!! Skoollive dies, OurCampus comes to life.

January 21, 2020
It’s alive!!!  Skoollive dies, OurCampus comes to life.


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It is official: NexxGen News is currently not operating.

January 19, 2020
It is official: NexxGen News is currently not operating.

  This is great news for all teachers and parents who feared a return of this Channel One-like, schoolhouse marketing scheme.    
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Edmodo’s NexxGen News stumbles into 2020

January 1, 2020
Edmodo’s NexxGen News stumbles into 2020

There have been no news stories about NexxGen News signing up schools for its kiddie marketing plan. Neither Edmodo or NexxGen News have posted any episodes of NexxGen News since early 2019. Obligation will report on any episodes of the controversial school TV show if they are published.  It is looking like this Channel...
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Skoollive is positively gone.

December 5, 2019
Skoollive is positively gone.

From Jim Metrock:  This is what you get when you go to Skoollive’s web address. Skoollive was a bad idea that never really got off the ground.  Misspelling “school” was just the first dumb move by these would-be school marketers. George Bruton, the CEO, will probably resurface again with another bizarre way of getting...
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Tones [sic] of problems for NexxGen News.

September 12, 2019
Tones [sic] of problems for NexxGen News.

From Jim Metrock: Some people are good spellers and some, like me, are not. It appears that NexxGen News employees also have trouble with spelling. Take a look at an NGN Facebook post from this week. “Tones” surely means “tons,” a mistake anybody can make. What is troubling is another spelling mistake that is...
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Let’s get NexxGen News up to 10 likes.

September 6, 2019
Let’s get NexxGen News up to 10 likes.

Edmodo’s partner in school advertising “crime” is NexxGen News. NexxGen News appears to be a cheat clone of the discredited Channel One News program. It’s hard to see schools falling for this mess. It took over a month for NexxGen to generate 3 “likes” on Twitter.  
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Edmodo’s sponsored content brings controversy.

September 3, 2019
Edmodo’s sponsored content brings controversy.

From Jim Metrock: I copied the content below from Edmodo’s support page so we can document any changes to their advertising policy. Hopefully, the public will become more familiar with Edmodo’s advertising policy this coming school year.  I feel few have been paying attention to Edmodo.   Earlier this year, Edmodo got on Obligation’s...
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How could Edmodo make these mistakes? (2018 EdSurge article)

August 12, 2019
How could Edmodo make these mistakes? (2018 EdSurge article)

Drinking, Smoking and Sugar: How Unsavory Ads Wound Up on Edmodo By Emily Tate     Oct 8, 2018 Beth Freeman logs in to her son’s Edmodo account from time to time to check on his homework assignments. Over the last year, she’s noticed ads peppered throughout the communications app, which is used by...
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No video from NexxGen News since June 10

August 5, 2019
No video from NexxGen News since June 10

The new Channel One-like NexxGen News appears to be inactive over the summer. No post from the company has been published since June 10. We have no idea what the plans are for this classroom, marketing program. Efforts to meet with NexxGen News and Gen Media Partners executives have been unsuccessful. Stay tune to...
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Introducing NexxGen News or Channel One News 2.0 (2 point Oh No)

July 29, 2019
Introducing NexxGen News or Channel One News 2.0 (2 point Oh No)

      From Jim Metrock: Just over a year ago, the controversial, hyper-commercialized, in-school TV show called Channel One News went out of business. Few schools were watching Channel One when they called it quits so few were sorry to see it go. Unfortunately for kids, a few Channel One employees decided they...
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Edmodo privacy policy

July 28, 2019
Edmodo privacy policy

  PRIVACY POLICY   Effective date: Dec 20, 2018 We at Edmodo, Inc. (“Edmodo”) know that you care about how your personal information is used and shared, and we take your privacy seriously. By accessing or using the Services (including without limitation the mobile version of the edmodo.com website (the “Mobile Site”) and the...
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Skoollive is skooldead.

June 13, 2019
Skoollive is skooldead.

From Jim Metrock: I have to admit, I never got excited about fighting Skoollive. The company wasn’t like BusRadio, ZapMe!, or Channel One News. I loved taking down those companies. Skoollive was just a sad little business that never found a reason to exist. Skoollive was a company that owned a bunch of seven-foot...
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Keith Kocinski lands on his feet… sorta.

April 15, 2019
Keith Kocinski lands on his feet… sorta.

From Jim Metrock: I warned him, but he didn’t listen. He stayed too long at Channel One, and as a result his career has taken a…  disappointing turn. For years Keith Kocinski pretended to be a reporter on Channel One News. Today he is a real game show host. He is a host of a...
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