Letter to Channel One’s President – Apologize To Schoolchildren For Playing Marilyn Manson Music On In-School TV Show

November 7, 1997

Mr. David Tanzer, President

Channel One Network

600 Madison Avenue, Sixth Floor

New York, NY 10022


Dear Mr. Tanzer:


Our child advocacy organization
would like your company to apologize for playing the self-described
satanic-rock band Marilyn Manson during your in-school TV show
(Channel One News). We ask that Channel One News discontinue
playing any music that comes from a CD that has a "Parental
Warning" label. We also urge you to eliminate the names
of explicit content songs, or songs from CDs with a warning label,
from your web site’s "Playlist".


Channel One should also discontinue
reviewing explicit content CDs for children on your web site.
Bone Thugs and Harmony and Coolio are recent explicit CDs you
have reviewed.


Channel One has acquired a captive
audience of eight million impressionable children. Your company
should not be subjecting children to music groups known for their
profane, drug-drenched, suicidal, woman-hating lyrics. We have
not heard any explicit words in any of the portions of songs
you play for children, but Channel One does a great disservice
to children by featuring songs from bands known for their vulgarity.


Channel One played Manson music
at least once in the 1995-96 school year and at least once in
the 1996-97 school year. We have a copy of the tapes to confirm
both instances. Yesterday, a father gave heart-breaking Senate
subcommittee testimony about the connection between listening
to Marilyn Manson and his son’s suicide. Parents and taxpayers
need to know where Channel One stands on explicit content music.


We look forward to your apology
and your promise that explicit content groups will never again
be a part of Channel One’s in-school TV show or its channelone.com
web site.


Much Obliged,


Jim Metrock

President


cc: Alabama and National News
Media


Other sources: Channel One Network,
212-508-6800 (www. channelone. com) ; K-III Communications (owner
of Channel One) William Reilly, CEO, 212-745-0100 (www. k-iii.
Com)


P.S. In the same regard, your
Channel One reviews of R-rated movies are extremely inappropriate
for your children web visitors. Do you agree?