Teachers Grabbing For Channel One Cash

April 11, 2001

(Instant Win banner ad at Channel One web site) Teachers have a chance to win $7,800 from Channel One. The “winners” have to agree to participate in Channel One’s advertising and promotion. The “winners” should be kicked out of the teaching profession.

 

April 11, 2001 – Teachers Grabbing For Channel One CashEthics Problems Galore

 

The marketing geniuses at Channel One have come up with a way to stuff cash into the pockets of teachers who make children watch their TV show. Channel One wants to get teachers to be more favorable to their company so they are running a contest open only to teachers in schools with Channel One. There is a separate contest for librarians and others who are in charge of operating the Channel One equipment in schools.

Jim Metrock said, “Teachers are being solicited to endorse and promote Channel One. This is about as sad as it gets for our marketing friends at Channel One. They can’t get teachers to say anything good about them so they have to dangle money in front of them. How insulting to teachers.”

From the Channel One Contest page:

“By accepting the prize, the winner agrees that the Sponsor (Channel One) and those acting under the Sponsor’s authority, may use the winner’s name, picture/portrait likeness and/or voice, for advertising and promotional purposes without further consideration, unless prohibited by law. By entering this Sweepstakes entrants are giving permission for their first name, school, and state to be posted on teachworld.com the day after an entrant is recognized as a winner.”

Metrock said, “There are four random drawings for $50 gift certificates each day until May 25. A teacher who gets a gift certificate automatically agrees to become a part of the Channel One advertising campaign. This may be in violation of state ethics laws. The Alabama Ethics Commission prevents public employees from using their position to get more benefits than they are due. This contest may get Alabama teachers in trouble. We will let the Alabama Ethics Commission determine if a teacher is in violation of the Ethics law. Any teacher who is showing Channel One’s commercials to a captive audience of students ought to be ashamed of themselves. Any teacher who goes further and takes money from Channel One via this contest is a disgrace to the teaching profession. A teacher who allows themselves to be used by this controversial company in their advertising ought to be immediately fired.”

Correction: Upon rereading Channel One’s contest rules, it appears we were wrong to state there would be a final drawing for $7,800. Although the rules are not clearly written, it appears that a total of $7,800 will be given away with the daily $50 gift certificates drawings. The “Key Op” (equipment operators) contest will have one drawing for $500.

Read the rules for Channel One’s contest: http://www.teach1.com/community/instant_rules.htm

 

Email sent to Paul Folkemer from Jim Metrock 4/11/01

 

To: pfolkemer@channelone.com

Subject: You better hope no contest winners are from Alabama

Cc: trogers@primediainc.com, jritts@channelone.com, rwolfson@channelone.com, jballabon@channelone.com

http://teachworld.about.com/cgi/sweeps

 

Dear Dr. Folkemer:

We will soon run an article on your $7,800 contest for teachers and equipment operators. I can almost sense the desperation at Channel One when I see these carnival stunts.

There have been few public school teachers who have ever publicly praised or defended your company in Alabama. There is a reason teachers are silent on your company – the Alabama Ethics Commission.

If a public employee uses their position to promote a product, like Channel One, and they receive compensation for that… well, they most likely will be in violation of the Ethics law.

I don’t think you want to encourage an Alabama teacher or librarian to violate our state’s Ethics law.

Your $50 daily prize will be enough to get a teacher in trouble.

Don’t take my word on this. Get Martin Christie to call the Alabama Ethics Commission in Montgomery. He needs to earn some of that money you pay him. I am not an expert on our law but I do know that if I see an Alabama winner, and their likeness or words are used in any fashion to endorse or promote Ch1, I will file an ethics complaint against that person. A teacher that would allow their students to be sold to a company like yours and then pocket cash from a Channel One contest, should not be in a classroom.

Here is the link to the Alabama Ethics Commission if you don’t want to disturb Mr. Christie. http://www.ethics.alalinc.net/index.cfm Check out Code of Alabama 1975 Section 36-25-5(a)

You probably will be putting teachers and librarians in jeopardy in a number of states. Is Channel One going to defend and make whole each teacher you get in trouble or fired?

Stop this before it hurts a teacher. A teacher needs to know that this is not a risk-free contest.

 

From the Southern Barricade,

Jim Metrock

 

 

School employees who have won a Channel One gift certificate. Good luck to these "winners." The source for these names is from Channel One's Teach1.com site.
Do you know any of these teachers and librarians? Ask them to return Channel One's gift certificate.
Gary Johnson Sparta HS, Sparta, IL Gerri Larson Central HS, Rapid City, SD Megan Pierfy Hillsborough MS, Somerville, NJ Sylvia Muniz Alternative HS Center, Corpus Christi, TX Cindy Obermeyer Emmett HS, ID LeRoy Bettenhausen Watford City HS, ND Connie Nobles Odenville MS, AL Kristin Foley Centennial Public School Utica, ME Clare Bachman Hiawatha MS, KS Mary Winters Oquirrh Hills MS, Riverton, UT Sandy Christenson Stephensen MS, Mountain Home A.F.B., ID Fiona Worthy F.M. Black MS, Houston, TX Joy Langford Macon County JHS, Lafayette, TN Sandrda Vance South Davie MS, Mocksville, NC Kim Benson Hedrick MS, Medford, OR Wendy Craig Hiawatha MS, KS Juanita Collein Wilbur Wright MS, Dayton, OH LeAnne Jones Powell County MS, Stanton, KY Jean Eddy Hamilton Southeastern HS, Fishers, IN Amy Dixon Roselle Catholic HS, Roselle, NJ Anne Marie Eanes St. Mark's HS, Wilmington, DE Doris Harbin Pendleton HS,SC Katie Hauer Glen Este HS, Cincinatti, OH Lynn Jankowski Ludwig JHS, Lockport, IL Tamara Parris Enka MS, Candler, NC Georgie Gomillion Lockhart Freshman Campus, TX Julie Aldrete St. Margaret Mary's School, San Antonio, TX Bobbi Fisher Lincoln MS Logansport, IN Angela Hines North Iredell MS, Olin, NC Terri McNally Hiawatha MS, KS Laura Grauer Ludwig JH School, Lockport, IL Vicki Brown Walterboro HS, SC John Case Alma Public Schools, MI Sue Link Stewart County HS, Dover, TN Cynthia Collins Clearfield MS,PA Carol Schwartz Beulah HS, Beulah, ND Dale Schmidt Bath MS, Lima, OH Greg Beekhuizen Bradenton Christian School, FL Claudia East Coalinga HS, CA Wanda Eldridge T.J. Rusk MS, Dallas, TX Charlene Starcher Lee Eaton Elementary, Northfield, OH Charles Kemp South Point HS, OH Sandy Watkins Bluff City MS, TN Jennifer Morgan West Salem MS, WI Lisa Vanmeter Checotah HS, OK Michelle Johnson-Evans Ralph H. Metcalfe, Chicago, IL Cliffonia Merchant Tulsa Public Schools, OK Mary Pat Pluta Driscoll Catholic HS, Addison, IL Julie Dawson Tecumseh Public Schools, OK Sherry Fleming Two Rivers, Nashville, TN Susan Hardee Keller MS, TX Lawrence Lane Checotah HS, Checotah Lisa Williams Walter J. Baird Lebanon, TN Nancy Knox Bearden HS, Knoxville, TN Jane Duke Ashdown JH School, AR Mindy Sides Dublin HS,TX Lorie Sisk South Leake Elementary School Walnut Grove, MS Kimberly Brick New Mark MS, Kansas, MO Sharon Marshall Lancaster HS, SC Rachel Thompson Mackenzie, Detroit, MI Amy Williams Marked Tree HS, Marked Tree, AR Amy Whittle Hallsville MS, TX Dan Blankenship Murray County Central, Slayton, MN Nancy Brindle Paola MS, KS Carolyn Johnson Sparta HS, IL Linda Willis Central HS, Manchester, TN Brenda Tate Covington HS, VA Janet Shores North Pike HS, Summit, MS Faye Freeman West MS, Tullahoma, TN Carol King Bon Homme HS, Tyndall, SD Rita Tiller Council HS, VA Juanita Medina Campus MS, Englewood, CO Mollie Folmar Holtville HS, Deatsville, AL Kenneth Ford Helen Cox Jr. HS Harvey, LA Leslie Ann Wilson Harrison County MS, Cynthiana, KY Jennifer Holloway Woodstock MS, GA

 

 

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