And In This Corner, From The WWE… Andy “The Rate Cutter” Knopf

November 30, 2007

Andrew B. Knopf (middle): Chief ad salesman for the WWF and now Channel One News.

Channel One News executives must sit around a conference table each morning and dream up ways to make their company MORE controversial.

Controversy has plagued the company since it was founded in 1989. Controversy has caused thousands of schools to end their contracts with the company. Controversy has scared away many advertisers. Controversy has brought the company to near bankruptcy.

One would think that since Channel One now has a new owner they would want to reinvent themselves as a less controversial presence in schools.

The company is doing the opposite.

Just last month they hired Channel One’s former VP of Sales Kent Haehl to be the CEO. Haehl was responsible for seeking out and signing up some of the most outrageous advertisers to ever appear on the Channel One News show. Bringing him back and making him the CEO is a guarantee that the New Channel One News will be pretty much like the Old Channel One News and that is bad news for students, parents, and teachers.

This week Advertising Age reports that Alloy has plucked an ad man from the World Wrestling Entertainment firm (formerly called the World Wrestling Federation) to become the man in charge of finding new commercials for the in-school TV show.

How dumb is this?

Jim Metrock of Obligation said, "Mr. Knopf was in charge of ALL ad sales and sponsorships for ALL WWE properties. Mr. Knopf fueled the sick and violent and depraved world of WWE shows with the ad money he brought in. These advertisers didn’t care that kids were watching. In fact they liked the fact that kids watched so they could sell more of their products. The national outrage against Vince McMahon and his perverted TV shows continues to this day. The public should be very concerned that the man who was in charge of ad sales at the WWE is now in charge of ad sales for Channel One News."