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“Channel One Practices Raise Tough Questions”

January 12, 1998
“Channel One Practices Raise Tough Questions”

SIZE=”-1″ FACE=”Arial”>Cover of “Alabama School Boards” magazine for December 1997. “Alabama School Boards” is the monthly magazine published by the Alabama Association of School Boards. They asked Obligation to write an article about the controversial Channel One TV show and web site. Obligation hopes that articles like this will encourage Alabama school boards to quickly remove this marketing device from our...
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Chris Farley Death Story Eats Up Two Minutes of School Time

January 5, 1998

Channel One’s in-school TV show spent two minutes covering the death of and paying tribute to the comedic actor Chris Farley. It was considered a major story by Channel One on this Monday morning’s broadcast. Jim Metrock, Obligation president, said, “This is typical Channel One. They don’t care if they waste a student’s time,...
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News About Channel One – Aug – Dec 1997

December 31, 1997
News About Channel One – Aug – Dec 1997

Obligation, Inc. – Channel One Is Bad News For Kids To 1998 Press Releases and News About Channel One Press Releases and News About Channel One – 1997 December 15, 1997 – Mississippi Baptist Christian Action Commission Newsletter Addresses Channel One Concerns November 27, 1997 – Channel One May Have Advertised Adult Soap Opera...
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Channel One Reviews Explicit-Content CDs for Children

December 29, 1997
Channel One Reviews Explicit-Content CDs for Children

  Ever since we started monitoring Channel One’s web site (November 1996), Channel One has been involved with ranking or reviewing current music for its audience. Their Playlist tells kids what are the hottest groups in the country. Web visitors would vote for their favorites and Channel One would publish the results. Marilyn Manson, Bone Thugs and Harmony...
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Mississippi Baptist Christian Action Commission Newsletter Addresses Channel One Concerns

December 15, 1997

The problems with Channel One were the focus of an article appearing in "Salt & Light" a newsletter of the Mississippi Baptist Christian Action Commission. The article, "Channel One – Captive Audience in the Classroom", mentioned many of Obligation’s findings and research, along with listing the numerous organizations that oppose Channel One. The article...
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Channel One May Have Advertised Adult Soap Opera To Children

November 27, 1997

It appears that ABC’s steamy "Port Charles" soap opera was advertised to Channel One’s captive audience of eight million schoolchildren at least once this year. We are awaiting a response from Channel One’s Madison Avenue headquarters, so we have to couch our words with qualifiers. This is what is known: Teachers in several states,...
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Antidotes To Pop Culture Poison

November 20, 1997
Antidotes To Pop Culture Poison

Obligation was pleased to contribute information for the article "Antidotes to Pop Culture Poison" in the December issue of The Heritage Foundation’s magazine, "Policy Review". Author Kris Napier gives parents solid steps they can take to help combat the popular culture’s impact on their children. The article mentions our efforts to encourage schools to...
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Will Channel One Let You Own the Equipment?

November 19, 1997

A Kansas middle school teacher who is very familiar with Channel One sent us a letter, dated November 12,1997, telling us how wonderful Channel One is. She says, "At the end of three years, if the school no longer wishes to be a part of Channel 1, the equipment becomes the property of the...
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No Response From Channel One

November 15, 1997

Obligation has yet to receive a reply to our November 7 letter (below) to David Tanzer, president of Channel One. We, however, have heard indirectly from two teachers in two Midwestern states that have contacted Channel One and the PR people have told them that Marilyn Manson will not be played again. One teacher...
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A Soap Opera Ad On Channel One?

November 15, 1997

Do you know what soap opera was advertised on Channel One in May of this year? Click on this line and email us. Thanks. (All information is confidential.) We feel safe in saying now that a soap opera was pitched to children by Channel One in May of this year. We first heard the...
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Marilyn Manson Music Played During School

November 10, 1997

Jim Metrock was the in-studio guest of WBRC’s Good Day Alabama morning show today. The topic concerned the impact that explicit content music groups, like the death-rock satanic Marilyn Manson, have on children. Metrock told the anchor, Janice Rogers, that many parents are unaware that Manson’s music was played in Alabama public schools over...
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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...
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No Response From Birmingham-Area Schools Concerning Chat Room Warnings

October 21, 1997

  Obligation sent a request/press release to each Birmingham-area school system that is still showing Channel One urging them to send home a warning to parents and students of the dangers of Internet chat rooms, especially the Channel One chat room since that is being advertised to students almost daily in school. So far, we have received no response from...
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“Channel One” Schools Urged To Warn Parents About Internet Chat Rooms

October 9, 1997

Press Release October 9, 1997 Contact: Jim Metrock 205-822-0080 “Channel One” Schools Urged To Warn Parents About Internet Chat Rooms “>(Birmingham, AL) Channel One, a controversial in-school TV show, is urging children to visit its Internet web site and its chat room and parents should be warned, says a local child advocacy group. Jim Metrock, president of Obligation, Inc., said,...
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“Critics Tune In To Channel One”

October 6, 1997

This article presented Obligation’s view of Channel One and the opposing view. The article was written by Elizabeth Wine (ewine@postherald.com or 205-325-2308). Although no local superintendent was quoted, State Superintendent Ed Richardson was. “(Richardson) said that the trade-off of advertising for technology is ‘an unfortunate dilemma’ but adds that he’s not too worried about the effects of advertising on students.”...
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Channel One Is Not Intended For Pre-Teens

September 24, 1997

Although Channel One says a school may show its TV show from 12th grade to 6th, they state repeatedly, in their own contract and sales literature, that the show is intended for teenagers. This ambiguity puts middle school principals and their superintendents and school boards in an awkward position. 6th and 7th grade students...
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TV in School Steals Time From Alabama’s Schoolchildren

September 21, 1997

Alabama schoolchildren are being robbed and taxpayers are getting fleeced by a TV show. Even though it has been denounced by virtually every major educational organization, many Montgomery-area schoolchildren are forced to watch Channel One. Channel One is the controversial 12-minute news show that is designed for a teenage consumer audience. Two minutes are...
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Call For Channel One Advertisers

September 20, 1997

Who are the national advertisers on Channel One? If you are monitoring Channel One in your community email Obligation with the names of the products and services you see on the show. Parents and other taxpayers need to know who the corporations are that underwrite this controversial TV show. We will be adding a...
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Wall Street Journal Article – Channel One Taps Principals As Promoters

September 15, 1997

Obligation contributed information for a superb article in the Wall Street Journal today. It centered on one small part of the Channel One Problem: using principals as lackeys for Channel One advertisers. Principals have handed out Arizona jeans discount coupons and kept petitions for students to sign for a Reebok promotion. Snapple, Pepsi, and...
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So You Have Channel One in Your School

September 10, 1997

  Obligation has received calls from Kansas to Florida, Minnesota to Massachusetts, asking for information about Channel One. Our organization has been swamped, and we again apologize for the length of time it has taken to respond to calls and to get packets of information out. If you have Channel One, this would be a suggested course of action:...
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Letter Sent to Alabama State Superintendent

August 29, 1997

Dr. Ed Richardson State Superintendent of Education State Department of Education P. O. Box 302101 Montgomery, AL 36130-2101 Dear Dr. Richardson: Obligation, Inc. requests a list of all state public schools that have a contract that requires the showing of the Channel One television show. At present, there appears to be no accounting, at...
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Channel One Criticized for R-Rated Movie Reviews

August 15, 1997

  (Birmingham, AL) The companion website for the controversial in-school TV show Channel One has generated controversy of its own. The TV show and website both have a target audience of teens and pre-teens, yet this summer the Channel One website reviewed raunchy R-rated movies for kids. Obligation is a Birmingham-based child advocacy organization. It has monitored all aspects...
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