Channel One News

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This article is about the U.S. in-school television news program. For other uses of Channel One, Channel One
Channel One News
Launched 1989 (pilot program debut)
1990 (national debut)
Owned by Whittle Communications (1989-1994)
PRIMEDIA (1994-2007)
Alloy Media+Marketing (2007-present)[1]
Country Flag of the United States United States
Headquarters New York City, New York
Website http://www.channelone.com (Program Site)
http://www.channelonenetwork.com (Network Site)

Channel One News is an advertising-based, 12-minute United States television news program that public and private schools show their students in exchange for the loan of TV equipment.

According to Channel One's website, as of April 2008, more than 8,000 schools are participating showing broadcasts to more than 6 million students.[2] Schools that participate in Channel One sign a contract to air the program in exchange for free television equipment, VCRs, and the Channel One Connection video library.

Channel One's home base moved to New York City, the program's original home, for the 2007-2008 season. It previously originated from Los Angeles and Washington, DC.[3] Channel One recently launched the Livewire Video Portal for ongoing news delivery.[4]

Contents

[edit] Program History

Channel One was founded in 1989 and began with a pilot program in four high schools before its national rollout in 1990. It was founded by Christopher Whittle, a business executive based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Primedia purchased Channel One for approximately $250 million from Whittle in 1994. On April 23, 2007 Alloy Media and Marketing assumed the liabilities of Channel One and took over their assets. According to Alloy's 8-K SEC statement[5] the Channel One company had a zero net worth on the day ownership changed.

Since 2000, Channel One News has suffered considerable loss of revenue. In 1996, Forbes magazine reported that it had gross revenue of $70,000,000. In 2005, Channel One's revenue was slightly under $35,000,000.

In December, 2006, Channel One's parent company, Primedia, classified its Education Segment, which includes Channel One Network, as a "discontinued operation" and announced that it was "exploring strategic alternatives for" the businesses in that segment. [1]

In 2007 Primedia sold Channel One to Alloy Media and Marketing. In July, 2007, NBC News announced that it would be partnering with Alloy under an arrangement in which NBC would produce original content for Channel One’s in-school broadcasts, possibly including news clips from its nightly network news broadcast [6].

[edit] Special Segments

Channel One has segments which air on a regular basis which encourage viewer participation. These segments are sometimes sponsored by advertisers.

[edit] Pop Quiz

This is Channel One's most frequent special segment.

An anchor asks a multiple choice question to students regarding a current or historical event. The anchor then gives students ten seconds to come up with an answer. The anchor who reads the question, or the anchor's partner for the day, will then give the correct answer and explain it. From time to time, the Pop Quiz may lead off the program. The Pop Quiz is occasionally commercially sponsored.

[edit] Cingular Question of the Day

This special segment comes in two parts over two shows.

The first segment consists of a message poll, usually regarding a story Channel One has aired. Viewers have three options to voice their opinions. Viewers can send their response to Channel One's website, call in their answer to a toll-free Channel One number, or text their answer to Channel One on a Cingular Wireless phone.

The second segment is usually aired the next day, although developing news stories may cause it to be delayed. The program gives the results of the poll and then airs two student's opinions regarding the question asked. Students who have their comments aired receive a Cingular brand mobile phone with three months of pre-paid service.

In 2007, the question of the day has not appeared frequently, possibly because Channel One News is losing AT&T, due to the controversial nature of the show.

[edit] 1Voice

This section includes stories related to Americans' First Amendment rights.

[edit] One Step to a Better Me

This segment includes tips and exercises to help viewers stay healthy.

[edit] Player of the Year

This special segment presents Gatorade National Players of the Year, which are notable athletes.

[edit] Play of the Week

This special segment is usually the last segment of each Friday program, though it has aired at other times on occasion. It features a clip of a different high school sporting event sent in by viewers. It is sponsored by Gatorade.

[edit] Power of One

This special segment is sponsored by the United States Army. It features teenagers who have made a significant impact on others in the world. On Channel One's website, teenagers can be nominated for Power of One.

[edit] All Request Thursday

Channel One also airs a special "All Request Thursday" where anyone can go online and vote for which songs will be played in the opening theme for Channel One. This feature has been canceled starting with the 2007-2008 airings.

[edit] Going Green

This segment shows ways that teens can be environmentally friendly and how other schools or teens are doing it around the world.[7]

[edit] OneVote

Channel One held mock Presidential elections called OneVote shortly before the general elections in 1992, 2000, and 2004.

[edit] 1992

The initial vote in 1992 had 3,400,000 participants. Bill Clinton won the 1992 OneVote, garnering 43% of the vote. George H.W. Bush got 27%, with independent Ross Perot getting 24% of the vote.

Actual election result: Clinton won (also with 43% of the popular vote), Bush finished second, and Perot finished third. One Vote correctly predicted the outcome.

[edit] 2000

When OneVote returned in 2000, 878,000 students participated and elected George W. Bush to the Presidency with nearly 60% of the vote. Al Gore, the Democratic challenger, finished a distant second.

Actual election result: Al Gore won the popular vote, but George W. Bush won the electoral college, which means that George W. Bush won the election. Thus, OneVote predicted the outcome.

[edit] 2004

The 2004 OneVote gave George W. Bush 55% of the vote. John Kerry finished second with 40% of the vote, while all third-party candidates as a group (voters could only vote for them as a group) got 5%. The vote consisted of 1,400,000 students.

Actual election result: Bush won, OneVote correctly predicted the outcome.

[edit] Controversy and criticism

 This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2007)

Channel One has been controversial largely due to the commercial content of the show. Critics claim that it is a problem in classrooms because it forces children to watch ads, wastes class time, and wastes tax dollars. Supporters argue that the ads are necessary to help keep the program running and lease TVs, VCRs and satellite dishes to schools, as well as commercial-free educational video through Channel One Connection. In 2006, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported that research indicated that children who watched Channel One remembered the commercials more than they remembered the news.[8]

Another criticism, noted by Media Education Foundation's[9] documentary Captive Audience[10], is that very little time is dedicated to actual news and the majority of the programming is soft, sensationalistic "fluff" with corporate marketing and PR tie-ins to promote products and services, arguing that it further corrupts the school setting with consumerism.

Channel One's contract with schools requires that the program be shown to students on 90% of all regular school days. At some schools, teachers are allowed to preview the show and decide if they want to show it or not; however they must still show it at least 90% of the time. Some believe this is too strict.[citation needed] The teachers are also instructed to make sure students watch the complete program and leave the volume at an audible level throughout the whole program, including the advertising content. However, according to critics, many schools do not follow the contract verbatim and let the teachers decide whether or not it should be shown. Some criticisms by students is that some school schedules on viewing Channel One have cut into their lunch periods.[citation needed] Students, if not monitored, may also treat Channel One time as a study hall.

Channel One's home state of New York has banned Channel One News from all public school classrooms, by action of the State Board of Regents.

In Canada, the Youth News Network, a program modeled on Channel One, met with strong public resistance, was banned in many provinces and ultimately failed.

In 1991, Channel One was cited by a watchdog group that pointed out the "most irresponsible and disrespectful ads", along with Old Milwaukee Beer for their controversial "Swedish Bikini Team" commercials. Whittle Communications was cited because they did a Channel One program on how the human heart works and had commercials for fast food joints and candy bars during the station break.

[edit] Anchors

Channel One News currently has three anchors/correspondents on its roster. These anchors serve as hosts in the studio as well as correspondents in the field.

[edit] Current

  • Tony Anderson
  • Chris Browne
  • Jessica Kumari

[edit] Former

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Miller, Lia (2007-07-09). "NBC News to Provide Content for Channel One". New York Times, The. Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
  2. ^ Alloy Education - About Us
  3. ^ Channel One relocates to Washington
  4. ^ Livewire
  5. ^ Alloy 8-K SEC statement
  6. ^ Miller, Lia. "NBC News to Provide Content for Channel One", The New York Times, July 9, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-09. 
  7. ^ Going Green
  8. ^ NBC News to Provide Content for Channel One at New York Times
  9. ^ Media Education Foundation
  10. ^ Captive Audience

[edit] External links