Channel One is a television news program, produced by Whittle Communications Inc. and delivered by satellite to American secondary schools that have entered into a contract to receive the broadcasts. The subscription contract requires no monetary paym...
Channel One is a television news program, produced by Whittle Communications Inc. and delivered by satellite to American secondary schools that have entered into a contract to receive the broadcasts. The subscription contract requires no monetary payment by the schools and provides them with a satellite dish, VTR, and one TV receiver per classroom. In addition to ten minutes of news, students must be exposed to two minutes of commercials every school day for three years.
Although advertising is virtually everywhere, television advertising has never been a sanctioned component of the school day. Because the terms of the Channel One arrangement constitute a real and obvious change in the role accorded to advertising by school and by business, the program has aroused a large controversy.
The purpose of the research is to collect the various arguments people have made in regard to Channel One, pro and con, and Place them in several perspectives in order to critique them and learn how important they might be. This paper does not propose a single, best answer but is meant to clarify important issues that presently exists and to encourage anticipation of issues that may develop as various parties act. Therefore, this study is not an in-depth critique from a single viewpoint, but more of a survey from several viewpoints, so that in-depth critiques might more easily proceed.