Since it was launched in 1989 by Whittle Communications, Channel One, the 10 minute news and 2 minute commercial television program aimed at secondary school students, has been controversial. Objections to Channel One were raised by educators, state commissioners, teacher leaders, and parent groups. Scholars' concerns center on whether or not the benefits for the schools justify the commercial marketing of Channel One to a captive audience of students. (Apple, 1992; Barlow, 1992; Celano,1995; Chira,1992; Fitzgerald, 1992; Folkmer & Hobbs,1994; Gillim,1994; Kozol,1992; Klienfield,1991;Konrad,1992; Powers,1992; Rank,1992; Rudinow,1990; Wartella, 1995; Whitmore, 1993) Critics questioned whether or not the classroom is the appropriate environment for promoting commercial products. (Wartella,1995; Molnar, 1995; Karpatkin & Holmes, 1995; Greenwood, 1995) Background Educators focused their concerns on the ethical issue of delivering captive audiences of student consumers to advertisers, especially in consideration of Channel One's substantial profits. After two years, the ad rates for the two minutes of paid commercials increased from $150,000 to $200,000 for a 30-second spot on Channel One. The Wall Street Journal estimated annual revenues of $100 million, with the profits generated from this venture amounting to almost $2 million per week. In September, 1994, Whittle Communications, the company that launched Channel One, sold $340 million worth of Channel One stock to KCIII Communications (Sharpe, 1994). Educators' groups' denounced schools' participation in Channel One, primarily because of the advertising component, the superficial, flashy news and the reduction in instructional time. Some states banned Channel One (e.g., New York, California, Nevada, Rhode Island). Several lawsuits challenged the introduction of Channel One into schools (DeVaney et al,1994, pp. 189-205; Dao, 1993). Channel One provides advertisers with access to the adolescent market through: free equipment to the schools, air time for advertisers to reach their teenage market, program guides for teachers, and a fast-paced, colorful, entertaining current events program for the students. Advertisers are interested in the direct access into classrooms to reach the teenage market as a means to build product loyalty provided by Channel One, The 28 million teenagers in the U. S. spend $78 billion a year, $33 billion of which comes out of their own pockets. The other $45 billion is family money teenagers help to spend. Young people also develop brand and product loyalties that could last a life time - no small consideration for advertisers. (Rist, 1989, p.21). Despite the widespread criticism, many school districts, representing more than 10,000 individual schools, have signed contracts to go online with Channel One. One of their arguments for bringing Channel One into their school districts was that it provided free equipment that would be available for classroom instruction and other purposes, thereby providing educational benefits to teachers and students. Objectives Because the critics' and proponents' arguments about Channel One may or may not have validity for students and teachers in schools participating, this study examined its' use from the perspective of participants involved in viewing the program. The investigation focused on whether, and to what extent, Channel One's potential educational benefits to teachers and students in these schools, especially ones in poorer districts, have been realized. The general strategy was to discover what teachers report they are teaching and students say they are learning from daily exposure to Channel One in their classrooms. The first goal was to discover if students report that they are discerning differences between Channel One advertising and the programming, and if they are thinking critically about the commercials and the news. A second goal was to elicit students' and teachers' opinions of Channel One. …