Channel One viewers may soon see some new faces on the daily news show: Peter Jennings and Ted Koppel, among others.
Channel One and ABC News announced a deal last week in which the television show for secondary classrooms will gain access to the broadcast network’s news reports.
The agreement gives the controversial Channel One a boost in credibility through an association with a major broadcast-news organization. And ABC News gains access to the estimated eight million students who watch Channel One each day.
Under the deal, Channel One will use segments from such shows as “World News Tonight” and “Nightline” on its daily 12-minute classroom show. Also, ABC correspondents will discuss breaking news stories with Channel One studio anchors.
In addition, the two networks will jointly develop special programming for teenagers. Some shows, such as “student town meetings,” will appear on Channel One, while ABC will gain the right to air some Channel One-produced specials.
The partnership allows ABC to “expand our programming relationship with a vital audience, the viewers of the future,” Roone Arledge, the president of ABC News, said in a written announcement on Feb. 1. “We’ve been impressed both by the quality of Channel One newscasts and the size of the audience it reaches,” he added.
Officials would not disclose the deal’s financial arrangements.
Channel One provides satellite dishes and television sets to the roughly 12,000 schools that use the show. K-III Communications Corporation purchased the service from Whittle Communications last year.
Turner Educational Services Inc., the Atlanta-based producer of a Channel One rival, “CNN Newsroom,” will offer educators a free electronic “field trip” next month to see the operations of the Cable News Network.
“Working With Words and Images” is a series of programs that will be transmitted to schools by special satellite hookups with local cable companies on March 22-24. The programs will visit CNN journalists and technicians as they explain their roles in the news-gathering process. Students will be able to interact with CNN staff members by phone, fax, or on-line note ew style.gc communication.
Similar video field trips, marketed under the banner of Turner Adventure Learning, normally cost schools $395. The CNN program will be free, including materials for teachers.
For more information, educators may call Turner Educational Services at (800) 344-6219.
--Mark Walsh
