LOCAL : Commercial TV in Class ‘Bad Deal’ for Schools, Honig Says in Anaheim
State schools Supt. Bill Honig today delivered a negative report card for Channel 1, a controversial, satellite-delivered television show that introduced commercials into the classroom.
“Our students’ minds aren’t for sale,” Honig said in Anaheim as he announced that public schools would not be allowed to collect state money for the time that students spent watching the commercial television.
Whittle Communications had introduced a pilot program into five schools nationwide, including Gahr High School in Cerritos. The five-week pilot program ended in April. Students watched a 12-minute news and public affairs program that included two minutes of commercials for such products as Snickers, Levis and Ford automobiles.
“California law protects our youngsters against forced commercialization in school,” Honig said. “On the whole, it’s a bad deal for kids, a bad deal for education, and it sets a terrible precedent.”
Honig and Betty Lindsey, president of the California PTA, said they believe that California is the first state to take a position against Whittle’s plan to expand its program nationwide.
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