West County Issue : Commercials in the Classroom

The Ventura Unified School District board is considering subscribing to Channel One, a daily 12-minute satellite news program for high school students. The program includes two minutes of commercials. The producers are offering $50,000 worth of video equipment to school districts that subscribe. Should the district receive the program?

* John L. Gennaro

President, Ventura Unified Education Assn.

One of the great difficulties in bringing this program into the district is one of scheduling, because there are a required number of minutes set aside for instruction. Whether Channel One is considered instruction or not has a lot to do with how many minutes are allotted. The other issue is whether or not you feel it is in the best interest of your district and your students to run a program that deals with current events, and whether that outweighs the commercial portion of the programming. Is the program of such value that you’re willing to allow someone to beam their commercials right into a captive audience? That is the whole issue. An overwhelming number of districts in the state are pretty strapped financially, and I think they’re looking for anything that boosts their effectiveness. There is no doubt the idea is intriguing to a lot of people. I think I have to look at positions that are taken by organizations who have contact with us, such as our own California Teachers Assn. group and also the state Department of Education, both of whom are on record as opposed to Channel One.

* Vincent C. Ruiz

President, Ventura Unified School District board There are a lot of unanswered questions at this point, and I wouldn’t vote for it until I know enough about the questions that need to be answered. Also, there is the possibility of having to defend yourself against a lawsuit through the state if they decide to withhold money. Right now there is so much teaching time required per day and (state Superintendent of Public Instruction Bill) Honig says if schools take any time from those minutes the state will withhold state education money. The only thing available that makes it attractive is the technology the district is not able to afford. Is it worth it to get all that freebie equipment against whatever losses in state money we might have? Concerning the commercials, we are bombarded with commercials everywhere right now. I think that the one thing we need to do in our school system is to make sure people understand and really read and view commercials to make their own choices wisely. Teach them you don’t have to buy it if you don’t want to. And the next possibility is, that if the commercials are shown on Channel One, are you giving approval or endorsement? As far as I’m concerned we need more information.

* Brent O. Coert

President, Buena High School Associated Students I think it would be a good way to keep the students informed as to what’s going on, about changes in the world, especially with the war. A lot of students have jobs after school and they don’t have a lot of time to watch the news. It would give us a better understanding of what’s going on around us. I think it would be a good investment. I think worrying about the commercials is a kind of paranoia. This is a way to allow good programs to happen. The commercials shouldn’t matter that much. You’ve got to look at the overall of what you’re getting. I think the commercials are just a way to financially support this program. Actually I don’t know how much the commercials themselves would influence the people, probably about as much as if they watch TV at home. I do think it is super good advertising for the people providing the commercials. They deserve it for providing the money to create the programming. If they were to donate the money, wouldn’t they somewhere say this is donated by so and so? It’s this society! You don’t get something for nothing. I don’t think beer commercials should be on there, but they could advertise things like shoes and school supplies.

* John Walker

Member, Ventura Unified School District board

I’ve looked at it on a cursory view and, in my opinion, there are some benefits that can be derived that the school district currently is not getting. Not only do they receive the news but also the classroom channel, which is basically an audiovisual learning program. They also get the educators’ channel, an in-service type of professional development for educators. So at this point I would say it certainly has some merits, but it has some negative sides too with the introduction of commercials into the classroom. While I was initially in favor it it, I am being lobbied by the California School Boards, which has taken a negative position, and I have received a few letters from different people who don’t want advertising. In a middle or high school, a teacher can tell a child to go home, watch the news or read a newspaper and come back with a report on what’s happening in the world. What are they going to see at home once they open that paper or watch TV? Ads. As a board member I look under every single rock for what to find for our kids. Currently we don’t have this type of equipment available. I do think getting something for free is worth taking a look at.

* Nicky van Nieuburg

President, Ventura High School PTSA I feel we’re being blackmailed or held hostage. They’re giving us all this wonderful equipment and wonderful programming, but at the same time they’re saying you have to subject our kids to two minutes of commercials. Today’s teen-agers are very impressionable and materialistic. If they hear in school, “If you want to be an all right person you have to buy these shoes, or clothes,” once that starts, where is it going to end? Who knows what they’re going to advertise. Movies? Who is going to control what is in those ads? Why can’t companies offer something worthwhile without a hitch? When I first heard about it, I was enraged. How dare they offer something so wonderful and include advertising! At home at least, a parent has the option of turning off the set or being right there and saying, “What do you think about that commercial?” If you’re at school I’m sure the teacher is not going to take class time away to discuss the values of the commercials. We’d be losing the positive aspects of the programming in the negative commercialism. And people would be calling the school, asking if the school is promoting the product.