• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, July 9, 2007

Channel One has partnered with NBC News to deliver specially created content to approximately 7 million middle- and high-school students, the in-school broadcast network announced today. Following close on the heels of its acquisition by Alloy Media and Marketing, the news represents a major content upgrade for the network as it heads into the 2007-2008 school year.

The network's daily 12-minute newscast airs in 11,000 schools nationwide. It is supposed to serve as a catalyst for classroom discussion of current events. As with existing programming, the NBC content will attempt to focus on the aspects of a story that are relevant to youth. NBC is creating a dedicated in-house production team specifically to handle Channel One programming, including breaking news and international stories.

Alloy Media and Marketing acquired Channel One in April of this year, thus augmenting its youth-marketing and research capabilities. Channel One's newscasts, which reach nearly 30% of American teenagers, include two minutes of commercials.

Channel One vets all ads for appropriateness. Past and present advertisers include Procter & Gamble, Disney, Philips Electronics, Warner Bros., RJR Nabisco, Kellogg, JCPenney, PepsiCo, Hasbro, and Blockbuster.