YNN - Youth Still A Target
ONTARIO SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS' FEDERATION
FEDERATION DES ENSEIGNANTES-ENSEIGNANTS DES ECOLES SECONDAIRES DE
L'ONTARIO
VOL. 26, NO. 10, February 9, 1999
In the September 3, 1996 issue, had an article which focused on the Youth
News Network (YNN) and its potential incursion into the education system.
At that time, the YNN groundswell died away. Well, given the Harris cuts to
education and movement toward commercialization, the timing is
appropriate for companies such as YNN to once again make a run at our schools and students.
YNN offers schools free video and computer equipment in return for an
agreement that students view a daily TV news broadcast, complete with
commercials.
Some quotes from an article in the July 8, 1996 issue of Marketing
Magazine clearly identify the continued interest of Canadian marketers in selling to our youth. "It's a rifle shot right to the kids, who are such a difficult market to reach," comments Ron Kerr, director of marketing for Reebok Canada (Aurora), when asked about his company's interest in advertising of theYouth News Network. Tina Warren, public affairs director for Coca-Cola (Toronto), is quoted as saying, "YNN sounds like a great idea that has interesting opportunity in it, but we'd have to look at the proposal very closely."
The Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) is concerned about recent YNN activity in several jurisdictions across Canada and reaffirms its
opposition to it: "YNN interferes with the professional autonomy of teachers to manage their classrooms and opens the door to selling portions of the school timetable for commercial purposes."
OSSTF supports CTF opposition to the incursion of YNN into our schools and their request that members protest strongly any attempt by YNN to "gets its foot in the school door."
If you are aware of any attempt in your area, please inform Chris
Malkiewich, Executive Assistant at Provincial Office at 1-800-267-7867 or
(416) 751-8300 or e-mail: malkiec@osstf.on.ca
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