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Home My WebLink AboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1993-02-03, Page 3School board delays signing YNN contract .BY MICHELE GREENE The Huron -Perth Roman Catholic Separate School board decided to delay sighing a contract with the Youth News Network (YNN), but it didn't have much to do with parents' protests. More than 25 people attended the, Jan. 25 board meeting to support' parent Paul Tratnyek and student Mark Seguin. They brought peti- tions signed by 250 parents and ratepayers opposed to the imple- mentation of the channel. After the delegation left, trustees voted to defer signing the contract with YNN based on adminstration con- cerns about the technical equipment. Chairperson Louise Martin said the equipment. offered by YNN is limiting. For example, the antenna wouldn't pick up .other programs offered by CBC, TVOntario, or other networks. Also she said the monitors are too small to be a41 asset in the classroom. Trustee Gerry Ryan said the del- egation didn't tell him anything he didn't already know. He still sees the positive side •to YNN. Both Trustees Steve Murray and Ben Brown said the presentation con- firmed their decision to oppose the. channel. Despite the limiting technical aspects, Martin said. the board still believes in YNN. She said it still likes the idea of students producing their own shows to be nationally broadcast. It also likes the .oppor- tunity for students to understand the news' arid the impact of commer-, cialism in their lives. "We as. parents want to remind the school that it does not have ,a right to .sell our children's time to an advertiser," 'said Tratnyek. The two -and -a -half minutes of commercials during the 12 -minute news cast are a concern of the parents. Although YNN said prod- ucts like alcohol and cigarettes won't be advertised, there are still concerns. "But what they fail to acknowl- edge is that their sponsors such as Coke and Proctor & Gamble, are using the same advertising tech- niques as beer commercials to sell their product. The advertising is not based on the merit of the product per se, but is geared to create a lifestyle," he said. He said that children need to be educated in media literacy but YNN is restrictive and presents a narrow view of the world. He recom- mended alternatives like CBC Newsworld, TV Ontario, YTV,"and CNN. With these alternative shows, the teachers have control. YNN has the control over the programming, over how many students watch, and how often they watch it. The YNN con- tract requires that 75 per cent of student enrolment must view their programming .with commercials 90 per cent of the the 190 broadcast days. This means almost every day once PA days and exam periods are 'Pine hive's .Chs1 1. PINE RIVER CHEESE & SUTTER W -OPERATIVE *Quality Cheddars *Imported Cheest75 *Fresh Curds *Mozzarella *Gift Baskets & Boxes •Cheese Trays GREAT IN-STORE SAVINGS 15% OFF MOST CHEDDARS Random 800 g. bars (while quantities last) ASK ABOUT'OUR BARREL OF SAVINGS RR 4, Ripley, Ont. 395-2638 STOE—WI'E INVENTORY C So come in today and check out our Selection and Pricing! , C Mannington Vinyl Flooring Specials iDomco Vinyl°Flooring LfSpecials on Carpeting ORDER. TODAY FOR FANTASTIC SAVINGS Owners/Operators Greg Hamilton - Mark Chisholm 't31sewater Carpet £r Tiler 299 BAYFIELD RD., GODERICH 524-6141 BESIDE MOFFATT & POWELL removed from the viewing time for students, he said. Also, YNN has contra -over the students' day in school. With view- ing time of 12 minutes and a 15 - minute follow-up discussion, Tratnyek calculated students would spending 506 hours with YNN over a five-year period, which is equal to almost three high school credits. Tratnyek said the school doesn't have the right to reduce class time or to make the day longer to accomodate YNN. Matt Seguin, a Grade 12 student. at Si. Michael Secondary School, told students. that media literacy is important but YNN is not the tool. It will cost him, and his classmates valuable time. "I don't want to be held hostage by a program," he said. He said students are talking about the channel and aren't happy about its implementation. Most' people he has talked to said it is a dumb idea. He would rather teachers chose samples of various shows from other networks. " Although the delegation wants the board to change its mind, Tratnyek doesn't blame it for the decision it made. He thinks ' the board was rushed in its decision by "heavy duty sales pressure" from YNN. This a trap many boards have fallen into. He said boards across Canada •are currently negotiating with YNN. Parents across the coun- try are opposing its implementation. Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, February 3, 1993 - Page 3 Champion buys. SuperPac ' -- GODERICH - Champion Road Machinery Ltd of Goderich recently announced the acquisi- tion of BNR Equipment Ltd's SuperPac Compaction Division, The operations of the company are located in Kitchener and will be renamed Champion SuperPac. "The acquisition • of the superior SuperPac-product line is a natural extension of business for Champion," said Art Church, president and chief executive officer of Champion. "It's a good fit with our existing busi- ness." Church said Champion will continue to sell compaction products and that the sales and manufacturing staff at the Kitchener location will remain unchanged.. SuperPac employs some 60 people and reports • annual sales of $5 million. Michael Sully has been named general manager. Dogs stolen MITCHELL - Two valuable dogs were reported missing, and presumed stolen, in Ellice Town- ship. , Sebringville OPP Constable Marianne Burgener said . two miniature doberman dogs; a red female and a male black minia- ture, were reported missing Thursday from their kennel at ROUND &ABOUT Ellice Township (Lot 3, Conces- sion 10) near Gadshill. The five- year -olds dogs are valued at $400 each. Special letter SEAFORTH - Jamie Montgomery has a special pen pal. The nine-year-old Egmondville boy received a letter from the Lady -in -Waiting to Queen Elizabeth II. The note responded to a letter the Seaforth Public School student had writ- ten to Queen Elizabeth about the fire at Windsor Castle. "I am commanded by The Queen to thank you so much for your kind letter about the fire at Windsor Castle," the Lady -in - Waiting writes. "Her Majesty has been very touched by the enormous number of messages she has received expressing sympathy and shared grief, especially those from young people and children who feel saddened by the damage to this much -loved and well-known part of the Nation's heritage." In November Jamie watched the television news with his mother and father and he dis- covered a fire had threatened many of the treasures- in -Windsor Castle, (The Queen herself had helped to remove some of the priceless artifacts). WAKE. UP TO A WARM DEAL! %OFF M.S.L. WINDOWS & DOORS State-of-the-art protection and insulation value in a variety of models, colours and firiishes. Plus NO TAXES! All merchandise reduced by the amount equal to the.P.S.T. & G,S.T • . WINDOW AND DOOR CENTRE c DAsHWDt7 ] ASIS • • ABOUT ONTARIO HYDRO REBATES Highway #9 and Industrial Road WALKERTQN 881.3626 LIMITED TIME OFFER • SALES •SERVICE • INSTALLATION