A Green Light for AmberWatch TV on Cablevision

The AmberWatch Foundation unveiled its new venture, AmberWatch TV, this week. The video-on-demand channel is launching by the end of the month on Cablevision's iO TV digital service. AmberWatch TV is a groundbreaking channel, one of the first interactive VOD channels devoted entirely to parents, caregivers, and child safety. Keith Jarrett (left) is the founder of AmberWatch Foundation, and the visionary behind the channel. "We're happy that the channel, in and of itself, can teach parents on how to keep their kids safe, and then provide them with all the resources to do so," Jarrett tells FishbowlNY. Jarrett says, the channel, at 625, for Cablevision iO subscribers, has plenty of programming, despite only offering VOD. "You can go there and can control your experience with a ton of different video segments," Jarrett says. Those topics include cyber bullying, predators, and tips on being safe. Several celebrities lent their time to record clips, among them Ray Romano, Al Roker, and Blair Underwood. The debut comes amid the Penn State University scandal, in which former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky is accused of molested young boys for many years. "Things that happen like at Penn State, happen every day around the country," Jarrett says. "One out of four girls, one out of six boys are sexually assaulted by the time they reach adulthood, so it happens all the time. Penn State just brought light to it. "People that you would think would step in and do something...didn't. Whether it be Joe Paterno, whether it be the president of the school, whether it be any number of stop gaps that should have stopped that happening," Jarrett says. "Whether or not they knew or not, in my opinion they all knew something wasn't right, and they still let it happen." Beyond being a resource for parents and caregivers, Jarrett hopes AmberWatch TV can give people courage to come forward when safety of helpless children is at stake. "It's sickening, that some people would take their own personal gain... and have that override doing the right thing and stopping a rape of boys," Jarrett says. While not focusing specifically on the alleged Penn State abuse, Jarrett says the channel has secured exclusive behind-the-scenes content from the film Trust, which deals with many of the same aspects found in State College, especially the grooming process of young children. Partners McAfee and Protect Mobility were instrumental in this important launch. McAfee made a $1 million donation to help get AmberWatch TV off the ground. "We bring attention to the channel, which parents can use to educate themselves, with tips, strategies, [and] information, but also the tools that can really help the parents deal with this situation," Stanley Holditch, McAfee marketing and product evangelist, tells FishbowlNY. "For that reason, we thought it was the right thing to do."

Fishbowl

A Green Light for AmberWatch TV on Cablevision

Jerry Barmash

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