can the "channel" button for the preview screen be set to a new default value When I create a new blend project... the "channel" button for the preview screen is set to channel 1, apparently by default.  Is there a way to make that button default to channel zero?  

I ask this because I was trying to do a gamma cross transition and did not realize the viewer channel was set to 1... so even though Blender was doing the cross, fades, wipes, etc... I could not see them happen... and thought something was wrong with Blender... i.e. a bug... or more likely that I... being a noobie... was doing something wrong.
Once I changed the previewer channel button to zero... i could see the transitions happen... and naturally they were in the rendered video.

Please advise as to whether a new default for that channel button can be set in something like user preferences ... and many thanks!!
First go to the Video Editing layout:



Now, in my Blender (2.77), this defaults to 0, but find the Channel for the preview here:



Click on the left arrow to change it back to 0.



Now here you have an option, you can either go back to the 3D view (Default), or if you are going to be exclusively video editing, leaving it on the Video Editing layout may be useful.



Go to File -> Save Startup File and click it.  You can also use Ctrl + U.  This can of course be used to save Blender in other states (for instance, having a scene without a cube at the beginning).