----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Molly wrote: >This dependence on corporate sponsorship has increased dramatically over the >last few years -- have you noticed all the 10- or 20-second commercials >attached to some PBS shows? Technically they're not commercials, they're just >"sponsored by" announcements that are longer than most, but they're a sign of >how accommodating PBS has become to corporate interests. I don't think it's >true anymore to say that "public networks are not dominated by a >corporate/profit ethic" or that "they have a dedication to their audience >rather than advertisers." And I bet they are "dominated by ratings" much more >now that corporate sponsors are so important -- AT&T wants the most bang for >their sponsorship buck just like regular advertisers. I'm not sure how much of this corporate sponsorship is solicited *by* PBS stations and how much of it is solicited by the (independent) filmmakers themselves. Approaching various companies who might be willing to underwrite the costs of a production in exchange for allowing them to attach their "corporate message" for fifteen seconds at the beginning and end of the program is a common practice. Melissa [log in to unmask]