PBS’s New Plan: More Intrusive Ads

(This article by Peter Hart is re-posted from FAIR.)

The public broadcasting newspaper Current (5/18/11) reports that public television–you know, the non-commercial outlet–will start airing more commercials:

The move could be controversial for the network, which has traditionally prided itself on offering uninterrupted programming over its 40-year history.

PBS will begin breaking into programs with underwriting and promo spots four times per hour on an experimental basis beginning this fall, it told station members at the PBS National Meeting here.

PBS corporate communications official Anne Bentley issued a response that actually begins, “We are always looking at ways to improve the viewer experience.” It goes on to say that “It is all about the viewer,” and–perhaps most bizarrely–claims, “Initial testing showed that viewers didn’t really notice the change.” Really? People didn’t notice a commercial in the middle of a PBS show?

In other PBS news, some stations are apparently considering leaving PBS altogether, according to a report in the New York Times (5/22/11). The main complaint seems to be about money–the stations think they’re paying too much to air the national programming.

There is, of course, a possible silver lining in all of this. One could imagine public TV stations breaking free from PBS and seeking out more independent programming to fill out their schedules. (Democracy Now! instead of the NewsHour— how does that sound?). It’s a long shot, perhaps, but one can at least imagine a brighter future for public television stations that doesn’t necessarily involve airing the conventional PBS programming.