ABSTRACT
Underwriting. Enhanced underwriting. Sponsorship. Whatever name Public Broadcasting System (PBS) stations choose for the fifteen-second spots airing on public television, the reality is that public broadcasting on PBS looks more like commercial television than ever before. As PBS stations feel pressure to compete with an abundance of new commercial stations and face a decrease in federal funding, many air soft-sell "commercials" for companies like Ace Hardware, Healthtex, Juicy Juice, and Kellogg's. Through content analysis ofWGBH-2 (PBS Boston), this chapter examines the reality of commercial influences on PBS. Results of the content analysis are used to illustrate the extent to which corporate sponsorship has made a presence on PBS. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the ramifications of the commercialization of public television on American culture.
