The Heat is on for WBGH, PBS to Secure Sponsors

By Suzanne C. Ryan
Originally Published in The Boston Globe, December 19, 2003

Now that ExxonMobil Corp. has walked away as the sole funder for the PBS flagship program "Masterpiece Theatre," the show's producing station, WGBH-TV (Channel 2), has shifted into overdrive to find replacement donors, as has PBS.

No matter who eventually puts up the money, it's likely they'll be given favorable sponsorship terms. Already, the PBS board is considering allowing 30-second ad spots on national programs for a "premier class" of corporate underwriters who contribute above a certain threshold. The current policy allows for 15-second spots only. What's more, WGBH is pushing for sponsorship of its other nonbroadcast assets, such as Web sites and videos.

Even network president Pat Mitchell has "been on the phone with the presidents and CEOs of some pretty big corporations," said Rebecca Eaton, executive producer of "Masterpiece Theatre." "There have been daily meetings at the highest levels. This is the first time that `Masterpiece Theatre' has been on the market" since Mobil began sponsoring it in 1970.

Eaton declined to speculate about the program's chances of finding Exxon-level support. (Over its 32-year sponsorship, the corporation gave more than $250 million. The Los Angeles Times reported that the company's recent contributions were about $9 million annually.) The producer confirmed, however, that there has already been interest expressed from a number of companies she would not name.

In this difficult time for WGBH, the station has begun to evaluate how it can generate more sponsorship money from companies carefully watching every promotional dollar. One solution is to use its plethora of teachers' guides, Web sites, educational videos, and DVDs, which could all potentially accommodate corporate logos and messages.

"We are looking at what we offer in terms of recognition," said Henry Becton Jr., station president. "We find that corporations and foundations are more and more interested in the nonbroadcast things that we do."

This week, for example, WGBH announced that Volkswagen will sponsor the WGBH series "The Blues," which will air next fall. In addition to the seven-part television series, the company will sponsor a benefit concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York and a related traveling museum exhibit. Sony Music and Universal Music Enterprises have partnered to create a complementary series of "The Blues" CDs and DVDs. HarperCollins will publish a companion book for the series.

To be sure, WGBH has offered such sponsorships for decades. What's new, however, is the sheer volume of materials now being produced for every series. "There didn't used to be home videos, DVDs, and companion Web sites," said Becton. "All of these are a now a regular part of major projects."

And unlike the actual broadcasts, which air and then disappear, Web sites and DVDs live on. "Some of our most used Web sites were produced years ago, and they keep growing in usage as more educators and researchers use them in their curriculum," Becton said.

Critics contend that the push to leverage the PBS brand for revenue is undermining public trust in the institution and taking away its distinction from the commercial networks. "Public television is supposed to be different. It's supposed to be about programming that is not driven by funding and that fills in the gaps not met in the commercial marketplace," said William Hoynes, an associate professor of sociology at Vassar College and author of "Public Television for Sale."

"What's distressing is that their public face is starting to look like any other successful media company. We have Disney, Nickelodeon, and PBS. The more they have to fight it out in the competitive media marketplace, the less claim they can have for public resources. It undermines their argument that Congress and state legislatures should support their distinctive noncommercial broadcasting system," said Hoynes.

Jerold Starr, director of Citizens for Independent Public Broadcasting, which advocates restructuring PBS into an independently funded trust, said, "We see no way that WGBH or PBS will ever fulfill their potential as long as they're dependent on corporate underwriting and voluntary contributions. This causes them to make way too many compromises. . . . Everything is done with deals in mind.

"Now it's a matter of, `Who's going to pay for it?' rather than `What should we be doing?' Once you start that, you're creating something that suits the under writer. . . . It's an addiction. To get the money, we have to make ourselves friendlier."

Becton flatly disagrees that corporate logos are undermining trust in public television. "Have you seen the size of these logos? They're usually on the back of a teacher's guide, shown along with a group of other logos, like the National Science Foundation or the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. They are fairly unobtrusive."

Becton adds that regardless of who advertises, there is no impact on the content of any program. "There is a firewall between those who advertise and producers."

Philosophical arguments aside, the bottom line, Becton contends, is that WGBH needs corporate funders to survive.

"When the frequencies were set aside for public broadcasting, the intention was also to dedicate a revenue stream," he said. "But Congress has never provided an adequate revenue stream."

Suzanne C. Ryan can be reached at sryan@globe.com.