Press Coverage Congress Expected to Treat PBS Online Ad Decision as Positive, Says Sloan By Dinesh Kumar Communications Daily August 31, 2006 PBS doesn't think its decision to carry ads on PBS.org and some of its kids sites will hurt its quest for money on Capitol Hill. The decision irked media advocacy groups, some of which sought congressional intervention to stop PBS. Congress has "regularly encouraged" PBS to be "innovative and forward thinking" in raising money, said Vp Lea Sloan, and "we expect they will regard this announcement as a positive development." PBS will work with groups like Children Now to increase federal financing children's programming, she said. Children Now Vp Patti Miller said the group worries about the "increasing commercialization across the media." But PBS is in a "tough place" because govt. money has decreased over the years, she told us: "I think this [advertising] issue points to the need for increased federal funding for PBS kids programming. In an environment where we are not likely to see much upside in government support for PBS, the big question is how do fund quality educational media for kids. There has to be a business model." PBS is the leader in providing quality educational content for children, Miller said, and the govt. should invest more in PBS. Miller said her group is concerned about the "potential harmful effects" of interactive advertising as TV moves to digital. Children Now and the Children's Media Policy Coalition are working to get the FCC to restrict links from children's TV programming to commercial content online, she added. The FCC tentatively concluded that such links should be restricted, she said, and "we want to move ahead and make it a formal policy." Asked if PBS would support such restrictions, Sloan said PBS sees itself as setting the standard for the industry. "We do believe it's important to be particularly cautious with the kids websites," she said, saying PBS will provide informational "bridge" pages from the ads that "clearly indicate" that the user is leaving the PBS Kids site. Sloan said PBS will work with individual public TV stations to allay concerns some have about linking to the PBS site when it starts displaying ads. Some stations licensed to state bodies believe that state laws bar stations sites from linking to commercial sites. Aware that broadcasting and the Internet are merging, PBS is making its "public service mission" its first priority, she said. That's why the network is extending the "spirit" of its broadcast underwriting guidelines online, she added. PBS will also pay particular attention to "superlatives, overt calls to action and competitive claims" on its online ads, Sloan said. Ads on children's sites will aim at parents and caregivers, not children, she added. PBS programs are chosen independently of their commercial value, Sloan said: "This stands in stark contrast to other broadcast networks, which make commercial appeal the greatest consideration for all their decisions, across platforms." PBS will continue to have a "strict firewall" between editorial content and underwriting message and ads, she said. The network has kept stations and producers informed about its online advertising plans, she said, and has formed a working group of stations and producers to develop strategy for online ads. The group includes WGBH Boston, WETA Washington, WNET N.Y., Ore. Public Bcstg. and MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, Sloan said.