A Deafening Silence? Will It Continue?
As well everyone knows who reads my keyboard droppings, I have been trying to get commercial ad content out of my life for some time now. In this phase of life, this means writing letters to content producers asking them to please, please, please let me pay for ad-free shows. No dice.
Some time ago, I wrote the National Public Radio Ombudsman and got a few questions answered (though no answers I liked). Since at least they were answering my letters, I decided to point-blank ask if there was some legal or contractual reason no shows under NPR membership could provide content thusly.
Strangely, that was the only question I have not gotten answered. I forgot about this, though, only to look through the letters and realize I had been blown off . . . by an ombudsman! Yes, this might have been an oversight, so I asked directly again.
That was a week ago. I have never received an answer in less than three days.
Yes, I know, that's not much of a gap. But still, this is the second time a direct question on that topic has been ignored. So, curious and feeling a bit mischievous to boot, how would you like to try a little experiment?
To begin, head over to the Ombudsman contact form page. Fill out your personal info (I know, I don't necessarily like that part, either), and cut the following text into the Body:
Are National Public Radio stations and its syndicated shows` obligated to run commercial advertisements, what the stations call "enhanced sponsorships"? If so, is this obligation a contractual one entered into individually with each of the sponsors; is it legislative, a requirement passed into law or policy by a regulating body; or is it both?
Furthermore, if the requirement comes from a law or policy, could you cite the law in question and give me a link I could check?
Feel free to pretty up the body with a reason you might be interested, such as "I believe commercial advertising is recent to NPR, and was wondering why that is," or some such pleasantry. Hey, you're adults, or at least able to type.
Let me know if you participate in the comments and I'll try to remember to check back. If any of you receive an answer, please let me know. More importantly, if you don't, could you keep me posted?
Thanks in advance for trying some science!
Some time ago, I wrote the National Public Radio Ombudsman and got a few questions answered (though no answers I liked). Since at least they were answering my letters, I decided to point-blank ask if there was some legal or contractual reason no shows under NPR membership could provide content thusly.
Strangely, that was the only question I have not gotten answered. I forgot about this, though, only to look through the letters and realize I had been blown off . . . by an ombudsman! Yes, this might have been an oversight, so I asked directly again.
That was a week ago. I have never received an answer in less than three days.
Yes, I know, that's not much of a gap. But still, this is the second time a direct question on that topic has been ignored. So, curious and feeling a bit mischievous to boot, how would you like to try a little experiment?
To begin, head over to the Ombudsman contact form page. Fill out your personal info (I know, I don't necessarily like that part, either), and cut the following text into the Body:
Are National Public Radio stations and its syndicated shows` obligated to run commercial advertisements, what the stations call "enhanced sponsorships"? If so, is this obligation a contractual one entered into individually with each of the sponsors; is it legislative, a requirement passed into law or policy by a regulating body; or is it both?
Furthermore, if the requirement comes from a law or policy, could you cite the law in question and give me a link I could check?
Feel free to pretty up the body with a reason you might be interested, such as "I believe commercial advertising is recent to NPR, and was wondering why that is," or some such pleasantry. Hey, you're adults, or at least able to type.
Let me know if you participate in the comments and I'll try to remember to check back. If any of you receive an answer, please let me know. More importantly, if you don't, could you keep me posted?
Thanks in advance for trying some science!