When the Facts of PBS Life Collide Online

There are several enduring aspects of public television. One is that it is always pressed for money. Another is that it presents programs without commercial interruption. These two facts of life — one a necessity to stay alive, the other a pleasure for viewers absorbed in a drama, documentary or concert — have recently come into conflict.

This is taking place not on the traditional television broadcasts of PBS' major national programs, but rather on the rapidly growing world of online video, where vastly increasing numbers of viewers watch these programs. Late last month, PBS began "experimenting" with a new format for the online video presentations of its major nationally broadcast TV programs — everything from "Masterpiece" to "Frontline" but not including children's programs — in which very brief, 15-30 seconds, "sponsorship" messages from commercial companies appear once or twice during a typical hour-long program, not just before or after the presentation as is usually the case with the television broadcasts.