Ten Years Ago... FCC Head Opposes Proposal For Ads on Public TV Stations

FCC Head Opposes Proposal For Ads on Public TV Stations
[SOURCE: New York Times 6/10/1997, AUTHOR: Lawrie Mifflin]
Ten years ago, then-FCC Chairman Reed Hundt said that public television stations should reject a proposal to experiment with commercials in prime-time programs on Friday and Saturday nights. The proposal, made by Lawrence Grossman -- a former president of the Public Broadcasting Service -- was intended to raise money for better prime-time programs for PBS stations. It received serious consideration by at least six stations in major markets, although other stations -- among them WNET/Thirteen in New York -- opposed it. Chairman Hundt said the fact that public television advocates were considering the proposal made it "obvious that significant, long-term, reliable funding should be provided."
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