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Branding Public Service

The "New PBS" and the Privatization of Public Television

Vassar College

In recent years, U.S. public television, an ostensibly noncommercial system founded on public service principles, has become increasingly integrated into the commercial broadcasting industry. This article examines the new, market-oriented business practices within American public television that emphasize the building of brand identity. Since the mid-1990s, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) has sought to extend its brand beyond broadcast television and cash in on consumer loyalty to PBS. This branding strategy targets an audience of consumers, and it sells both "content" and an image to these consumers. This is part of a broader strategy aimed at leveraging the PBS brand to create new revenue streams by licensing the PBS logo, selling new forms of advertising, and developing several PBS brandname product lines. After mapping the contours of this new strategy, the article explores the consequences of the brand-building approach for the future of public service broadcasting.

Key Words: public broadcasting • PBS • branding

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