Public broadcasting famously likes to brag about his it's "non-commercial." It has underwriters and sponsors, but not "advertisers."
Public radio and TV affiliates regularly ask for money. They hold fund drives to tell you how great it is that you can watch this or that splendid concert "without commercial interruption"... and then spend 10 minutes asking for your money.
As a big fan of public radio and member of three stations, I accept this state of affairs as a necessary evil.
Public radio also likes to portray its audience as more educated and more affluent, essentially of a higher class.
Yet guess who's an advertiser... er... "sponsor" of NPR.org, National Public Radio's website?
The Beast!
I'm not sure of the ethics of a public broadcaster advertising beer "sponsorships," though I suppose it's less ethically questionable than accepting money for energy or pharmaceutical drug companies (which is also seen in public broadcasting).
But this is not Sam Adams, not Guinness, not just any beer. Pabst Blue Ribbon is one of the most popular beers of cheap college fraternity keg parties across the nation.
Maybe this is NPR's attempt to counter criticisms that it's elitist.
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