When did NPR start doing 10 minute commercials?

[Botany]

I heard on "All Things Considered" about 1/2 an hour go they just ran
report that was nothing more than a commercial for Scotts/Miracle Gro
and their new MLB (Major League Baseball) Stadium type grass seed.

A Wrigley Field Blend (???? Does it die in October)
A Yankee Field Blend
and so on.

The scripted questions that let the Scotts spokesperson plug their product were
way over the top.

? Now do you get a Red Sox hat w/ the Fenway Park mix?
No but good question because we are looking for a way to tie in to the home owner's love for the game and having a nice lawn. :puke: (very rough quote)

? So is this grass seed different from what you can buy yourself?
Yes, these are special types that are not released to the public.

? So you can get some in this spring and be playing on this summer?
Sure we want to release this grass so you can spread it this spring and after a little bit you can be playing on this summer. (rough ass quote)


Not only was the whole thing a f***ing Scotts/Miracle Gro ad but it also glossed over a lot of real problems w/ getting a MLB yard @ your house by June ....
BTW not unless you water it and give it iron most turf grasses go dormant in the summer over much of the country.

NPR what has happened to you?

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Damn that SCOTUS !!!!!!!!!

See?
ALREADY it has begun.}(

[Enrique]

2. I heard them do one for Dove soap

or some similar brand, or a lotion, or something like that. It was ridiculous. They had some excuse for having the company spokesman come on and talk about their product.

[Botany]

4. If it was anything like the one Scotts' grass seed I can guess the type .....

.... of questions.

Now, how would the average women use your product? :puke:

[HuckleB]

15. Link please?

[Enrique]

16. pardon me

I said it was Dove "soap." It's actually Dove beauty bar

This report could literally be a commercial: "now listen to it with Dove Beauty Bar!"

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8997621

[HuckleB]

17. Wow! That is some spin on your part.

[Hannah Bell]

3. short commercial (this program funded by a gift from scott's) started i think under reagan.

they weren't so annoying then, because they were short & contained no info about scotts.

they've grown longer & more commercial like as time went on.

looks like we're going to wind up getting pay tv (cable) with commercials, including entire channels of commercials, & "public tv" with commercials funded by our donations & taxes.

it's enough to put one off tv altogether, lol.

[Tesha]

5. When the Republicans started threatening their funding, they cowered and caved.

Now, they're Nuthin' but Propaganda for Republicans and their
corporate friends.

Tesha

[Tesha]

6. (Deleted by author)

(Ah, the dread DU double-post defect rears its ugly head)

[gmoney]

7. lighten up, Francis

I doubt it was paid for by Scotts... they gotta find a way to fill the afternoons, and the novel new product is a "tried and true" way to fill time. Maybe the reporter didn't have your knowledge of turf grass cultivation to know to ask about the caveats.

Would you have a problem if they had a musician on who played some songs and talked about her new album, coincidentally released today? Or an author talking about his new book? Probably not. The musician/author is providing content for the program that the programmers think their audience will enjoy, and the musician/author is promoting their work to an audience likely to consider purchasing. It's promotional, yes. But ATC is entertainment, not pretending to be "Frontline" or investigative journalism.

Maybe there's a station that discusses only depressing breaking news or ongoing assaults on our freedoms, and you could listen to them instead.

[HuckleB]

10. +1

[Botany]

13. Don't put bullshit on toast and call it country style apple butter and .....

.... expect me to eat it up.

I have listened to NPR for years and really used to love it but I can spot a planted p.r. spot
about turf p.d.q. ..... I work in the field ..... The piece was a P.R. fluff spot that was made
to benefit Scotts/MIracle Gro.

BTW I will always remember the beauty and simple joy in the NPR "fluff pieces" of Bob Edwards
and Red Barber on Friday mornings ....... 11:45 AM.

[mwb970]

8. Wow. I just thought it was a typical slightly boring NPR segment.

I had no idea there was a massive conspiracy behind it!

:eyes:

[Common Sense Party]

12. On DU...EVERYTHING is a conspiracy!!!

[HuckleB]

9. It was a boring piece, so it probably seemed like 10 minutes.

It was less than 4 minutes, however.

http://weblogs.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122993748

And, yeah, it's just a boring time-filler story.

[endless october]

11. i love NPR, but

i'd almost rather they actually put a limited amount of real commercials in rather than have begathons.

[Strelnikov_]

14. ..

..

[AP]

18. I bet if you find who produced that segment...

...and find other segments produced by that person, you'll see a pattern.