National Public Radio is not very public.
They like to say “you own the station,” it's one of the big marketing pitches, but it's not true. There's very little to distinguish a public radio station from commercial one. The major difference is the business model. NPR stations sell subscriptions and commercial stations don't. But the distinction is fading because public radio stations are running more commercial-like spots all the time. See the bit about conference sponsorships earlier this week. The NPR stations don't disclaim or disclose much, so it's reasonable to assume that they sell speaking spots too, stuff that sounds like editorial but is really commercial. [Scripting News]