[Douglas G. Brown]

Ann,
PBS is the Public Broadcasting Service in the US. It is partly supported by a wide vrriety of educational and non-profit institutions, and supplemented by foundation grants , corporate sponsorships, and the general public.

The "general public" is bombarded by periodic pledge drives (if they watch PBS). Their programming is good (including many recycled UK shows), but the guilt-inducing pledge drives grow old quite soon. Now that many Americans have cable TV (with about 100 channels), I think PBS is feeling some competition; and it seems their pledge drives are increasing.