A couple days ago I mentioned that PBS was treading very carefully into ways to get some of the money that's being spent through online advertising. Well, according to PaidContent, the public broadcasting body has begun putting Google AdSense ads on a handful of its web pages that represent about 2 percent of overall page views. It's only been a short time since the test began. While executives at PBS do not feel this violates the charter and mission statement of public broadcasting they are being very careful that, as the distinction between online and television continues to erode, they are being careful to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

I don't think there's anything wrong with PBS going this route to raise money through advertising. AdSense and other affiliate programs are, I think, an especially good fit for publishers of any size who want to gain revenue without being beholden to the interests, tastes and peculiarities of advertisers. Since that's a pretty good description of PBS I think this is a good fit as long as they keep their eyes on it and make sure to nip any conflicts of interest in the bud as soon as they appear.