I don't know enough about Wikipedia, though I have heard this point made before. I do know a lot about noncommercial broadcasting in the US though, and your co

I don't know enough about Wikipedia, though I have heard this point made before. I do know a lot about noncommercial broadcasting in the US though, and your comments appear superficial. A sponsorship message is different from a call-to-action advertisement. The former is permitted, the latter is not. They are not different enough, in my opinion, but they are discernible. Public TV and radio station finances are public information. Audience fundraisers are a meaningful portion of their operating budget (~25-50%), though it varies by market. As are program underwriting (up to 50% in strong markets), and often CPB funds contribute a few points (this is highly politicized and if you overindex on it, your news sources are likely polluted).