Pitch to Charities from Television Company Raises Questions

A television production company that says it plans to produce programs hosted by the retired news broadcaster Hugh Downs on public-television stations has been getting tough questions as it pitches its product to community foundations and universities this summer, reports The New York Times.

Vision Media Television, in Boca Raton, Fla., wants such organizations to pay $20,000 or more to be a part of the television production, the newspaper reports.

The Public Broadcasting Service has had a warning on its Web site for the past three years that it “is not associated with and does not endorse, distribute programming for, review underwriting for or otherwise have any business relationship” with a list of productions companies that includes Vision Media Television.

Mark Miller, an executive producer at Vision Media, wrote in an e-mail message to the Times that the company distributed the series it produced to public-television affiliates, which have the right to show them “at their discretion.”

“The average person commonly makes the mistake of assuming that PBS and public television are one and the same, because they view PBS programs on public television stations,” Mr. Miller wrote.

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