PBS.org Bolsters Ad Inventory

The Public Broadcasting System Web site, PBS.org, will beef up its online ad offerings as part of a planned site redesign.

Starting Oct. 1, the site will display 768 x 90 leaderboard ads on its major sections, including arts, news, science, business, and home. The PBS.org site also likely will sell inventory on its home page, said Robert Williams, president of National Public Broadcasting LLC, the media sales firm that represents PBS TV and public radio stations. In addition, the kids site, PBSKids.org, also will display 364x60 ads.

Marketers signed up so far including a large grocery chain, car companies, and non-profits, Williams said. He added that some inventory was already sold out through the fourth quarter; he declined to name specific advertisers. Currently, house ads reside in the leaderboard position.

PBS.org also is considering adding video to the site, and is mulling charter sponsors for video to offset the bandwidth costs, Williams said.

Sales are being handled by National Public Broadcasting's newly resurrected digital division, "National Public Broadcasting, Interactive." That unit, formed in 1999, went dormant when the market crashed in 2001, and was only revived this spring. "We've been waiting in the weeds for the business to come back," Williams said.

The rep firm has tapped Operative to manage the ads through its dashboard product.

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