Line #22 Main/ViewersLikeYou


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7	->''"If you watch even one second of PBS and don't contribute, you're a thief. A common thief!"''
8	-->-- '''Creator/BettyWhite''', ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', "Missionary: Impossible"
9
10	This trope is about two things with media production:
11	# People who donate money directly to the producer or distributor of works, in hopes of getting the work made, or in the hopes of seeing more works like them. The media could be anything from a creator's blog or comic book to a documentary film.
12	# Viewers of programs, TV networks or radio stations whose primary funding comes from voluntary donations, rather than advertising or subscription. The networks do funding drives where hosts plead with viewers and listeners for donations, warning them that without their generosity, the programs will likely be canceled.
13
14	The TropeNamer is Creator/{{PBS}}, whose stations and original programs used to be funded almost entirely by viewers. (Some stations still are.) For this reason, most PBS programs still end their acknowledgements with "Made possible by financial support/contributions to your PBS station from... viewers like you." (Since November 1, 1999, they've been following this with "Thank you".)[[note]]If they skip right to that, it's a sign production of the program has ended and viewers are just paying for the airtime. It's implied that's what contribution money from viewers is earmarked for to start with.[[/note]] Odds are, fewer viewers donate than not. People usually donate to PBS not just because it helps keep the public station running, but because neat "gifts" get thrown in (albeit for far more than the free-market rate), and because it's the PBS equivalent of UsefulNotes/{{Ratings}}: [[UsefulNotes/{{Sweeps}} the sorts of programs that bring in heavy donations during pledge drives are the sorts of programs that the station will renew]]. In more recent years, PBS has offered a streaming service available only to donors. Most of the grant money comes from airtime-hungry MegaCorp firms (especially those hoping to garnish their public image), not-for-profit foundations, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting ("A private corporation funded by [[strike:taxpayers]] the American people", eg an annual appropriation from
15	Congress).
16
17	While the type of media seeking donations could in theory be any genre, in practice, the genres tend to be those that find it hard to garner advertising support or commercial subscribers, such as educational programs, kids' programs, documentaries, experimental art films, scholarly topics (history, philosophy, political science), public affairs shows, and community programming.
18
19	These educational and public interest shows are "good for you", but they lack the action, laughter, and {{fanservice}} of mainstream commercial content, so they likely wouldn't get made unless viewers and listeners like you call in right now to donate. OperatorsAreStandingBy to take your donation pledge. Call now! ButWaitTheresMore. Call in the next five minutes and get a PBS tote bag or umbrella...
20
21	See also ThankingTheViewer and PleaseSubscribeToOurChannel.
22
23	----
24	!!Other examples:
25	[[foldercontrol]]
26
27	[[folder: Comic Books ]]
28	* ''ComicBook/Batman66'': [[ParodiedTrope Parodied.]] In one story, False Face creates a TV series about Batman and Robin and plans to use it to kill the real heroes on live TV. He says it's thanks to "viewers like you" when he announces their upcoming demise.
29	[[/folder]]
30
31	[[folder: Live-Action TV ]]
32	* ''Heavily'' parodied on the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' 8th-season episode ''[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S08E22OverdrawnAtTheMemoryBank Overdrawn at the Memory Bank]]''. Since the show's writers/cast chose not to go all-in on recently-departed star Creator/RaulJulia, the next best target was public television pledge drives (the movie had been produced for PBS). So Pearl, having found her way to Castle Forrester an episode prior after escaping [[AncientGrome Ancient Rome]], started a pledge drive to go play the slot machines.
33	* Spoofed in the first episode of ''Series/NoSoapRadio'', which credits the show to Trans National Petroleum, The Updyke Foundation, and [[TotallyNotACriminalFront Rico's Boom-Boom Room.]]
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder: Web Animation ]]
37	* WebAnimation/NothingForever added a Weather Forecast segment in Season 2 Version 1.4, the true purpose of the segment is to run a ticker at the bottom of the screen thanking the Stream's Patreon subscribers.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder: Web Original ]]
41	* Many Internet radio stations/networks, including [=SomaFM=], mvyradio.com, and many others.
42	* Leo Laporte's [=TWiT=] network, though in that case Leo's pay comes almost solely from viewer/listener contributions rather than advertising (more a self-move to make him accountable to those who watch), which mainly goes to technical operations and other employees.
43	* UsefulNotes/{{Kickstarter}}
44	* WebVideo/RadioDeadAir home of WebVideo/WhatTheFuckIsWrongWithYou
45	* The ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'' podcast is funded mostly by merchandise sales and listener donations, with the creators offering gifts for people who set up a regular monthly contribution
46	* Many, many Platform/{{YouTube}}rs do this.
47	* Parodied in the opening for the WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail, [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StrongBadEmailE67Autobiography "autobiography"]]:
48	-->'''Strong Bad:''' This email is brought to you by a grant from The Cheat and the support of Viewers Like You.
49	* Patreon. (Akin to Kickstarter, but specialized on art.)
50	* Website/{{Wikipedia}}.
51	* Later episodes of ''WebVideo/TheGamingHistorian'' end with an announcer stating this trope after the host says their SigningOffCatchPhrase (and also when they doesn't end that way).
52	-->'''Announcer:''' Funding for Gaming Historian is provided in part by supporters on Patreon. Thank you. cue end credits
53	* Every review that ''WebVideo/{{Bobsheaux}}'' does always open up with his girlfriend Raven Fox's voice saying this, before the opening sequence. Which by the way, also plugs his Patreon.
54	-->'''Raven Fox:''' This review is made possible with contributions from viewers like you.
55	[[/folder]]
56
57	[[folder: Western Animation ]]
58	* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', The Culture Channel is used as a BrickJoke in the 2-parter "Injustice For All". The Ultra-Humanite is seen earlier in the episode enjoying an opera on the Culture Channel in prison, to Lex Luthor's displeasure. Later, when [[CrimeFightingWithCash he's been paid off to betray Luthor]], he donates it to the Culture Channel, leading to this hilarious parody of the line:
59	-->'''Announcer''': This program was made possible by generous grants from the Ultra-Humanite and Viewers Like You.
60	* The ''WesternAnimation/MarthaSpeaks'' episode "Martha's Chair" has [[GrumpyOldMan Mrs. Demson]] see the "Viewers Like You" segment while watching ''Series/AntiquesRoadshow''. She then rudely replies "[[SarcasmMode You're welcome!]]" This is also an example of BitingTheHandHumor, as ''Martha Speaks'' airs on PBS itself, though on the Creator/PBSKids block, not around the same time as ''Antiques Roadshow''.
61	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E15MissionaryImpossible Missionary Impossible]]", Homer gets frustrated with a PBS telethon interrupting a show he was watching, and calls in a fake donation with enough money to end the telethon then and there. Unfortunately for him, PBS finds out where he lives and comes to collect whether he likes it or not, resulting in him getting attacked by [[Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood Fred Rogers]], the Series/{{Teletubbies}}, and the Series/SesameStreet characters; he runs to Reverend Lovejoy for sanctuary ("Their bloodthirsty pursuit is made possible by a grant from the Chubb Group!") and gets sent abroad as a Christian missionary. The episode is eventually revealed to be Creator/{{Fox}} itself hosting a telethon, with Bart [[HereWeGoAgain calling in a gigantic fake donation]].
62	-->'''Rupert Murdoch:''' You've just saved my network!\
63	'''Bart:''' Wouldn't be the first time.
64	[[/folder]]
65
66
67	[[folder: Real Life ]]
68	* Creator/{{NPR}} ("Listeners like you")
69	* Creator/{{TBN}} (Trinity Broadcast Network).
70	* [=LinkTV=] (Only on [=DirecTV=], Dish and the web)
71	* EWTN (a Roman Catholic network, foundress Mother Angelica used to encourage viewers to "keep us between your gas and electric bills", a donation slogan that's been picked up by other hosts on the network since Mother's passing.)
72	* Most Christian television and radio, and religious media in general for that matter, with [[ChurchOfHappyology one big exception]].
73	* Canadian provincial television ([=TVOntario=] and BC's Knowledge Network).
74	* PBS shows do this. In 1999, a mandate was issued which requires ThankingTheViewer. ''American Masters'' happened to be already doing so at least a year prior, and some shows are really creative about it.
75	* Averted by BuccaneerBroadcaster Radio Caroline in the 1970s. When they tried to supplement their meagre commercial revenue with an appeal for listener donations they didn't get any. They did manage to stay on the air, though.
76	* WCRB, a classical music radio station out of Boston that is affiliated with that city's local Creator/{{PBS}} station, WGBH.
77	* Many charities or other nonprofit organizations, perhaps with help from a local TV or radio station. (This could be anything from a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public,_educational,_and_government_access public access/PEG channel]] to a local network affiliate.)
78	* This trope is [[InvokedTrope the entire point and intention]] of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassroots Grassroots movements]]. The idea is that since the campaigns are exclusively funded and powered by the majority of people within a given society, said movements gain direct political influence and become/generate representatives -- all for that majority's sake.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	----
82	->Website/TVTropes has been brought to you by the support of Tropers like you. Thank you!

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