Is it a stereotype if it’s true? Because the cliche that we give out a massive amount of tote bags may be just an exaggeration but I do spy a lot of them around the building. Here’s one hanging in a co-worker’s cubicle…
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Tote Bags
Hey, It’s Photo Friday!
Another tote bag! Seems like there’s a endless supply of these things around the station. This one’s from the 2021 North Carolina Science Festival (NC SciFest). As you can see from the second photo, we (then UNC-TV) were a Gold Sponsor. Certainly it comes as no surprise that PBS North Carolina has always been dedicated to science learning with shows like NOVA and SCI NC. So it’s a natural extension of that science dedication to support an event of this nature. And we get a nifty little burlap tote to show for it!
Hey, It’s Photo Friday!
The tote bag. It became a stereotype long ago but it remains a mainstay in pledge premiums and assorted public broadcasting tchotchkes. Here’s one for THE ASIAN AMERICANS, a five-part mini-series that premiered in 2020. Not sure where it came from. Could have been swag from a PBS conference or something sent by the producing station to promote the show. Either way, it’s a tote bag and tote bags rule!
Hey, It’s Photo Friday!
Who doesn’t like prizes? Well, someone surely liked these prizes – two gift baskets I spied in someone’s office recently. I’ve no idea who won them, why they were given away or what was in them but they make a lovely sight, don’t they?
Hey, It’s Photo Friday!
I’ve talked before about how tote bags seem to be a cliche in connection to public television. But it’s so true. There are loads of tote bags floating around emblazoned with PBS show logos and public television characters and themes. I could probably spin off this Friday photo bit with pics of all the tote bags I’ve amassed over the years (Tote Bag Tuesday?) but I’ll just showcase them here on occasion. This week, it’s a little something from EASTENDERS. In addition to the show’s title, we’ve got a few words and catchphrases from the beloved soap. Do you recognize them all?
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I’ve said before that the tote bag is one of the cliche giveaways for public broadcasting. It’s been spoofed and mocked by late night hosts and comedians for decades. Still, in some stereotypes, a nugget of truth. We do giveaway and produce a lot of tote bags. I’ve amassed so many in my time with PBS that I could probably do a weekly post on tote bags alone. As such, here’s one from our very own NORTH CAROLINA BOOKWATCH. Billed as “the state’s premier literary series,” BOOKWATCH ran for 23 seasons and still airs in repeats across our services.
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I think if you compiled a short list of fundraiser premiums, the go to offer would be DVDs. Second might be the tote bag, a giveaway so ingrained into public broadcasting consciousness that it’s become a cliche. Third? My vote might be for the humble mug. I have spied quite a few in my years and that makes sense, doesn’t it? It’s incredibly easy to slap a logo on some ceramic drinkware and make it available to viewers.
Here’s a mug for STORY IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE, a public affairs show designed to study, celebrate and tell stories that matter. Perfect for coffee, tea, hot chocolate or anything that might invite social discourse.
Hey, It’s Photo Friday!
It’s a cliche that public broadcasting is known for giving out totes bags. Trust me, if you ever see a reference to a PBS pledge drive on a TV show or in a movie, the tote bag will enter the conversation (particularly if the scene is played for laughs). That being said, sometimes a stereotype is accurate.
Here’s a tote bag we gave away a few years ago. I believe it was a giveaway at the North Carolina State Fair so if you stopped by the UNC-TV pavilion around 2015 you may have received one of these bad boys.
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