Just a couple of program sponsors or underwriters which caught my attention recently on my local NPR affiliate station, WYPR:
Marketplace is sponsored by Bank One Corp., issuer of “more than 1200″ different credit cards! Many of these cards are co-branded, bearing logos and benefits from groups as diverse as Kampgrounds of America, your favorite college or university, stores, airlines, ASPCA, Disney and Starbucks. They have interest rates ranging from 7.15% to 14.24%, and annual fees ranging from US$0 to US$79 per year. (Actually, these numbers are taken from Cardoffers.com‘s survey of just 173 of Bank One’s cards.) Bank One is the 3rd largest issuer of credit cards in the US, but is this by volume or variety? Is there a company which issues more than 1200 different credit cards? Yikes!
The local programming on WYPR is sponsored in part by the Open Society Institute, one of George Soros‘ foundations. OSI has established a branch in Baltimore, dealing with “…critical national urban issues as they are expressed locally…” It’s a great program, but I just get a cynical grin when I hear the WYPR announcer say, “The Open Society Institute, committed to bringing the idea of democracy to” — this is where I smile — “Baltimore.” Gee, I wonder if they’ve thought of opening a branch a little further south. They could use some democracy down in DC…
