Basic Trope: A program or network that is supported by donations from viewers (as opposed to ads or subscriptions) gives an acknowledgment that its funding is from donors.
- Straight: Non-Profit Television (NPTV) gives an acknowledgement at the beginning and end of every program, which mentions funding from government grants, a local non-profit organization, and donations from viewers. Every year, they have a telethon to raise money for the network, offering "free" gifts as a reward for donations.
- Exaggerated: NPTV not only does the above, it runs through a list of every donor by name (whether individuals, nonprofits, or businesses) who gave even a penny to the network. To facilitate this without cutting into actual programming time, they still do sign-ons and sign-offs even in the era of 24/7 cable TV. And their telethon takes up three whole months, consecutively.
- Downplayed: ???
- Justified: NPTV relies on donations to stay on the air. Without doing some kind of acknowledgment and thanking the donors/potential donors, people might feel slighted or snubbed and not want to make the necessary donations anymore.
- Inverted: WPTV sells airtime to companies to advertise products and services. In return, the companies sponsor whatever programming WPTV chooses to air.
- Subverted:
- NPTV does not run telethons to receive funding.
- NPTV airs infomercials late at night, when doing so is unlikely to interfere with their normal programming.
- NPTV receives all its funding from the government.
- NPTV runs a telethon, but it's not for the network. It's a telethon for the local children's hospital.
- NPTV shows ads in between the shows it airs.
- Double Subverted:
- It still thanks its viewers for keeping them on the air, because NPTV is a local access or PEG channel
. The funds come not from advertisers, but from a percentage of local cable subscribers' cable bills, so in a way, NPTV's viewers are paying for NPTV to air content, if not directly. Furthermore, much of NPTV's content is produced not only for viewers, but by them as well. - They don't have commercials, and they still run an annual telethon, and/or ask for donations via their website year-round, to cover what infomercials and government funding don't.
- The government decides to reduce or entirely cut off funding for NPTV, necessitating the channel to either start airing commercials, ask for donations from individuals and organizations, or go off the air entirely.
- Six months later, they have a telethon to raise money for their network.
- The ads are for businesses and nonprofits that have made donations to NPTV.
- It still thanks its viewers for keeping them on the air, because NPTV is a local access or PEG channel
- Parodied: ???
- Zig Zagged: Some NPTV affiliates do an acknowledgment like this, others do not.
- Averted: NPTV gets its funding from advertisers or subscribers.
- Enforced: "How about a TV station that doesn't do commercials no one really wants to see anyway?"
- Lampshaded: "NPTV is made possible by The National Endowment for Television of Tropestan, TropeCo Inc, and Viewers Like You. Thank you."
- Invoked: NPTV receives donations to stay on the air, and decides to thank viewers for donating (and encourage other viewers to donate).
- Exploited: ???
- Defied: NPTV doesn't acknowledge donors on the station.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
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