CBS filled its schedule with sponsor-driven comedies and soap operas.

Evidence

Seeing that comedians went over well on radio, Paley found Jack Benny, who became “Your Canada Dry Humorist,” and also signed the couple George Burns and Gracie Allen. For the female listener (daytime radio), CBS aired a show named The Voice of Experience, essentially an advice program, sponsored by Kreml medicinal products. When soap operas became a hit on NBC, CBS profitably programmed half a dozen of its own, including Just Plain Bill and Big Sister, each with a sponsor like Wonder Bread or Rinso laundry soap. — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 357

Categorization

• XREF: Sponsor-driven programming echoes the earlier model of single-sponsored radio shows, connecting to the institutional history in this book and to Milgrom’s reputational institutions in the reader’s notes (brands standing in for trust). — connects to: CBS gave free programming to stations in exchange for carrying its sponsored ads — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 340