NPR (formerly National Public Radio) is embracing the capitalist system with fervor this weekend, as they open their staff-only merchandise sale to the public for the first time.
This may not have been news had it been *any* other radio station. But it’s NPR, conceived of by government and with a decidedly left-wing audience, it has traditionally eschewed the more pedestrian forms of collecting revenue, such as selling merchandise.
According to wikipedia, the station receives 50% of its funding from fees it charges member stations. In 2009, members stations received 6 percent of their revenue from government sources, along with an additional 10% of their revenue from the federal government’s Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The two-day sale features items with the NPR logo as well as show-specific branded items, such as from their Saturday morning show “Car Talk.” A full-time store will open at their new location next year.
