I would bet that they did the market research and the "This Land" special came out as the better choice FOR PLEDGES. I'm not saying they are right, but they could very well be.

Also, if my fading memory serves me right, American Roots has been making the rounds of PBS for over a year now and "This Land" is new. Repeat broadcasts are not going to pull as high of a number as a new show.

If you or I had our choice we probably would go with American Roots, but that doesn't mean we are in the majority.

Look at the bright side, at least your PBS station knows enough to put on a quality program like American Roots. I would be glad that it is on without all the pitches - you get to watch it uninterrupted.

Someone mentioned bait and switch earlier. That is a tough call because PBS is "event" driven as opposed to "series". Sure there are series like Nova that are the meat and potatoes for PBS, but they DO fund-raising.   The specials are events they put on to tweak viewers - having viewers tune in that might not do so. They aren't shutting out the regulars, merely trying to widen their audience.