Mental Engineering was a PBS television series where host John Forde led a panel discussion that did critical—and humorous—analysis of TV commercials. The show originated as a public access program on the Saint Paul Neighborhood Network in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1997. It is considered by its host to be the first cable access show to be aired nationally, as one episode following Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002 aired on PBS stations capable of reaching 85% of the population of the United States. "Super Commercials: A Mental Engineering Special" featured nationally-known TV personalities Aisha Tyler and Lizz Winstead along with two other guests from Minnesota, but is considered to have been one of the poorer-quality episodes made over the show's run. Forde indicated in 2004 that he wanted to continue the program, but it appears that no new episodes have yet been made. PBS re-directs here; for alternate uses see PBS (disambiguation) PBS logo The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is a non-profit public broadcasting television service with 349 member TV stations in the United States. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... A critic (derived from the ancient Greek word krites meaning a judge) is a person who offers a value judgement or an interpretation. ... This article discusses humour in terms of comedy and laughter. ... From the earliest days of the medium, television has been used as a vehicle for advertising in some countries. ... Public access television is a cable television service that allows members of the public to use a cable companys facilities and equipment to create and broadcast their own content. ... State capitol building in Saint Paul Saint Paul is the capital and second-largest city of the state of Minnesota in the United States of America. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Reef. ... An episode is to television and radio what a chapter is to a book: a part of a sequence of a body of work. ... Super Bowl XXXVI was the 36th Super Bowl, the championship of American football. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Aisha N. Tyler (born 18 September American comedian and actress. ... Lizz Winstead was co-creator and head writer of The Daily Show (she left after an offensive comment by then-host Craig Kilborn). ... State nickname: North Star State Other U.S. States Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Governor Tim Pawlenty Official languages None Area 225,365 km² (12th)  - Land 206,375 km²  - Water 18,990 km² (8. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Funding was a major issue for the program, as Forde did not want to solicit or accept donations from corporations. He did obtain some assistance from Lutheran Brotherhood, a non-profit life insurance company, along with production help from Twin Cities Public Television (TPT). Forde essentially gave the show away for free, paying TPT a US$120 uplink fee to distribute each program through PBS's satellite network. By September 2001, the program was airing on stations covering 41% of the U.S., and was most importantly carried by notable PBS outlets WGBH in Boston and WNET in New York City. The show received rave reviews from The New York Times and other influential news outlets, even prompting a congratulatory letter from Bill Moyers. A corporation is a legal entity (distinct from a natural person) that often has similar rights in law to those of a Civil law systems may refer to corporations as moral persons; they may also go by the name AS (anonymous society) or something similar, depending on language (see below). ... A non-profit organization (often called non-profit org or simply non-profit or not-for-profit) can be seen as an organization that doesnt have a goal to make a profit. ... Life insurance policies, including pensions and life annuity policies, provide payments depending on the life or the death of a particular person or persons. ... Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) is the organization that operates the KTCA and KTCI television stations in Minneapolis-St. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... For other uses, please see Satellite (disambiguation) A satellite is an object that orbits another object (known as its primary). ... 2001 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December Events: September 11 - September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack occurs in United States; more than 3,000 killed in New York City and The Pentagon in Washington, D.C. as a result. ... The WGBH identity still used today WGBH is Boston, Massachusetts longtime public television and public radio station (PBS and NPR affiliates, respectively). ... Boston is the capital of and the largest city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. ... WNET (a. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Bill D. Moyers (born June 5, 1934) is an American journalist and public commentator. ...

At nearly every step along the way, the show was considered a "no-budget" program, though the Super Bowl appearance did warrant a nicer set. The two local guests for the "Super Commercials" episode were Leola Johnson and Chris Vigliaturo, who were series regulars. Lizz Winstead actually appeared in multiple episodes of the show, as did area comedian Jeff Cesario, who has made other national appearances. In drama, the set (or setting) is the location of a storys action. ... Jeff Cesario is an American comedian and writer, who has written for Dennis Miller Live and The Larry Sanders Show. ...

Two somewhat similar shows aired on public TV stations back in the 1960s, the Ford Foundation-sponsored programs Public Broadcast Laboratory and Your Dollar's Worth. Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ... The Ford Foundation is a US charitable foundation created to fund programs that promote democracy, reduce poverty and promote international understanding (see mission statement). ...

External links

• Mental Engineering (http://www.mentalengineering.com/)

References

• Stephanie Lash (September 4, 2000). Forde's ad literacy, humor fight against consumer lust. (http://www.current.org/prog/prog0202me.html) Current.
• (January 28, 2002). PBS goes for Mental Engineering on Super Bowl Sunday. (http://www.current.org/prog/prog0202me.html) Current.
• Catherine Reid Day (September 2001). One Cultural Creative's Journey through the Between. (http://www.edgenews.com/issues/2001/09/day.html) EDGE News.
• Brian Lambert (November 12, 2000). Ad Nauseam: With healthy skepticism, St. Paul's Mental Engineering bites the advertising hand that feeds most of TV programming. (http://www.mentalengineering.com/pioneerpress.htm) Saint Paul Pioneer Press.