LookSmart in ‘Upper Ranks’ of PBS Donors

The Internet search company LookSmart is announcing today that it will underwrite five Public Broadcasting System television programs for three years--a level of support that is unprecedented in scope and places LookSmart “in the upper ranks” of donors, according to PBS spokesman Stu Kantor.

LookSmart will fully underwrite three cooking series and contribute money to the popular children’s show “Sesame Street” and the crime drama “Mystery.”

The company--which will get promotional spots on the programs and on the PBS Web site in return for its donations--positions itself as a search service for “wired women and families” and views PBS as a prime media market for its target audience. Until now, San Francisco-based LookSmart has emphasized licensing its technology--Web site directories compiled by human editors--to other Internet search services, such as Microsoft Network and HotBot. The PBS move is linked to the company’s new effort to promote its own Web site. Effectively, “this is the launch of LookSmart.com,” said Val Landi, senior vice president of marketing.