And now, yet another word from our sponsor

Advertisers shun programs that they fear create an inhospitable “environment” for their messages. Yet advertisers themselves are fouling the air -- beyond just annoying commercials -- as they ooze into every corner of broadcasting.

No longer content to merely buy time when remote controls and digital video recorders like TiVo make ad-skipping its own participation sport, sponsors are weaseling into programs in a manner that hearkens back to the men of Texaco introducing Milton Berle.

TBS just announced a deal with Lowe’s for “House Rules,” a series that will weave the home-improvement chain into a remodeling competition. Pepsi will have title sponsorship on two WB network programs this summer, Ford and Coca-Cola remain conspicuous in “American Idol,” “Survivor” showcases various product tie-ins, and a beer mascot appears on Fox Sports’ “The Best Damn Sports Show Period” -- all in the name of making sponsors unavoidable.

Of course, as much as they crave attention, many advertisers still tremble and grow weak-kneed when dramatic programs dabble in provocative topics, such as abortion. Others insist their image will be tarnished if they associate with racier unscripted fare, even if the content is seldom more titillating than a Coors Light spot.

If this smacks of hypocrisy, don’t expect the networks to bite the hand that funds them -- preparing as they are for the rating sweeps that begins Thursday and next month’s “upfront” presentations of their fall prime-time lineups, a prelude to selling more than $8 billion in ad time.

Both rituals speak to the old way of doing business, at a time when no one knows how long it will be before technology fundamentally alters the current system of ad-supported TV the public otherwise gets for free. So programmers are jumping into bed with advertisers to see how fast they can go in fusing advertising and programming, with viewers doing little thus far to step on the brakes.

As it stands, watching the NBA playoffs it seems each statistic and free throw must be sponsored, in the same way talk-radio hosts seamlessly segue from ranting about big government to shilling for drunk-driving attorneys -- all with nary a complaint from consumers. Granted, some have probably fled to pay cable or a good book, but not enough to dissuade anyone from the unbridled joys of adver-tainment.

If programs subtly convey messages about their sponsors, however, the reverse is true as well. The cut-rate ads seen in certain staged reality, daytime and late-night shows say plenty about the audience presumed to be watching -- namely, those losing their hair, at home nursing a work-related injury or willing to pay $3.99 per minute just to hear a woman’s voice.

Similarly, the idea that network newscasts play to a geriatric audience is underscored by the vast assortment of pharmaceutical ads they attract -- a negative in a media world obsessed with youth. “Everybody over 50 is constipated or sick,” media historian Neal Gabler said at a recent USC conference, citing the tyranny of advertising over content.

The trend isn’t limited to TV. Radio also undermines the credibility of talk hosts and reporters by having them enthusiastically pitch diet supplements, copper repiping and laser eye surgery. Indeed, hearing Bill O’Reilly and Howard Stern plug the Vermont Teddy Bear Co., it’s easy to wonder how far sponsor control extends. “OK, next hour, we’ll talk about smog emissions,” you can hear some program director telling a lesser-known host. “That will go great with the air purifier spot!”

Absurd as that sounds, should they push much further, advertisers themselves might taint the programs they so worry may not provide the proper climate for their messages. What discriminating viewer, after all, is going to embrace a show if it falls on the wrong side of the line between entertainment and infomercial?

This column, by the way, is officially brought to you by nobody. Assuming you turn on a TV or radio, that just might make it the last un-sponsored communication you encounter all day.

Speaking of advertising

Weather is a strange source of controversy in Southern California -- stand-up comics and pin-up girls deliver forecasts precisely because there’s usually so little to say -- but a flap has emerged regarding a questionable ad by KNBC-TV.

The station billed its “SkyScan Radar” as being: “So accurate it pinpoints the weather in your neighborhood. The rainfall right on your street. So powerful it takes you inside storms. So advanced it maps the path of fires and earthquakes ... all to keep you safe.”

Wow. If it can keep the dog from drooling on the couch too, sign me up.

Lucy Jones -- the scientist in charge of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Southern California division, who is most often seen explaining why your bric-a-brac has been shaken off the walls -- found the ad confusing.

“I don’t know what one could see with radar about earthquakes,” she said. “I’ve been scratching my head as to what that could mean.... It’s clear that what they’re talking about is a graphics package, as opposed to radar.”

KABC-TV, which spent a lot of money to acquire its own Doppler radar, isn’t thrilled by KNBC’s contortions to strike a more AccuWeather-y-than-thou pose. “All it’s meant to do is water down people’s perception of what we have,” said KABC General Manager Arnold Kleiner, adding that his station “invested the time and money and effort to have something unique” -- namely, the only private weather radar south of Sacramento.

Kimberly Godwin, KNBC’s vice president and news director, said the station is amending the text to avoid confusion but insisted the system does all the things the station claims in graphically mapping local topography. That nevertheless seems to acknowledge the promos were at best misleading.

As for why the system merits such a campaign at all, Godwin said, “Weather is the No. 1 reason people watch local news,” citing the wide variance from the Inland Empire to Malibu. “It’s very important to the way people plan their lives.”

OK, but my guess is from May 1 until Labor Day, it’s going to be in the 80s most of the time, with morning clouds burning off by the afternoon.

If that’s the stuff of a “SkyScan 4” or even “Doppler 7000” forecast worth promoting, hey, knock yourselves out.

Brian Lowry’s column appears Wednesdays. He can be reached at brian.lowry@latimes.com.