Inside Report (1)

Will viewers hear about "ring around the collar" on Masterpiece Theatre? Will Merrill Lynch tout its financial expertise on Wall Street Week? Could be. TV commercials are a distinct possibility on future PBS programs.

Pushed by the need to replace government funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a House-Senate conference has recommended establishing a commission to study new revenue sources.

The commission idea is a compromise from a house bill introduced by Rep. Tom Tauke (R) of iowa. The bill would require a mandatory experiment by PBS to accept radio and TV ads in 10 US market areas.

The FCC already has moved in this direction, allowing PBS program underwriters to show their logos and use some descriptive phrase to identify themselves.The July 4 Boston Pops telecast, for example, allowed Digital Corporation to define itself on-air in a short "commercial."m