The More You Know
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The More You Know (sometimes abbreviated "TMYK") is a series of public service announcements (or PSAs) broadcast on the NBC Universal family of channels in the United States and other locations. The spots feature personalities from various NBC shows; Tom Brokaw was the first person to do a The More You Know spot, which aired on NBC in January 1989. These PSAs are broadcast regularly during NBC's programming in primetime, late night and Saturday morning. Some of these spots are produced in conjunction with various groups and the Ad Council. On some stations, TMYK spots during NBC shows are sponsored by local companies -- for instance, Publix Super Markets and either Chevrolet or GMC sponsor TMYK on Tampa Bay's NBC affiliate, WFLA-TV.
While the other U.S. broadcast networks have similar campaigns, namely CBS Cares[1] and ABC's A Better Community [2], TMYK is likely the best-known.
The campaign has been widely-parodied, with references in an episode of Family Guy ("The Son Also Draws"), multiple episodes of Drawn Together ("Requiem for a Reality Show" and "Alzheimer's That Ends Well"), an America-themed episode of X-Play (called "The Less You Know"), recurring parodies on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, a running segment on The Daily Show called "The Less You Know," parodies on Comedy Central's The Showbiz Show with David Spade, and most recently, an April 2006 series of NBC-produced mock PSAs starring the cast of The Office. The show Scrubs, on the NBC network, featured a parody where the main character, JD, imagines a PSA telling parents not to smother their kids.