12. Professors benefit from appearing on television because by doing so they acquire reputations asauthorities in their academic fields among a much wider audience than they have on campus. If aprofessor publishes views in an academic journal, only other scholars will learn about andappreciate those views. _______________ So when professors share their ideas with a televisionaudience, the professors’ importance as scholars is enhanced.
(A)Rightly or wrongly, a professor who appears on TV tends to get the reputation among fellowprofessors of being someone who is not a serious scholar.
(B) When people see a knowledgeable faculty member of a university on television, they alsothink more highly of that university.
(C) And for that reason, a professor generally does not give in-depth academic lectures on TV.
(D) But when a professor appears on TV, thousands of people outside the narrow academiccommunity become aware of the professor’s ideas. ¯