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Advertising non profit or for profit please explain the difference.
- Thread starter 30james
- Start date
There is a whole set of rules for non-commercial stations. They can run "support ads" that name the supporter but can't have normal advertising hype, such as superlative terms, comparisons with competitive products, price-item mentions, and things like "buy some today" or "the sale ends Friday".
Basically, they can describe the company's scope and products and offerings, without puffery (an actual legal term).
Also, a commercially licensed station can be non-commercial by decision, and carry no ads of either type. But that is an owner decision. Generally, a station that will not run ads of any kind will want to be a non-com licensee
I'm trying to get through COVID so can't spend the time on this, but we have several non-commercial experts here who can tell you more or give you links to full discussions online.
Be well!
I'm putting it out their to be educated. Not have endless arguments
Get well soon David
Wishing you a soon and easy recovery, David!
From FCC at Commission Policy on the Noncommercial Nature of Educational Broadcasting
Enhanced Underwriting and Donor Acknowledgements
Beyond the airing of paid promotional announcements, our recent review of underwriting activities indicates that some public broadcasters may be airing donor and underwriter announcements which exceed the Commission's guidelines. In light of these instances and an ongoing debate in the public broadcasting community on these issues, we believe that a brief statement concerning the obligations of public broadcasters with respect to donor and underwriting acknowledgements is appropriate. In March 1984, we relaxed our noncommercial policy to allow public broadcasters to expand or "enhance" the scope of donor and underwriter acknowledgements to include (1) logograms or slogans which identify and do not promote, (2) location information, (3) value neutral descriptions of a product line or service, and (4) brand and trade names and product or service listings. 1984 Order at 263. That action was taken as another step in our ongoing effort to strike a reasonable balance between the financial needs of public broadcast stations and their obligation to provide an essentially noncommercial service. It was our view that "enhanced underwriting" would offer significant potential benefits to public broadcasting in terms of attracting additional business support and would thereby improve the financial self-sufficiency of the service without threatening its underlying noncommercial nature. In this regard, we emphasized that such announcements could not include qualitative or comparative language and that the Order should not be construed as allowing advertisements as defined in Section 399B of the Communications Act. Id. (Footnote 1)
We recognized in our 1982 Order that it may be difficult at times to distinguish between announcements that promote and those that identify. For that reason, we expressly stated that we expect public broadcast licensees to review their donor or underwriter acknowledgements and make reasonable good faith judgements as to whether they identify, rather than promote. 1982 Order at 911. We saw no purpose at the time, or at the time we adopted our 1984 Order, in fashioning rigid regulations or guidelines to ensure the noncommercial nature of public broadcasting, and we were concerned that such guidelines would inhibit public broadcasters' ability to seek and obtain the funds needed to present quality programming and to remain financially viable. It continues to be our view that the public broadcaster's good faith judgement must be the key element in meeting Congress' determination that the service should remain free of commercial and commercial-like matter. In response to requests for guidance, however, we will attempt to further clarify the guidelines applicable to public broadcasters' exercise of their discretion.
We reiterate that acknowledgements should be made for identification purposes only and should not promote the contributor's products, services, or company. For example, logos or logograms used by corporations or businesses are permitted so long as they do not contain comparative or qualitative descriptions of the donor's products or services. Similarly, company slogans which contain general product-line descriptions are acceptable if not designed to be promotional in nature. Visual depictions of specific products are permissible. We also believe that the inclusion of a telephone number in an acknowledgement is within these general guidelines and, therefore, permissible.
Several examples of announcements that would clearly violate the rule may be helpful:
Enhanced Underwriting and Donor Acknowledgements
Beyond the airing of paid promotional announcements, our recent review of underwriting activities indicates that some public broadcasters may be airing donor and underwriter announcements which exceed the Commission's guidelines. In light of these instances and an ongoing debate in the public broadcasting community on these issues, we believe that a brief statement concerning the obligations of public broadcasters with respect to donor and underwriting acknowledgements is appropriate. In March 1984, we relaxed our noncommercial policy to allow public broadcasters to expand or "enhance" the scope of donor and underwriter acknowledgements to include (1) logograms or slogans which identify and do not promote, (2) location information, (3) value neutral descriptions of a product line or service, and (4) brand and trade names and product or service listings. 1984 Order at 263. That action was taken as another step in our ongoing effort to strike a reasonable balance between the financial needs of public broadcast stations and their obligation to provide an essentially noncommercial service. It was our view that "enhanced underwriting" would offer significant potential benefits to public broadcasting in terms of attracting additional business support and would thereby improve the financial self-sufficiency of the service without threatening its underlying noncommercial nature. In this regard, we emphasized that such announcements could not include qualitative or comparative language and that the Order should not be construed as allowing advertisements as defined in Section 399B of the Communications Act. Id. (Footnote 1)
We recognized in our 1982 Order that it may be difficult at times to distinguish between announcements that promote and those that identify. For that reason, we expressly stated that we expect public broadcast licensees to review their donor or underwriter acknowledgements and make reasonable good faith judgements as to whether they identify, rather than promote. 1982 Order at 911. We saw no purpose at the time, or at the time we adopted our 1984 Order, in fashioning rigid regulations or guidelines to ensure the noncommercial nature of public broadcasting, and we were concerned that such guidelines would inhibit public broadcasters' ability to seek and obtain the funds needed to present quality programming and to remain financially viable. It continues to be our view that the public broadcaster's good faith judgement must be the key element in meeting Congress' determination that the service should remain free of commercial and commercial-like matter. In response to requests for guidance, however, we will attempt to further clarify the guidelines applicable to public broadcasters' exercise of their discretion.
We reiterate that acknowledgements should be made for identification purposes only and should not promote the contributor's products, services, or company. For example, logos or logograms used by corporations or businesses are permitted so long as they do not contain comparative or qualitative descriptions of the donor's products or services. Similarly, company slogans which contain general product-line descriptions are acceptable if not designed to be promotional in nature. Visual depictions of specific products are permissible. We also believe that the inclusion of a telephone number in an acknowledgement is within these general guidelines and, therefore, permissible.
Several examples of announcements that would clearly violate the rule may be helpful:
- A. Announcements containing price information are not permissible. This would include any announcement of interest rate information or other indication of savings or value associated with the product. An example of such an announcement is:
- -- "7.7% interest rate available now."
- B. Announcements containing a call to action are not permissible. Examples of such announcements are:
- -- "Stop by our showroom to see a model";
- -- "Try product X next time you buy oil."
- C. Announcements containing an inducement to buy, sell, rent, or lease are not permissible. Examples of such announcements are:
- -- "Six months' free service";
- -- "A bonus available this week";
- -- "Special gift for the first 50 visitors."
I think the terms you want are "commercial station" and "non-commercial station."
Commercial stations are permitted to sell air time. Most do it in one-minute spots. They include KOST, KNX-AM-FM, KLOS, KLVE, KBIG, KIIS-FM.
Another type of commercial station uses "brokered programming." They include KKLA-FM and KWVE which sell 30 to 60 minute blocks of time to preachers, who use their programs for religious instruction coupled with appeals for donations. And the Audacy music stations (KRTH, KTWV, KCBS-FM) all have Sunday morning blocks of infomercials, where they sell 30 minutes of time to an advertiser who is trying to get you to buy their pain relief pills or weight loss plan. But if you don't get up early enough on Sunday (4 a.m. to 9 a.m.) you'd never hear them.
The non-commercial stations include KUSC (University of Southern California--Classical Music), KPCC (Pasadena Community College--NPR News and Info) and KCRW (Santa Monica College--NPR News and AAA Music). While they can't run commercials, they can have companies give them grants coupled with a quick blurb thanking them for their support. But unlike a commercial, there can be no call to action. If Subaru contributes to a show, the station can tell us that Subaru makes quality cars. But they can't say you should buy one of their four-wheel drive vehicles by Friday when a special sale ends.
KKLQ is also non-commercial. But as a K-Love station, it only asks for donations. There are no corporate grants as far as I know.
Commercial stations are permitted to sell air time. Most do it in one-minute spots. They include KOST, KNX-AM-FM, KLOS, KLVE, KBIG, KIIS-FM.
Another type of commercial station uses "brokered programming." They include KKLA-FM and KWVE which sell 30 to 60 minute blocks of time to preachers, who use their programs for religious instruction coupled with appeals for donations. And the Audacy music stations (KRTH, KTWV, KCBS-FM) all have Sunday morning blocks of infomercials, where they sell 30 minutes of time to an advertiser who is trying to get you to buy their pain relief pills or weight loss plan. But if you don't get up early enough on Sunday (4 a.m. to 9 a.m.) you'd never hear them.
The non-commercial stations include KUSC (University of Southern California--Classical Music), KPCC (Pasadena Community College--NPR News and Info) and KCRW (Santa Monica College--NPR News and AAA Music). While they can't run commercials, they can have companies give them grants coupled with a quick blurb thanking them for their support. But unlike a commercial, there can be no call to action. If Subaru contributes to a show, the station can tell us that Subaru makes quality cars. But they can't say you should buy one of their four-wheel drive vehicles by Friday when a special sale ends.
KKLQ is also non-commercial. But as a K-Love station, it only asks for donations. There are no corporate grants as far as I know.
Ads are now increasingly 30" or even 15". In much if not most of the world, commercials for radio are 10", 15" and 30" but fewer and fewer are 60's.
Feel better soon, sir
I've heard 5-second ads on certain LA stations (usually, lawyer ads where they just play the jingle)
If you'd like to hear a non-com that kinda reminds you of a commercial station, with ads the way that DavidE describes, stream "99-1 the Ranch" (KWSV-LP Simi Valley-Chatsworth). This Country LP FM covers Simi Valley, CA and the West San Fernando Valley. It really sounds just like a commercial station except for the style of the spots. Some are voiced by the stations' staff and a few are recorded by clients, all within the guidelines. The stations' morning and afternoon drivetimes BTW, feature live Personalities on weekdays.
WLW Cincinnati with a 5 second ad that says "Wyler dot com"
It should be noted that both KBRT and KKLA sell brokered time to non-religious businesses on the weekends while KWVE does not.
These days, Christian stations owned by secular companies will sell infomercial time whenever they don't have a preacher scheduled. Even though Crawford Broadcasting (KBRT) and Salem Media (KKLA-FM) were founded and are run by religious people, they are definitely and primarily profit-motivated.
KWVE 1110 AM and KWVE-FM 107.9 are owned by a church, Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa. While the church is non-profit, those two stations are commercially-licensed. So they run a few ads between religious shows but don't see the need to run infomercials for secular products.
Other stations owned by Calvary Chapel in Temecula and Barstow are in the non-commercial part of the FM dial. So they cannot run commercials between shows. They run PSAs or promos instead.
KWVE 1110 AM and KWVE-FM 107.9 are owned by a church, Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa. While the church is non-profit, those two stations are commercially-licensed. So they run a few ads between religious shows but don't see the need to run infomercials for secular products.
Other stations owned by Calvary Chapel in Temecula and Barstow are in the non-commercial part of the FM dial. So they cannot run commercials between shows. They run PSAs or promos instead.
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