Contests on non-comm

[jack]

Question for you long-time non-comm folks:

National florist sends a station "savings passes" each worth $40 toward the purchase of flowers on their 800 number or website. No money or other renumberation has passed hands. Client asks for a call-in contest to give these things away and requests a aircheck. They want four :15 on air mentions per coupon.

How do you work it?

 

[nwebster]

> Question for you long-time non-comm folks:
>
> National florist sends a station "savings passes" each worth
> $40 toward the purchase of flowers on their 800 number or
> website. No money or other renumberation has passed hands.
> Client asks for a call-in contest to give these things away
> and requests a aircheck. They want four :15 on air mentions
> per coupon.
>
> How do you work it?
>

Tell them thanks but no thanks.
No benefit to the station. Just hassle and on-air clutter.

 

[Mark_Giardina]

> Question for you long-time non-comm folks:
>
> National florist sends a station "savings passes" each worth
> $40 toward the purchase of flowers on their 800 number or
> website. No money or other renumberation has passed hands.
> Client asks for a call-in contest to give these things away
> and requests a aircheck. They want four :15 on air mentions
> per coupon.
>
> How do you work it?
>

Personally I would avoid something like that. All you are doing is opening Pandora's Box by allowing such a promotion.

One of the drawing cards to public radio is the fact there are no commercial interruptions. (Or so they say during pledge drives)
However that line has been crossed in a sense by airing "underwriting" credits.

To some public radio listeners, underwriting is nothing but watered down commercials. But the reason underwriting is slowly becoming accepted is the spin that underwriting helps pay for the cost of operating a non-commercial station, thus relying less on government funding. <P ID="signature">______________
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted and I won't be laid a hand on.
I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them".</P>

 

[Robert Bass]

If your station hasn’t already done so, the very first thing I would recommend is you need to instill a policy for executing give-a-ways. It should be structured to fit your format, with restrictions on when and how often you will mention the client on the air. In my opinion, this particular client’s wishes are far beyond overkill, perhaps even somewhat ridiculous. I would make a limited number of attempts to work with the client to refine their wishes based on your policy. If they really want airchecks, they should tape ‘em themselves. Your station should be in control, not the client.

If you can't get the client to accept your policy, then it should indeed be a "Thanks, but no thanks" matter.

R

> Question for you long-time non-comm folks:
>
> National florist sends a station "savings passes" each worth
> $40 toward the purchase of flowers on their 800 number or
> website. No money or other renumberation has passed hands.
> Client asks for a call-in contest to give these things away
> and requests a aircheck. They want four :15 on air mentions
> per coupon.
>
> How do you work it?
>

 

[jack]

Well, the station in question is an LPFM who airs support mentions, not a public broadcaster (although in my book - all radio & TV is "public" broadcasting, we just hold the license). 1-800-FLOWERS is a nice account to have (although there is no money on this one) and not a terrible prize. Having worked commercial radio for decades, I know that the requests (2 airchecks, x amount of mentions per prize) are standard stuff.

What I'm asking is how to promote something like this without running afoul of the friendly Feds. We were considering doing this "happy hour" promotion on the website with only mentions but I'm not sure of how to word it correctly.

 

[radiomike]

This runs quickly into problems. You are accepting consideration (the passes), for a for profit business. Thus, it falls under the guidelines for underwriting. You have to follow the rules. Saying "go to a website" or "Call a number" would be call to actions and prohibitied.

<a href=http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/nature.html> FCC INFO</a>

The above link is a place to start. LPFM stations are non-commercial stations, and have to follow those rules. Being that these are not "Free" in a sense they are only savings passes, it gets even more problematic. I would stay away from this, as there is NO benefit to the station, in terms of income.


> Question for you long-time non-comm folks:
>
> National florist sends a station "savings passes" each worth
> $40 toward the purchase of flowers on their 800 number or
> website. No money or other renumberation has passed hands.
> Client asks for a call-in contest to give these things away
> and requests a aircheck. They want four :15 on air mentions
> per coupon.
>
> How do you work it?
>

 

[radiomike]

> What I'm asking is how to promote something like this
> without running afoul of the friendly Feds. We were
> considering doing this "happy hour" promotion on the website
> with only mentions but I'm not sure of how to word it
> correctly.

You can do about anything OFF the AIR, and your website qualifies. You can always promote your website. However, don't say "GO TO THE WEBSITE" of a commercial business, and a happy hour is a special, or sale, and thus you can't mention it on air.