Non-Comm's airing commercials

[amfmxm]

More huge potential non-profit categories... where the underwriting restrictions don't apply...

Hmmm...those are the kinds of folks who came to us as fellow non-coms, and asked for freebies. We're all in the same boat. Please promote our poetry reading with free publicity. A lot of colleges are crying about endowments that have collapsed, or state funding that has been cut. But hey, no reason not to try. It just wasn't a big area for us. The only way it worked was when we did co-op grant applications, using our airwaves to further the mission of the local theater group. And we did a lot of content sharing with the big powerful PBS station. But they never spent money on us.

Yup... been there, done that. Frankly, many of them still do expect us to do everything for free. (BTW, I've been on the dirty, feelthy commercial side professionally now for years, but am still involved with non-comms as an advisor--so see it from both sides).

We have a boiler-plate speech that we unfurl for those situations that goes something like this: "Do you actually have a cash budget for this? You know that we're always happy to help in any way we can, but--as odd as it seems--this is how we feed our kids and pay our mortgages, so instead of spending the cash with the newspaper and asking us for freebies, please consider spending the cash with us instead--and we'll still go way beyond the call of duty to make sure you're happy!"

Thing is, often they do have a cash budget. And the bigger the project (the part-time MBA program... the new Nursing program... the Theatre Department's summer season...) the bigger that budget.

In one of our markets--home to one of the big state flagship universities--our commercial stations generate significant billing from these sources.

And so do the public TV and radio stations.

 

[aaronread]

http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/dont_quote_me/multi-page/documents/02028060.htm

amfmxm I suggest you read that article linked above. Granted, it's an old article (2001) and there's no small amount of irony in that the article leads off with Jane Christo...former GM of WBUR...talking about spending money now on programming and figuring out how to pay for it later, especially considering that deficit spending (up to $12mil, IIRC) was a major reason she was forced out of the job a few years after this article was written.

But the major theme of public radio's over-reliance on corporate underwriting is just as true today as it was nine years ago. Striking the balance between paying the bills and accepting "filthy lucre", as you say, is nowhere near cut and dried as you propose.

 

[amfmxm]

http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/dont_quote_me/multi-page/documents/02028060.htm

amfmxm I suggest you read that article linked above. Granted, it's an old article (2001) and there's no small amount of irony in that the article leads off with Jane Christo...former GM of WBUR...talking about spending money now on programming and figuring out how to pay for it later, especially considering that deficit spending (up to $12mil, IIRC) was a major reason she was forced out of the job a few years after this article was written.

But the major theme of public radio's over-reliance on corporate underwriting is just as true today as it was nine years ago. Striking the balance between paying the bills and accepting "filthy lucre", as you say, is nowhere near cut and dried as you propose.

Thanks, Aaron. Actually, one of my kids has worked in Boston public media for many years so I'm well acquainted with Ms. Christo's tale as well as the current BUR-GBH news-talk public radio war now raging--a whole 'nother subject.

But let me suggest that you hit the critical nail on the proverbial head with your choice of the words "over-reliance." Over-reliance on CPB funding first opened up this Pandora's box. Over-reliance on membership funding kept public radio programming frozen in time (and still does in isolated cases) out of fear that the Big Spenders will stop writing checks if "Performance Today" (as an example) is moved from 9 AM to 10 AM, or--God forbid--cancelled.

From the inside I saw NPR's corporate support (underwriting) revenues shoot through the roof during the "internet bubble" only to crash back to earth when the boom went bust. While things were booming I watched the organization spend every dime as quickly as it came in (or before it came in) and kept thinking "I sure wish they would treat this revenue as 'gravy' and operate more frugally"--but, of course, they didn't. And it came crashing in on them.

Just as in commercial media, or any other business or organization for that matter, some common sense must be factored into any financial operating plan.

No, underwriting revenue does not grow on trees. No, membership revenue is not guaranteed forever. No, taxpayer revenue will never be safe from the cost-cutters on Capital Hill.

Common sense.

 

[bturner]

Early on there was the question of an underwriter voicing their own announcement. Everybody should. I'll explain.

People know these business owners. Their friends hear the 'spots; for lack of a better word, and tell the client (tangible results!). Even if they can barely read, people build a deeper connection with the underwriter. Everybody in Houston will chuckle about Gallery Furniture commercials, but they are the largest volume single location furniture store in the country. That position was earned in part by the owner doing his own commercial. They remembered him because he was not a professional broadcaster. And, no, he never pushes price and item.

My advice: write the script and make the client stay on the script. This way you control content and the client connects with the audience on a personal basis.

Some good examples can be found on www.wioe.com. They stream. I really like what they do.

Also, we ran a bank ad 60 once. It was simply a song/jingle spouting how great rural life was. At the end it said "XXX Savings Bank, member FDIC and our community. The end was the only 'copy' in the commercial.

 

[TheBigA]

Early on there was the question of an underwriter voicing their own announcement. Everybody should. I'll explain.

Funny...I just saw one of these on the local PBS station...very well done.