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sponsored call letters?????

P

perenoel6218

Here's a thought I had. Sponsored call letters. Okay, we have the
Hilbert Circle Theater. The Pepsi Coliseum. The RCA Dome, etc, etc.
Why not the Pepsi Public Radio Station, WFYI. Something like that. Hey,
the station could charge a million a year...forget funddrives...and announce
the sponsored ID whenever and as often as they want. Would the FCC care?
It is neither a call to action nor any kind of qualifier so it would not
violate those parameters. Just a thought. I could be reeeeeeeeeal wrong
on this. Any comments, board?
 
> Here's a thought I had. Sponsored call letters. Okay, we
> have the
> Hilbert Circle Theater. The Pepsi Coliseum. The RCA Dome,
> etc, etc.
> Why not the Pepsi Public Radio Station, WFYI. Something
> like that. Hey,
> the station could charge a million a year...forget
> funddrives...and announce
> the sponsored ID whenever and as often as they want. Would
> the FCC care?
> It is neither a call to action nor any kind of qualifier so
> it would not
> violate those parameters. Just a thought. I could be
> reeeeeeeeeal wrong
> on this. Any comments, board?
>
What is new about this?....WLS World's Largest Store; WGN World's Greatest Newspaper; WABC American Broadcasting Company; WLAC Life and Casualty Insurance; WCFL-Chicago Federation of Labor; need I go on?
 
> > Here's a thought I had. Sponsored call letters.

> > Why not the Pepsi Public Radio Station, WFYI.

> What is new about this?

The "new" as I see it, is selling sponsorship to a third party, rather than having call letters that are merely related to the name or line of business of the station licensee.

I think it's a fine idea, but one that could sound very "commercial" to listeners who expect to hear a "non commercial" station.

I could see it working better for commercial radio - "WZYX - Your Coke Hit Music Station".
 
There's already Bob and Tom's NAPA studios and WLW's John Morrell studios. Could just have the XXX corporation WFYI studios, rathr than calls.<P ID="signature">______________
"Your right to know supersedes your right to exist"..Gary Burbank</P>
 
> There's already Bob and Tom's NAPA studios and WLW's John
> Morrell studios. Could just have the XXX corporation WFYI
> studios, rathr than calls.
>
I think there is a Clear channel station that's news room is sponsered. I believe WIBC's News is also sponsored along with WXLW and WNDE's Local Sportscast
 
> > There's already Bob and Tom's NAPA studios and WLW's John
> > Morrell studios. Could just have the XXX corporation WFYI
> > studios, rathr than calls.
> >
> I think there is a Clear channel station that's news room is
> sponsered. I believe WIBC's News is also sponsored along
> with WXLW and WNDE's Local Sportscast
>
I think we might be getting off the idea here...yes, I know there are
newscasts and sportscasts and weather reports and the like sponsored. That
is NOT what I am suggesting. This would be a constant referral on the
half-hour and hour mark when the station IDs itself. And perhaps throughout
the hour and in printed and promotional material. The station would
be known as the XXXX Public Radio Station, WXXX.
For example, the ID would go something like this:

This is MARSH PUBLIC RADIO, WFYI, INDIANAPOLIS...90.1 FM.
(here, inferring that Marsh Grocery would be the permanent sponsor)
 
> > > There's already Bob and Tom's NAPA studios and WLW's
> John
> > > Morrell studios. Could just have the XXX corporation
> WFYI
> > > studios, rathr than calls.
> > >
> > I think there is a Clear channel station that's news room
> is
> > sponsered. I believe WIBC's News is also sponsored along
> > with WXLW and WNDE's Local Sportscast
> >
> I think we might be getting off the idea here...yes, I
> know there are
> newscasts and sportscasts and weather reports and the like
> sponsored. That
> is NOT what I am suggesting. This would be a constant
> referral on the
> half-hour and hour mark when the station IDs itself. And
> perhaps throughout
> the hour and in printed and promotional material. The
> station would
> be known as the XXXX Public Radio Station, WXXX.
> For example, the ID would go something like this:
>
> This is MARSH PUBLIC RADIO, WFYI, INDIANAPOLIS...90.1 FM.
> (here, inferring that Marsh Grocery would be the permanent
> sponsor)
>

Why not? For the right amount of money it could be "Hard Hitting Talk Straight from the home of Cialis...WPOL...Indianapolis."
 
> I think there is a Clear channel station that's news

That's WIBA in Madison, Wisconsin. A Google search will bring up a plethora of information on that sponsorship.

> I believe WIBC's News is also sponsored along with WXLW and WNDE's Local
> Sportscast

You're confusing a newscast sponsorship with something more permanent like what was originally suggested.

I'm unfamiliar with FCC law as it relates to underwriting and non-commercial stations. A sponsorship of WFYI (a non commercial radio station) may not be allowed under those laws. Also, if we apply this concept to the commercial radio world, I doubt it would stick as an overall sponsorship ("Q-95. The Ford Truck Classic Rock Station," as an example.) I say it would not stick because once you have an advertiser that is so prominant on a radio station, it may drive (pun intended) other advertisers in the same category away from said radio station.

Just my two cents and I'm thinking of this concept as branding for a radio station with many advertisers. That means this doesn't apply to any of Artistic's stations.

AS
 
All this has been done before. I remember WOKE in Charleston, SC. One of America's truly horrid radio stations sold the top of the hour ID to a local insurance company. The common theme is horrid, the more you do, the worse it sounds. I agree with the previous post, if you do it...be prepared for advertisers in the category to abandon the station as they cannot compete with the share of voice.
 
> WBNL in little Boonville at 1540am and on the web at radio1540.net has a local jeweler sponsor every top of the hour....Hutchison's Jewelers....This is an old throwback to the MOR days of AM/FM combos..... "Skip"
 
> > WBNL in little Boonville at 1540am and on the web at
> radio1540.net has a local jeweler sponsor every top of the
> hour....Hutchison's Jewelers....This is an old throwback to
> the MOR days of AM/FM combos..... "Skip"
>
WELK, Charlottesville, Virginia - The BIG 1400 ran "CFM Builders" adjacent to the top of hour id and sold the bottom of the hour break to Pepsi-Cola ("...it's 10 thirsty, Pepsi-Cola time"). That was 1974.
 
> > > WBNL in little Boonville at 1540am and on the web at
> > radio1540.net has a local jeweler sponsor every top of the
>
> > hour....Hutchison's Jewelers....This is an old throwback
> to
> > the MOR days of AM/FM combos..... "Skip"
> >
> WELK, Charlottesville, Virginia - The BIG 1400 ran "CFM
> Builders" adjacent to the top of hour id and sold the bottom
> of the hour break to Pepsi-Cola ("...it's 10 thirsty,
> Pepsi-Cola time"). That was 1974.
>
Yes, there have been stations that have sponsored the top of the hour
and such....one comes to mind a while ago was WWL (New Orleans) I believe,
when they would give at the top of the hour: King Edward Cigar Time.
But still, that is not what I am thinking of. This would actually have
the sponsor's name embedded, if you will, with the calls and IDs. Not
concerning any weather report or the like. I still do not think this
has ever been done before to my knowledge and no one yet in replies has
verified or refuted this concept. As for the FCC...I would imagine they
would eventually try to put the kabosh on it, but at this stage of the game
I do not think there are any regs prohibiting it.
Anyway, an interesting concept.
 
What you don't get is there have been many examples of this. Jerry's post showed on e, the one I mentioned in Charleston, SC was an example. The best you can do is put a sponsors name adjacent to the call letters or change the call letters to something like Coca Cola Radio KOKE...Ottumwa. The only thing that can go between the call letters and the COL is the name of the licensee.

It's not that interesting of a concept nor new, as many radio stations in the very early years were owned by furniture stores or other retailers and got the licenses as a promotional advertising concept. WLS...World's Largest Store....Licensee at the time was Sears. WGN...WOrlds Greatest Newspaper...Licensee Chicago Tribune. WCFL...Chicago Federation of Labor...Licensee...Chicago Federation of Labor. WLAC...Life and Casualty Insurance Company....Licensee..Life and Casualty Insurance Company. So a legal example of how it might work would have been "WGN...Chicago Tribune...Chicago" "WLS...Sears Roebuck and Company...Chicago." I guess Home Depot could buy some station in Atlanta and see if WDPO were available and say WDPO Home Depot Atlanta. Not sure if that is the best use of their money.

However there is only so much one can do with four letters that either have to start with a W or K. The internet is a much better system with URL naming. What goes around comes around?

Besides, many stations are downplaying legal id's anyway as they are trying to brand themselves with names like Hank or Jack. WLHK Shelbyville is barely noticable when they do the hourly id anymore. People write down frequencies and station names, unless the call letters have some sort of heritage value like WIBC, WFMS or WFBQ. Much easier for people to recall X103 or Hank or Jack.

The biggest reason and advertiser would do this is freqency...once per hour. The advertisers over at WIBC who sponsor the weather or the traffic get 100+ mentions a day vs 1x an hour.
 
Well, actually, the FCC requires that the Call Letters are immediately
followed by the City of License. To my knowledge that is the only legal
ID....for example: WIBC, Indianapolis....NOT WIBC, Collins Olds, Indianapolis
or anything like that.

Stations such as WLS...the worlds largest store (sears) had call letters that
stood for their owners. This is NOT what I am talking about here.

So, the example I gave earlier: MARSH PUBLIC RADIO, WFYI, INDIANAPOLIS is
legal ID, but not for example: WFYI, MARSH PUBLIC RADIO, INDIANAPOLIS.

I am still doubtful that this concept has ever been used. The examples you
provide, however interesting, do not represent what I have in mind.

But an interesting discussion nonetheless.
 
WIFE may have done this in 1974

> Well, actually, the FCC requires that the Call Letters are
> immediately
> followed by the City of License. To my knowledge that is
> the only legal
> ID....for example: WIBC, Indianapolis....NOT WIBC,
> Collins Olds, Indianapolis
> or anything like that.
>
> Stations such as WLS...the worlds largest store (sears) had
> call letters that
> stood for their owners. This is NOT what I am talking about
> here.
>
> So, the example I gave earlier: MARSH PUBLIC RADIO, WFYI,
> INDIANAPOLIS is
> legal ID, but not for example: WFYI, MARSH PUBLIC RADIO,
> INDIANAPOLIS.
>
> I am still doubtful that this concept has ever been used.
> The examples you
> provide, however interesting, do not represent what I have
> in mind.
>
> But an interesting discussion nonetheless.
>


WIFE may have done something like this in 1974. They would play the Tanner "Music People" top-of-the-hour jingle. ("Music Radio...W-I-F-E....Indianapolis"). Before the jock would start the song, he would give the name of a station sponsor and make them the "owner" of the station. Each day would feature a different sponsor.

(W-I-F-E..Indianapolis...a Dave Stitzer station!)



That may be about as close as it has come.
 
Re: WIFE may have done this in 1974

> > Well, actually, the FCC requires that the Call Letters are> (W-I-F-E..Indianapolis...a Dave Stitzer station!)


> That may be about as close as it has come.

"Metamucial presents WIBC Indianapolis"
 
Re: WIFE may have done this in 1974

> > > Well, actually, the FCC requires that the Call Letters
> are> (W-I-F-E..Indianapolis...a Dave Stitzer station!)
>
>
> > That may be about as close as it has come.
>
> "Metamucial presents WIBC Indianapolis"
>
Good one!!! On the lighter side, this could open up a whole new
take on this idea....sponsors somehow related to the format of the
station....any more examples, class?
 
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