Underwriting Guidelines
Your underwriting announcement will be crafted to suit your marketing and public relations needs while complying with the FCC* regulations applicable to non-commercial stations. The announcement may be up to 15 seconds in length and may include some of the following elements:
- Underwriter's business or organization name, or that of the subsidiary, legal DBA, operating division or parent company
- Location of business
- Duration of business
- Business phone number
- A value-neutral description of the business or organization
- Trade names, products or services that identify the underwriter
- An established non-promotional corporate slogan
The Federal Communications Commission mandates that underwriting announcements may not include qualitative, comparative, or promotional language. Calls to action, pricing information and inducements to buy or sell are not allowed. In addition, pre-produced announcements and the use of music beds are not permitted. Voicing will be done by station staff announcers. Final approval of copy lies with the station.
These regulations serve to protect the non-commercial content that public radio listeners value so highly. In this way, the special integrity of the relationship between the stations and their listeners extends to the underwriter as well. The public radio listener positively identifies the underwriter with the high quality programming of public radio.
*Section 399B of the Federal Communications Act of 1934, and sections 73.504(d) and 73.503(e), FCC 2D 255 (1994)
Copy Samples
- Support for WBFO comes from Artisan Kitchens and Baths at Appliance Associates, designing and creating kitchens throughout the area. The Artisan Kitchens and Baths showroom is on Amherst Street in Buffalo. Their online showroom is at artisan-kitchens-and-baths-dot-com.
- Support for WBFO is provided in part by Villa Maria College – a two year institution specializing in the Applied Arts and Music and a new four year Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Interior Design. Classes start January 23rd. More information at Villa-dot-edu.
Becoming an Underwriter
For information on how to become an underwriter on WBFO, please contact our underwriting consultants:
