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Three Easy Steps to Earn the Thanks of a Grateful Community

WHAV relies on community minded businesses like yours for a majority of its support. When your business underwrites public media, it receives prominent exposure (at rates substantially more affordable than traditional advertising). Underwriting also demonstrates unrivaled elegance, wins the loyalty of a thankful public and greatly leverages your other community investments by providing a forum to the same charitable and civic causes you already support.

Custom packages also available. Please call (978) 374-2111, Ext. 111.

Enhanced Underwriting and Donor Acknowledgments Policy
Public Media of New England, Inc.

Businesses and individuals are attracted to not-for-profit WHAV’s significant distribution network (radio, television and the Web), audience and coverage area. Underwriting is a cost-effective means of placing your name before targeted audiences. Messages stand out since they will not become lost in the clutter common to other media.

Your underwriting support represents a partnership between your organization and WHAV, and demonstrates your commitment to community service and quality programming. Since underwriting announcements are technically acknowledgements of your donation, your contributions (generally in 13-week increments) must be received before any underwriting credit may be legally aired.

WHAV voluntarily complies with Section 399B of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and Sections 73.503(d) and 73.621(e) of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules. These rules permit contributors of funds to the station to receive on-air acknowledgments.

In general, these rules permit WHAV to acknowledge donors and underwriters in over-the-air announcements if they contain:

1. Logograms or slogans which identify, but do not promote (That is, contain no “qualitative” or “comparative” descriptions of the donor’s products or services).
2. Location information.
3. Value neutraldescriptions of a product line or service.
4. Brandand trade names and product or service listings.

Telephone numbers and street and Web addresses are allowed, but mentions of price, “calls to action” or inducements to buy, sell or lease are not. According to the FCC, several examples of announcements that would clearly violate the rule are:

1. Announcements containing price information. 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.”
2. Announcements containing a call to action. Examples of such announcements are: “Stop by our showroom to see a model” or “Try product X next time you buy oil.”
3. Announcements containing an inducement to buy, sell, rent or lease. Examples of such announcements are: “Six months’ free service,” “A bonus available this week” or “Special gift for the first 50 visitors.”

WHAV endeavors to make reasonable good faith judgments as to whether such announcements identify rather than promote.

Program-Related Materials

WHAV may air announcements promoting program-related materials sold by nonprofit organizations, including the station itself. In these cases, the nonprofit organization sponsoring the offering will be clearly identified in the announcement. Announcements for the sale of program-related materials by for-profit entities are permitted so long as WHAV receives no consideration for the announcement, the materials are offered on the basis of public interest considerations and not the private economic interests of the offeror or the price of the materials offered is only nominal.

Political Underwriting

WHAV may accept paid political underwriting spots provided the announcement satisfies the general prohibition against a call to action (see above).  In other words, candidates can underwrite time and indicate that he or she is running for re-election for a position, and can state his or her views on various issues. Candidates cannot, however, urge voters to vote for them.

Under the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA or “McCain-Feingold”), announcements sponsored by candidates for federal (including their official committee) office must include an audio statement by the candidate personally identifying themselves, stating that they approved the broadcast and that the candidate (or their official committee) has paid for the broadcast.

“Reasonable access” for federal candidates applies only to commercial stations. Noncommercial stations do not need to provide this access.

Equal Opportunities

While noncommercial stations are not required to provide free time to federal political candidates, all legally qualified candidates for office may, on an equal opportunity basis, express their views on WHAV programs expressly designed for this purpose.

Opposing candidates must request the equal opportunity within seven days of his or her opponents’ appearances on the air. Opponents will receive as much time as the initial candidate received, and may use it for any purpose as long as opponents’ voices (or pictures) are used. Candidates must use the equal opportunity within a reasonable period of time and cannot store the time up for use just before the election.

Programs exempt from these rules are bona fide news or news interview programs, or on-the-spot coverage of a news event. Also, a news documentary program about a subject other than the candidate, where the appearance is incidental to that program, is also exempt.