1) Underwriting Spots on Broken FM
For a donation of $100 per month, Broken FM will air spots at least twice per day (usually four times per day)
The spots are of the format:
Broken FM is sponsored by <Name of business>, specializing in <everything you specialize in>.
<Name of business> is located at <location> and can be contacted at <e-mail or web address>.
or at <telephone number or e-mail address>.
2) Day Sponsor Spots on Broken FM
For a donation of $100, Broken FM will air a spot every hour for two days
These spots are open to businesses, churches, and can even be used to announce birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and other special occasions.
The spots are of the format:
Today's day sponsor of Broken FM is <Name of day sponsor>.
<Name of day sponsor> specializes in <speciality>
<Name of day sponsor> is located at <location>.
<Name of day sponsor> can be contacted at <phone number> or
<web address or e-mail address>.
3) Contact Information
korb@broken.fm
707-526-2765
4) Payment address
Broken FM
P.O. Box 1118
Santa Rosa, CA 95402
5) Rules for underwriting spots
Broken FM is prohibited from broadcasting any promotional announcements on behalf of for-profit entities at any time in exchange (in whole or in part) for any consideration of any kind. Broken FM may broadcast announcements which identify and acknowledge non-profit and/or for-profit entities (“underwriters”, to the cognoscenti) who contribute to the station’s operations, monetarily or otherwise.
Underwriter announcements may identify the for-profit contributor and the goods or services which it offers, but those announcements may not “promote” those goods or services.
A prohibited “promotion” usually involves one or more of the following elements:
No Price Information
Underwriter announcements may not contain any information about pricing. Particular prices of any goods or services, indications of savings or monetary value associated with the goods or service, special discount offers that might be available – they’re all to be avoided.
No Comparison
Underwriter announcements may not contain any information about pricing. Particular prices of any goods or services, indications of savings or monetary value associated with the goods or service, special discount offers that might be available – they’re all to be avoided.
No Calls to Action
Language which encourages the audience to patronize the underwriter is also verboten. “Stop by our showroom” or “Try our product the next time you’re in the market” or “Call us today for more information” – steer clear of them all.
No Special Inducements
This tends to bridge the first two elements, above. Think things like “We’re giving a special bonus to customers who sign up this week” or “Free samples to the first 50 callers” or “Preholiday discounts now in effect”.
No Qualitative or promotional language
This is where things tend to get fuzzy. You’re supposed to avoid language which appears to promote the qualitative desirability of the underwriter’s goods or services – for instance, “comparative” references stating or implying that the underwriter’s goods/services are somehow preferable (“the best plumbers in town” or “cheaper than everybody else” or “largest service department”). The prohibition also extends to language which goes beyond the mere identification of the underwriter’s goods or services. For example, you could say that an underwriter “provides a full line of widget products”, but not that that underwriter “provides a full line of widget products in a rainbow of beautiful colors and wonderful textures guaranteed to delight the eye and stay within your budget”.
(Note: Broken FM would like to keep all underwriting spots under 20 seconds)