 | Don Checots
(CHEE-CAUGHTS) is a native of Pennsylvania. He left there in 1965 to join the United States Air Force. While in the Air Force Mr. Checots became involved with Armed Forces Radio and Television, and helped install AFTN radio and television services in Thailand. From there, he assumed more responsible management positions in public broadcasting stations and eventually moved to Bemidji, Minnesota where he built a full-service public TV station. While there, he received a Bush Foundation Summer Fellows Award and attended the Harvard Business School's Public Broadcasting Executive Management Program. After Bemidji, he moved to South Bend, Indiana as President/General Manager of public television station WNIT. In January 1997, he moved to Wichita as President/General Manager of KPTS and works with the Board and community to reinvent public broadcasting in South-Central Kansas. Don may be contacted by phone at (316) 838-3090, or by e-mail at dchecots@kpts.org. |
Media
2002-04-01 15:35:00
Public TV advertising
Question: What are the commercial restrictions for advertising on public television?
Answer: In the late 1960s, when public television (PTV) was commissioned, there was a need in the broadcast medium for programming that was educational in nature and commercial free. In other words, public television was established as the exception to the world of commercial broadcasting. As such, all PTV stations are regulated by a different set of "advertising" standards than other FCC licensed operations. We are all perhaps familiar with how commercial television does business. Local and national company's contract with commercial television stations to broadcast advertising announcements for their products or services. These "spots" run anywhere from ten seconds to full-blown program length infomercials. Television stations then charge this company for advertising time, just like a newspaper would charge for advertising space. The revenues from these ads help commercial television stations purchase and develop programming. The result of this is that anywhere from 16 to 22 minutes of each hour on commercial television is spent watching "advertising" (as reported from the 2001 TV Clutter Study released by the American Association of Advertising Agencies and The Association of National Advertisers, Inc.). However, PTV operates in a very different manner. The recognizable difference is that programs are not interrupted for commercial announcements. The "clutter time" on PTV stations is well below the commercial average (estimated to be less than four minutes between programs - whether the program is 30 minutes or two hours long). Instead of "advertising" during these program breaks, PTV stations promote upcoming programs and give recognition to program underwriters.Program underwriters are the individuals, companies or organizations that provide financial support to bring a specific type of programming to PTV viewers. However, unlike advertising, any recognition given to supporters should not be marketing driven. For example, guidelines prohibit qualitative (the best widgets ever made) or quantitative (more widgets than you'll find anywhere else) statements. Any emphasis on standard marketing components (product, price, place, promotion) are highly regulated. However, in fairness to the companies or corporations that support public television, some recognition is allowable. On PTV, underwriting credits appear before and after particular programs and are necessary for identifying the source of program funding. Currently, industry standards define an underwriting credit as being no longer than fifteen seconds in length. Every program that is broadcast on PTV must disclose all sources of its funding. It is because of this requirement that underwriters receive recognition.In doing so, an underwriter may make mention of one product line (i.e. Acme Widgets) and up to three extensions (the small, medium, large variety). However, even these mentions have regulations. A spokesperson cannot tell a viewer about the product and the product cannot be shown with someone using it (you can't know how great it is to own or use a widget). An underwriter's location may be mentioned, in text only, along with a telephone number or World Wide Web address. Additional graphics and video regulations exist especially when credit for funding of children's programming is announced. The best description of underwriting is it is used as an image or public relations medium; and, while it might impact the market share for a product or service, this is not the intended nature of these credits. In a nutshell, PTV "advertising" is limited to program underwriters (Company ABC) saying, "We support public television by helping to pay for this program, and we make widgets."
