About Underwriting:

In radio, advertising and underwriting are avenues for corporate sponsors to get their message out using a station’s airwaves. At WVMM, we make a distinction between underwriting and advertising. Underwriting is more a mutually beneficial partnership, whereas advertising allows a sponsor to plant a specifically crafted message at a specific time. When a WVMM show has an underwriter, its listeners are continually reminded that their program is made possible by the partnering organization. The underwriter’s message is presented by the voices our listeners are comfortable with: those of WVMM show hosts and staff.

The Pulse: Messiah Media Hub and WVMM follow the guidelines set out by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ensure our underwriting messages are clear, concise, and pleasing to the ears. The FCC guidelines dictate all public radio stations must use underwriting language that follows these rules

1) No calls to action: “Call now!”; “Come on down!” or phrases inducing people to buy products.
2) No mention of prices: Any quotes of price, discounts or sale information.
3) No superlatives or promotional language: “It’s the best,” “Most reliable,” or other qualitative
descriptors, either positive or negative. Underwriters have the option of placing their message during prerecorded shows in the morning, during live DJ show in the afternoon and night, or both! We typically schedule one time slot per hour.

The Message:

In a 15 to 20 second scale, an underwritten message may include a partner’s:

• Location
• Services
• Business events (anniversary, relocation information, etc.)
• Slogans
• Contact information:
• Websites, phone numbers, etc.

However – this list is not exhaustive. The Pulse and WVMM aim to be as flexible and accommodating as possible: we will include almost any message content if it does not violate our FCC regulations.

Download the application and contact us today!