Catching our loyal audience:
When you place your message on WNKU, you have a great chance at reaching over 40,000 listeners a week (Spring 08 Arbitron) and upwards of 10,000 weekly on-line listeners. Research has shown the majority of WNKU’s listeners believe that when a business underwrites a program, it acts out of an interest in the public good. As a result, underwriters are perceived as fellow supporters of public radio, rather than businesses merely running an ad. Your announcement can reflect this consideration, remaining consistent with the style of the programs you have chosen to underwrite. According to the FCC, an on‑air announcement cannot be a traditional "commercial" and you wouldn’t want it to be since our listeners seek something different. WNKU underwriting is not traditional advertising: it is better!
Avoiding the Clutter:
WNKU offers limited on-air interruptions during our programming. Underwriting announcements are run in groups of two, sometimes with a weather or promotional announcement. This means your announcement will not be buried in the traditional long sweep of commercials.
Creating your Announcement:
WNKU’s underwriting staff will work closely with you to create an announcement that matches your marketing and public relations needs and complies with the FCC regulations applicable to non‑commercial stations.* The announcement will begin with a standard opening, such as "Support for WNKU comes from..." The announcement may be a maximum of 20 seconds in length not including the opening. The simpler the message, the more effective it will be.
Your announcement may include some of the following elements:
• underwriters name, or that of the subsidiary, legal d.b.a., operating division or parent company
• location and hours of operation
• business phone number
• a value‑neutral description of the business
• trade names, products or services that identify the underwriter
• an established corporate slogan (documented in use six months or longer)
• web address
• company philosophy
• vendors for co‑op purposes
Per FCC rules, your announcement may not include:
• superlatives ("The world’s greatest...")
• call‑to‑action (direct or implied)
• price, value or savings information ("free" is considered a price)
• any inducement to buy, sell, rent or lease
• qualitative, promotional, or comparative language
WNKU’s personalities will produce your announcement. Final approval is at the discretion of WNKU with your agreement.
These regulations serve to protect the non‑commercial ambiance that our community and public radio listeners value so highly. The integrity of the relationship between WNKU and its listeners extend to the underwriter. The public radio listener positively identifies the underwriter with the high quality programming they hear on WNKU. Our listeners are clients you would gladly welcome to your business!
Many local businesses have seen the value in underwriting programming on WNKU. Find out how your business can be associated with WNKU’s brand of “Rock ‘n’ Soul, Blues, News & More,” contact Bob Hanneken at 859.572.6562, or hannekenr1@nku.edu.
