Local Shows...

[Dbacksfan12]

If it airs on a public access station, or a university owned station, that airs without commercials, can one still run a game show?  Or do "fee plugs" or "sponsor mentions" constitute commercials?

Just wondering...I'm considering doing one this fall, but if it violates some kind of FCC law, then I won't bother pursuing it.

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'127162\' date=\'Aug 12 2006, 01:25 PM\']
If it airs on a public access station, or a university owned station, that airs without commercials, can one still run a game show?  Or do "fee plugs" or "sponsor mentions" constitute commercials?

Just wondering...I'm considering doing one this fall, but if it violates some kind of FCC law, then I won't bother pursuing it.[/quote]
If it airs on a public access station or a university owned station, the FCC isn't going to give two whits about it.  The station operators (cable company, local government, whoever) may have rules that you'd have to deal with, but it's a lot easier to ask them than worry about what a faceless government entity is going to do.

[dzinkin]

[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'127162\' date=\'Aug 12 2006, 01:25 PM\']
If it airs on a public access station, or a university owned station, that airs without commercials, can one still run a game show?  Or do "fee plugs" or "sponsor mentions" constitute commercials?
[/quote]
Sponsor mentions don't necessarily constitute commercials, but it depends on the rules at the university or cable system in question.

My esteemed co-moderator can tell you more.  (EDIT: And it appears that he already did.)  Or view a show for an example.

[clemon79]

The difference is that QB airs on PBS, as opposed to a student or public-access channel, though, isn't it?

I can share what we did at KSJS when I was in college - yeah, we couldn't have out and out commercials, but we did have paid PSAs, and we did have underwriter announcements. "The gang at Honest Fred's Used Cars would like to remind you that rectally inserting light bulbs is never a good idea" or "We'd like to thank our friends at Bob's Meat Emporium for their generous sponsorship of San Jose State Basketball on KSJS."

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'127170\' date=\'Aug 12 2006, 02:11 PM\']
The difference is that QB airs on PBS, as opposed to a student or public-access channel, though, isn't it?[/quote]
Yeah, that's lost on a lot of people who think I just sort of throw this thing together myself every week.  QuizBusters is a professional effort put forth by the employees of a broadcast television station.  The fact that WKAR happens to be owned by MSU is what seems to confuse some people.  MSU has separate facilities that students use, and a separate cable channel on which those programs air.  That's in addition to a community public access station.  If you're a student in East Lansing and you want to put a show on TV, you only have yourself to blame if you can't.

[The Ol' Guy]

Ours in Wyoming/Kentwood, MI recently restricted sponsoring plugs, which I could get away with in shows past. As the new policy stands, it's more like PBS, where we can mention a sponsor or provider name with a one-sentence general statement (Program supporters include Meijer - watch for the new blue "Price Drop" signs) immediately before or after the show, but we can not directly mention a client in the body of the program, though the object may be mentioned ("and you just won a $25 gift card!"). So yes, check with where you're airing the show for any special rules. If you plan to cycle your show to other outlets (we have three separate access channels serving different parts of the community that occasionally trade shows), find out what their policies are as well. And best of luck to ya!

[dzinkin]

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'127177\' date=\'Aug 12 2006, 03:18 PM\']
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'127170\' date=\'Aug 12 2006, 02:11 PM\']
The difference is that QB airs on PBS, as opposed to a student or public-access channel, though, isn't it?[/quote]
Yeah, that's lost on a lot of people who think I just sort of throw this thing together myself every week.  QuizBusters is a professional effort put forth by the employees of a broadcast television station.[/quote]
Very true, and I hope it didn't appear that I was implying otherwise.  I was simply trying to show Mark that "no commercials" doesn't necessarily mean "no sponsor messages of any sort."

[uncamark]

If you want a guide, "Whad'ya Know?" on public radio has plugs for its prizes.  The copy that Jim Packard reads for them (including the immortal pink lawn flamingo) is often very light-hearted and doesn't contain any slogans or "call to action."  They usually end with a "from [supplier] in [location]."  They're also about five seconds or so, three seconds less than the usual commercial game show plug.

Another example is Liane Hansen's copy for the prizes the weekly player of Will Shortz's puzzle segment on NPR's "Weekend Edition Sunday" receives--outside of NPR goodies, it's simply prize and supplier with no embellishment and usually includes one of Will's NY Times crossword books (and lately, the "Wordplay" tie-in book).

(If you haven't heard the segment, it's at the :40 mark on one of the hours of "WES" and is also available as a podcast from iTunes or www.npr.org.  The NPR web page for the show is where you enter for the weekly challenge in the hopes that you will be the correct entry chosen for you to go on the radio and play Will's game (page for this week--I believe you have until Wednesday to submit an answer for this week's puzzle):

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5640406

[TimK2003]

About 10 years ago in Cleveland, not only were the It's Academic/Academic Challenge episodes originally aired on commercial TV (WEWS-NewsChannel 5), but they replayed the episodes the day after on local PBS affiliate, WVIZ-PBS 25.

IIRC, the only thing that they cut out of the PBS airings were the actual commercial breaks -- which consisted of mostly Ohio Lottery commercials (the main sponsor), with a few random ads.  They kept the sponsor IDs at the beginning and the end of the shows, and the descriptions of the prizes that were given to the local schools (i.e. one was $250.00 gift certificate to Holcomb's, a teaching aid supply store).

As long as you pretty much follow the prize and sponsorship/underwriting formatics that were used for PBS's "Think Twice" and "Where In...Carmen Sandiego", you should be fine.