On-Air Community Calendar & PSA Policy

News 13 receives many requests to air Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) and community calendar items. In an average year, News 13 contributes airtime valued at thousand of dollars to community organizations and charities. But we simply cannot accommodate every request.

In an effort to develop some consistency in the way we process requests, News 13 has developed the following guidelines for PSA’s and our Community Calendar:

Community Calendar Items : These should be faxed to the Community Calendar at (850) 769-8231 or e-mailed to calendar@wmbb.com. We need at least three weeks notice and we will try to accommodate as many requests as possible as long as they conform to our guidelines (please see below). Space is limited and submissions will be taken on a first come-first served basis. We cannot guarantee that we will run any community calendar item regardless of the submitting organization. Community Calendar submissions will not be taken over the phone.

Public Service Announcements: PSA’s should be sent or delivered to the station to the attention of News 13 Public Service. We can take PSA’s on Beta SP or DVC Pro tape and we will not return tapes. PSA’s will be evaluated according to the guidelines listed below. We need at least three weeks notice to evaluate and schedule a PSA (preferably more). We cannot guarantee that we will run any PSA regardless of the submitting organization. We cannot track and report PSA activity for organizations.

News 13 Policy Regarding Public Service Announcements:
These basic guidelines apply to PSA’s:
Nonprofit, tax-exempt community groups and organizations may be eligible for PSA airtime.
PSA’s shall not be of commercial, political, or religious nature or contain legislative content or an advocacy position on a controversial issue.

News 13 will not broadcast PSA’s using candidates for public office or containing direct fundraising appeals.

PSA’s using public office holders will be broadcast only at the discretion of News 13.

All services and programs offered in PSA’s must be free of charge to be eligible for airtime. Sponsoring organizations should be prepared to substantiate all claims in its announcements.

All PSA’s will be carefully reviewed by News 13 with respect to the character and reputation of the group(s) involved, campaign or project appeal, content of the message, and the manner of its presentation.

News 13 may decline to broadcast the announcements of any organization that excludes persons from membership or participation in its activities, or services on the grounds of race, sex, religion, national origin, age, or physical handicap.

News 13 will evaluate suitability of PSA’s according to station guidelines and will attempt to accommodate as many requests as possible.

Community Calendar:
When resources permit, News 13 will produce and air calendar-style PSA’s to provide on air mentions for the community service activities of local organizations. We will also post calendar items on our web site at wmbb.com. These calendars will be produced and aired according to the following guidelines:

Nonprofit, tax-exempt community groups and organizations may be eligible for calendar mentions.
Events must not be of a commercial, political, controversial, or religious nature.
Submissions must be suitable for adults and children.
News 13 will not promote raffles, casino style events, or an event at which alcohol is served.
Sponsoring organizations should be prepared to substantiate all claims in its announcements.
All calendar submissions will be carefully reviewed by News 13 with respect to the character and reputation of the group(s) involved, project appeal, content of the message, and the manner of its presentation.
News 13 may decline to broadcast the announcements of any organization which excludes persons from membership or participation in its activities, or services on the grounds of race, sex, religion, national origin, age, or physical handicap.
News 13 will evaluate suitability of calendar announcements according to station guidelines and will attempt to accommodate as many requests as possible.
Calendar items may also be listed on the News 13 web site.

Josh Combs
News13 Promotions Department