WVYC
UNDERWRTING
Jennifer Hoffman
(717) 578-8299
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday
11:30am-12:30pm, Friday 11am-1pm, or by appointment
2008-2009 Practicum Syllabus
Underwriting:
What is it? The underwriting department
is the station’s breadwinner! WVYC has
too many good ideas to let our dependable funding hinder us. Underwriting students set out to obtain
contracts with local businesses to ‘advertise’ their business’s offerings in
exchange for a check for the station.
Essentially, we approach businesses to sponsor the station. We’ll take a check—no questions asked—but
businesses seem to want something in return, as they should. So we show our thanks and recognition for the
sponsoring business in what are known as GSAs.
Since
WVYC is a non-commercial station, the GSAs we write must not include
quantities, qualities, or calls to action. Example of a no-no: “Big Orange Bagels sells the best, freshest
bagels in town at 5 for $4! Stop in for
your taste today!” Underwriting students
are above this—solely with our cleverness, we write in such a way as to get
those taste buds for Big Orange ready and on their way without any of this
advertising fluff. See Subject B: “WVYC would like to thank Big Orange Bagels,
a local bakery and café on Spartan Avenue, for sponsoring us. Big Orange Bagels
offers bagels, pastries, and sandwiches from 9am-9pm with student discounts on
Thursdays….” See the difference? The production department pulls our creative
words together to play at the top of the hour.
You
may find you like to talk with business owners individually or with a friend in
the department. After meeting with a
few, you will have more of a feel for how you are most comfortable and
successful at presenting our information.
If our department performs professionally and dependably, we can easily
ask previous sponsors to renew their contracts.
The tricky part comes in convincing the new potential businesses to take
the opportunity to sponsor their local college radio station, something they
may not have heard about before.
Underwriting students ensure that the business owner understands how
broadcasting to our audience would benefit them, how we operate with GSAs, how
other businesses have successfully joined in sponsorship, and how easy it is to
find a package rate that works for them.
Can’t hurt to be a player and slyly mention that their competitor signed
on for the semester.
As
an underwriting student, your tasks would include:
Updating/renewing
existing contracts with previous sponsoring businesses
Obtaining a number of new sponsorships
Presenting yourself professionally to businesses with which
we interact to positively represent the station
Contacting me on at least a weekly basis to keep me posted
on your progress
Keeping track of the status of sponsorships and checks
(including getting checks to me or your managers)
Completing a minimum of two hours of community service
(everyone has to do this one.)
Goals
for the year:
To raise at least $1000 (approximately $500 per semester)
To engage with promotions and other departments to further
our current sponsors’ participation in the station—think giving away a gift
card or a shirt on the air
Evaluation: Students
will be evaluated based on their efforts to obtain contracts and maintain
contact with current, old, and prospective businesses.
Can’t wait to work with you! --Jenn