What are considerations for a local underwriting approval process?
The process for securing approval for local on-air underwriting credits varies from station to station, depending on how a station and/or its underwriting program is managed and structured. Below are some suggestions for stations looking to set up local on-air credit approval processes:
Key Internal Contacts
Key External Contacts
Advisory Board
Guiding Principles
Workflow Map
Deliverables Checklist
- Development/Underwriting
- Marketing/Communications
- Creative Services
- Digital/Interactive
- Programming/Traffic
- Finance/Accounting
- Legal
- Research
- Station Management
- Station Board
- Outside Counsel (FCC guidelines)
- PBS National Program Underwriting Policy (PBS guidelines)
- PBS National Producers (local underwriting restrictions)
- NPR (if a joint licensee)
- Other National Distributors (APT, NETA etc.)
- National Public Media (NPM) or Other Public Media Entities (for multi-market or regional buys)
Advisory Board
Consider establishing a board committee or community advisory board with which you can discuss your underwriting policies and approaches. Several stations—including WGBH—employ this approach and use the group effectively as a sounding board for their decisions.
Guiding Principles
Identify and document common guiding principles and rules that affect the credit approval process.
Workflow Map
Map out and internally publish your on-air (and digital) credit approval process and workflow, detailing distinct roles, responsibilities and deadlines for all involved.
Deliverables Checklist
In conjunction with the internal workflow process map, develop a checklist to keep track of key deliverables from the client along the way. Such a checklist might look like this for on-air and can be enforced by being set up in your internal CRM database or even in Google docs, Basecamp or other Cloud-based document sharing and project management solutions, where the appropriate staff and managers can sign-off on each step and move the process along efficiently:
- Station requests treatment from client: X weeks to air. Sign-off: _____
- Station provides feedback on copy/storyboards to client: X weeks to air. Sign-off: _____
- Client submits any corrections or changes to treatment to station: X weeks to air.Sign-off: _____
- Station gives approval; requires rough cut review for final approval: X weeks to air. Sign-off: _____
- Client submits rough cut for final approval: X weeks to air. Sign-off: _____