Questions and Answers About KPSU

Who are we?
KPSU is Portland State University’s student-run radio station. We are Portland’s only college radio station that broadcasts city wide. KPSU membership consists of over 100 students and community members, including a station manager and executive staff.

How can I listen to KPSU?
We broadcast in the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area at 1450 AM from 5pm - 2am during the week and 12pm - 2am on weekends, on the Portland State University campus at 98.3 FM 24 / 7 and in the basement and first floor hallways of the Smith Memorial Union, PSU’s busiest building. We can also now be continuously heard all over the world on our web-stream located at www.kpsu.org. If you miss your favorite show you can download it in our archives link that stores each show for four weeks.

What is our mission at KPSU?
KPSU strives to represent the likes of the Portland and PSU community. Rock, Indie, Electronic, Punk, Ska, Country, Hip-Hop, Talk, Sludge, Christian, Metal – you name it, we got it. We strive to represent all cultures and interests at KPSU through music and talk programming.

How is KPSU supported?
As a non-commercial student-run radio station, we receive a portion of our funding from student fees. However, KPSU also relies on underwriting and donations to bring in extra funds to operate at our best capability.

What is underwriting?
Underwriting is a tax-deductible donation to and sponsorship of KPSU in exchange for on-air mentions. On-air mentions include: name of the business, location, phone number, and email addresses. The on-air mentions also include brand and trade names, product listings and value neutral descriptions of services.

How can I support KPSU?
The best way to help support KPSU is to become an underwriter. This supports the station and also gets the word out about your business or organization.

Why Should I Underwrite KPSU?

When compared to conventional advertising, underwriting on non-commercial radio is inexpensive, - dirt-cheap actually. Also, the message reaches almost as many ears as a for-profit station. In fact, a 1999 National Public Radio survey revealed that as many as 80% of those polled felt more positively about a business if they knew it supported public broadcasting. Other reasons to consider underwriting on KPSU include:

• Underwriting is tax-deductible.
• We appeal to a wide variety of people, while most stations focus on a single listener demographic.
• KPSU is broadcast all over the world via the internet. For a small investment, your business will be exposed to a global audience. Our Internet listeners have grown considerably in the last few months. On average we have about 9,500 unique visitor "hits" a month.
• People listen to non-commercial and non-mainstream radio because they have a strong interest in what we play. They listen more closely and feel more strongly about groups that support their ability to hear otherwise inaccessible music and programming.
• Underwriting is an investment in KPSU and your business. People remember businesses that support their favorite radio stations.
• We are flexible in scheduling underwriting. Traditionally our peak listening periods are evenings 5pm – 2am (any day of the week).

Rates and Guidelines

Each basic mention on KPSU runs $30.00. A price break is inserted when the following amount of mentions are purchased: 35, 60, 85, 100, and 200. The rates are illustrated in the following table:

Underwriting Guidelines
To distinguish underwriting from commercials advertising, the following guidelines have been set by the FCC:

• No price information, including of savings or value associated with the product. Mentioning that something is free is also not allowed.
• No "calls-to-action." This means a mention cannot urge someone to patronize a particular business. It cannot say "Stop in" or "Swing by" or anything to that effect.
• A mention cannot contain an inducement to buy, sell, rent, etc. For example, it could not say "a bonus when you mention this ad" or "six months free service."

What Should My Mention Include?
45 seconds is the limit on any underwriting mention. It should contain:

• The name of the business, location, phone number and e-mail addresses.
• Brand and trade names, product listings and value neutral description of services.
• A non-promotional slogan ending your mention.

Some Final Words...

Trade-Out Agreements
An alternative form of underwriting exists at KPSU in the form of trade-out. Sometimes, we allow trade agreements in place of cash donations. However, both the station and the business must agree upon any trade agreement. Cash value of any trade agreement is equal to retail pricing of trade element.

What Does the FCC Think About Underwriting?
The FCC believes that the broadcaster's good faith judgment is the best way to decide what crosses into advertisement. This puts a lot of the responsibility in KPSU's hands. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to call our Development Director.

KPSU Merchandise
KPSU t-shirts and stickers are available at the station office. Stickers are free, and t-shirts are $15.00. Both are a great way to show your support for KPSU.

KPSU General Meetings
Underwriters are welcome to attend KPSU general meetings. This is a good time to voice your concerns and play an active part. Times are TBA.