Non-commercial educational
Encyclopedia
The term non-commercial
educational (NCE) applies to a radio station
or TV station that does not accept on air advertisements (TV ads or radio ads), as defined in the United States
by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC). NCE stations do not pay broadcast license
fee
s for their non-profit uses of the radio spectrum
. Stations which are almost always operated as NCE include Public broadcasting
, community radio
, and college radio, as well as many religious broadcasting
stations.
, the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) has reserved the lowest 20 channels, 201~220 (88.1~91.9 MHz) for NCE stations only. This is known as the reserved band. It also includes channel 200 (87.9 MHz), but only for class D NCE stations. This is only for "full-service" stations forced to move by a full-power station (KSFH being the only one ), however one broadcast translator (K200AA, parented to KAWZ) has been allowed to use this channel anyway.
On the TV band, individual channels are reserved, such that there is at least one in every area, and almost always two or three in each metropolitan area
. This is also the case for FM along international boundary zones, within 320 kilometers (just under 200 miles) of the U.S.-Mexican border and the U.S.-Canadian border. This is because many of the reserved-band channels are used by stations in the other country, such as with broadcasting in the San Diego/Tijuana metropolitan area. Additionally, neither the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission nor CoFeTel have such a reserved band in Canada or Mexico, respectively.
NCE stations may also operate on a non-reserved channel. However this is rare due to the high cost of buying a commercial broadcasting
station, and because for years the FCC failed to maintain a process that would ensure that non-commercial applicants would have a chance against those who could afford to bid
at spectrum auction
s. Two such stations are WGPB
FM in Rome, Georgia
and WNGH-FM
in Chatsworth, Georgia
, former commercial stations purchased in 2007 and 2008 and operated by Georgia Public Broadcasting
, serving the mountains
northwest of Atlanta which previously had no GPB radio service.
, and stations may make announcement
s of these grant
s on-air. However, they may not accept money
for such mentions, only goods and services
, unless the sponsor itself is a non-profit, such as a charitable organization
or public college. Money can be accepted if there is no on-air mention of the sponsor. NCE stations may also not mention prices or qualities of commercial products or services in any situation which would be construed as promoting
or endorsing
any company, regardless of whether it sponsors the station.
Underwriting spot
s are brief and to-the-point, as they must not be disruptive to programming. Additionally, underwriting spots on public TV are at the beginning or end of the TV show rather than in the middle, as they have increasingly become on commercial stations.
subcarrier
s in exchange for money
, essentially making the station a common carrier
. This may be for a commercial
audio
, video
, or data
service, or a non-commercial one like a radio reading service
for the blind
.
NCE stations broadcasting in digital TV or HD Radio
may lease part of their bandwidth (actually bitrate
) in a similar manner, however, the commercial use is limited. The main program must always be non-commercial, and must not have its quality diminished excessively by increased lossy compression done in order to fit the auxiliary service within the allowable bit rate
. NCE digital television
(DTV) stations do not pay the FCC a percentage of their revenue
from these leases as commercial DTV stations do. No such datacasting
fee is levied on any analog or FM/AM station, whether commercial or NCE.
Non-commercial
Non-commercial refers to an activity or entity that does not in some sense involve commerce, at least relative to similar activities that do have a commercial objective or emphasis...
educational (NCE) applies to a radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
or TV station that does not accept on air advertisements (TV ads or radio ads), as defined in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC). NCE stations do not pay broadcast license
Broadcast license
A broadcast license or broadcast license is a specific type of spectrum license that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses are generally straddled with additional restrictions that...
fee
Fee
A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup.Traditionally, professionals in Great Britain received a fee in contradistinction to a payment, salary, or wage, and would often use guineas rather than pounds as units of account...
s for their non-profit uses of the radio spectrum
Radio spectrum
Radio spectrum refers to the part of the electromagnetic spectrum corresponding to radio frequencies – that is, frequencies lower than around 300 GHz ....
. Stations which are almost always operated as NCE include Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
, community radio
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
, and college radio, as well as many religious broadcasting
Religious broadcasting
Religious broadcasting refers to broadcasting by religious organizations, usually with a religious message. Many religious organizations have long recorded content such as sermons and lectures, and have moved into distributing content on their Internet websites.While this article emphasises...
stations.
Reserved channels
On the FM broadcast bandFM broadcast band
The FM broadcast band, used for FM broadcast radio by radio stations, differs between different parts of the world. In Europe and Africa , it spans from 87.5 to 108.0 megahertz , while in America it goes only from 88.0 to 108.0 MHz. The FM broadcast band in Japan uses 76.0 to 90 MHz...
, the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) has reserved the lowest 20 channels, 201~220 (88.1~91.9 MHz) for NCE stations only. This is known as the reserved band. It also includes channel 200 (87.9 MHz), but only for class D NCE stations. This is only for "full-service" stations forced to move by a full-power station (KSFH being the only one ), however one broadcast translator (K200AA, parented to KAWZ) has been allowed to use this channel anyway.
On the TV band, individual channels are reserved, such that there is at least one in every area, and almost always two or three in each metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
. This is also the case for FM along international boundary zones, within 320 kilometers (just under 200 miles) of the U.S.-Mexican border and the U.S.-Canadian border. This is because many of the reserved-band channels are used by stations in the other country, such as with broadcasting in the San Diego/Tijuana metropolitan area. Additionally, neither the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission nor CoFeTel have such a reserved band in Canada or Mexico, respectively.
NCE stations may also operate on a non-reserved channel. However this is rare due to the high cost of buying a commercial broadcasting
Commercial broadcasting
Commercial broadcasting is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship...
station, and because for years the FCC failed to maintain a process that would ensure that non-commercial applicants would have a chance against those who could afford to bid
BID
Bid may refer to:*Bidding, making a price offer in an auction, stock exchange, or card games*Bid , a British home shopping channel...
at spectrum auction
Spectrum auction
A spectrum auction is a process whereby a government uses an auction system to sell the rights to transmit signals over specific bands of the electromagnetic spectrum and to assign scarce spectrum resources. Depending on the specific auction format used, a spectrum auction can last from a single...
s. Two such stations are WGPB
WGPB (FM)
WGPB FM 97.7 is a public radio station in Rome, Georgia. It is part of the Georgia Public Broadcasting radio network, a state network which in turn is a member of National Public Radio, Public Radio International, and American Public Media. Unlike most stations on the GPB network, WGPB does not...
FM in Rome, Georgia
Rome, Georgia
Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Rome is the largest city and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. It is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Floyd County...
and WNGH-FM
WNGH-FM
WNGH-FM is an NPR-member public radio station , licensed to Chatsworth, Georgia, USA. The station is currently owned by Georgia Public Broadcasting , which the station simulcasts all radio programming from...
in Chatsworth, Georgia
Chatsworth, Georgia
Chatsworth is a city in Murray County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Dalton, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,531 at the 2000 census, but was estimated around 3,890 as of the 2005 census. The city is the county seat of Murray County...
, former commercial stations purchased in 2007 and 2008 and operated by Georgia Public Broadcasting
Georgia Public Broadcasting
Georgia Public Broadcasting is the public broadcasting radio and television state network in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is operated by the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission....
, serving the mountains
North Georgia mountains
The Georgia Mountains Region or North Georgia mountains or Northeast Georgia is an area that starts in the northeast corner of Georgia, United States, and spreads in a westerly direction. The mountains in this region are in the Blue Ridge mountain chain that ends in Georgia...
northwest of Atlanta which previously had no GPB radio service.
Definition of "commercial"
The FCC defines several different activities as being commercial in nature. Sponsorship of NCE stations is called underwritingUnderwriting
Underwriting refers to the process that a large financial service provider uses to assess the eligibility of a customer to receive their products . The name derives from the Lloyd's of London insurance market...
, and stations may make announcement
Announcement
An announcement is a Usenet, mailing list or e-mail message sent to notify subscribers that a software project has made a new release version. Newsgroup announcement recipients often have a name like "comp.somegroup.announce". Mailing list announcement recipients often have a name like...
s of these grant
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
s on-air. However, they may not accept money
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
for such mentions, only goods and services
Goods and services
In economics, economic output is divided into physical goods and intangible services. Consumption of goods and services is assumed to produce utility. It is often used when referring to a Goods and Services Tax....
, unless the sponsor itself is a non-profit, such as a charitable organization
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
or public college. Money can be accepted if there is no on-air mention of the sponsor. NCE stations may also not mention prices or qualities of commercial products or services in any situation which would be construed as promoting
Sales promotion
Sales promotion is one of the four aspects of promotional mix. Media and non-media marketing communication are employed for a pre-determined, limited time to increase consumer demand, stimulate market demand or improve product availability...
or endorsing
Endorsement
Endorsement may refer to:*Testimonial in advertising, written or spoken statement endorsing a product*Political endorsement*a form added to an insurance policy, modifying the terms...
any company, regardless of whether it sponsors the station.
Underwriting spot
Underwriting spot
An underwriting spot is an announcement made on public broadcasting outlets, especially in the United States, in exchange for funding. These spots usually mention the name of the sponsor, and can resemble traditional television advertisements in commercial broadcasting...
s are brief and to-the-point, as they must not be disruptive to programming. Additionally, underwriting spots on public TV are at the beginning or end of the TV show rather than in the middle, as they have increasingly become on commercial stations.
Multichannel obligations
Like commercial stations, NCE stations are allowed to leaseLease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
subcarrier
Subcarrier
A subcarrier is a separate analog or digital signal carried on a main radio transmission, which carries extra information such as voice or data. More technically, it is an already-modulated signal, which is then modulated into another signal of higher frequency and bandwidth...
s in exchange for money
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
, essentially making the station a common carrier
Common carrier
A common carrier in common-law countries is a person or company that transports goods or people for any person or company and that is responsible for any possible loss of the goods during transport...
. This may be for a commercial
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
audio
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
, video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
, or data
Data
The term data refers to qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variables. Data are typically the results of measurements and can be the basis of graphs, images, or observations of a set of variables. Data are often viewed as the lowest level of abstraction from which...
service, or a non-commercial one like a radio reading service
Radio reading service
A radio reading service or reading service for the blind is a service of many universities, community groups and public radio stations, where a narrator reads books, newspapers and magazines aloud for the benefit of the blind and vision-impaired. It is most often carried on a subcarrier, with...
for the blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
.
NCE stations broadcasting in digital TV or HD Radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
may lease part of their bandwidth (actually bitrate
Bitrate
In telecommunications and computing, bit rate is the number of bits that are conveyed or processed per unit of time....
) in a similar manner, however, the commercial use is limited. The main program must always be non-commercial, and must not have its quality diminished excessively by increased lossy compression done in order to fit the auxiliary service within the allowable bit rate
Bit rate
In telecommunications and computing, bit rate is the number of bits that are conveyed or processed per unit of time....
. NCE digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
(DTV) stations do not pay the FCC a percentage of their revenue
Revenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
from these leases as commercial DTV stations do. No such datacasting
Datacasting
Datacasting is the broadcasting of data over a wide area via radio waves. It most often refers to supplemental information sent by television stations along with digital television, but may also be applied to digital signals on analog TV or radio...
fee is levied on any analog or FM/AM station, whether commercial or NCE.