Dateline 11/2/2000
Urgent! Act Now!
Free Radio Ads Now Available For All Federal Candidates!
Thanks to a little-known, seldom-used law, all candidates for federal office are entitled to free ads on public radio stations.
Please act immediately to secure these ads! Contact the public radio stations in your area today to secure airtime for John Hagelin. All Natural Law Party federal candidates can run an ad, too (see details below).
John Hagelin has already taped a 30-second radio ad, and you or the radio stations can preview it and download it in RealAudio (RealPlayer) and QuickTime formats at http://archive.hagelin.org/radioad . Let's get John Hagelin on the air!
ACTION STEPS
1. For a list of National Public Radio stations in your area, please go to http://www.npr.org/members . For a list of non-NPR stations, go to http://www.nfcb.org/members.html .
2. Before contacting the station, please email or call your state media coordinator at http://archive.hagelin.org/statecoordinators.htm to let him or her know your plans.
3. Call your public radio station and find out who the appropriate contact person is for radio ads. Then fax, email, or bring (by appointment) the request form below to the appropriate person.
4. Ask if the station requires a specific format for radio ads. Find out if they can download John Hagelin's ad from the website (http://archive.hagelin.org/radioad ) or if they need a tape.
5. Negotiate with the contact person for times when the station can air the ad. For radio spots, the "top of the hour" is best. National Public Radio has its biggest audiences during "Morning Edition" mornings) and "All Things Considered" (late afternoon).
6. If you have questions or run into problems, please contact Hagelin/Goldhaber headquarters at <mediateam@hagelin.org> or call 877-Hagelin (424-3546), ext. 105 or 137.
7. If your public radio station is reluctant to air political ads, please refer them to the "Explanation of the Law" below.
PLEASE ACT IMMEDIATELY--NO ONE HAS VOTED YET!
EXPLANATION OF THE LAW
FCC regulations require that public radio stations must provide reasonable access to candidates for federal office to advertise their candidacies at no cost. Due to FCC equal access requirements, the stations will probably provide only a few 30-second ads.
By FCC rules, the ad must contain the voice of the candidate for at least part of the message. Public radio stations will probably respond more positively to an informative ad than to a straight political message. The audience for noncommercial broadcasting may have a negative reaction to a political candidate "invading" their noncommercial listening time.
The legal requirements are summed up in a statement by WAMU, a public radio station in Washington, D.C., that is currently running 30-second political spots:
The "Federal Communications Commission has required all broadcast stations--including WAMU--to provide 'reasonable access' to candidates for federal elective office for use on behalf of their candidacies. (US Code, Title 47, Chapter 5, Section 312(a)(7)). If a qualified federal candidate asks for access to our airwaves, we are required to grant that request. If we fail to meet that request, the FCC may take action to revoke our license."
Our lawyer has also confirmed this requirement with the FCC.
RUNNING RADIO ADS FOR OTHER FEDERAL CANDIDATES
All candidates for federal office can air similar radio ads. Below is a sample ad text; alternatively, candidates may write their own 30-second ad.
IMPORTANT: By law, at least some part of the ad must contain the candidate's own voice. Most importantly, the ad must be CANDIDATE SPECIFIC, not specific to a party.
Candidates can substitute their own campaign website address or "NaturalLaw.org" for "AReasonToVote.com" in the ad text below, if they wish. "AReasonToVote.com" goes to Robert Roth's book web page. (When pronouncing the website name "AReasonToVoteDotCom," be sure to pronounce the first "A" so the listener can hear it clearly.)
DO NOT CONFUSE THIS INTERNET ADDRESS WITH "ReasonToVote.org," WHICH GOES TO THE HAGELIN/GOLDHABER 2000 CAMPAIGN WEBSITE.
The candidate should fill out the request form above and take it to all local public radio stations. Follow the instructions above to get airtime. The candidate should ask the station what tape format is needed, look in the Yellow Pages under Recording Services, and hire a recording studio to make tapes. He or she will have to go to the studio to make the tape--remember that the ad must contain the candidate's voice.
When taping the ad, speak slowly and clearly. Time yourself--the ad should take precisely 30 seconds, and no longer. Practice in advance to avoid inconveniencing the recording studio personnel. When finished, take the tape or tapes to the public radio station.
Good luck!
SUGGESTED 30-SECOND AD TEXT FOR NLP FEDERAL CANDIDATES
"Do you have a reason to vote? Hi, I'm _____________, Natural Law Party candidate for [example: US House of Representatives, Iowa's 4th district]. One thing is still true in the United States: if we all vote our conscience, anything is possible--and THAT'S a reason to vote. Find out more--go to aReasonToVote.com. That's aReasonToVote.com. I stand for prevention-oriented health care, proven crime prevention, and protection of the environment. Visit aReasonToVote.com."
[End with station disclaimer]
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