NCSA Program

What is the NCSA?

NCSA stands for Non-Commercial Sustaining Announcement Program. It’s an old FCC term indicating radio or television stations receive no revenue for the announcement. Instead, the revenues from an NCSA program help fund the Arkansas Broadcasters Association. Member dues—which are among the lowest in the nation—only provide about 5% of ABA’s operating revenue. Most of that is used for legislative advocacy because NCSA funds cannot be used for that purpose. Most other member services are funded by the NCSA program and ABA members’ enthusiastic support of the program.

How does the NCSA work?

Government agencies and non-profit organizations that normally approach broadcasters for public service time request an NCSA Program. These organizations, which operate in the public interest, make a grant of funds to ABA. The ABA then requests broadcasters to run NCSA announcements voluntarily at no charge for the benefit of ABA and its programs. Announcements supplied by the NCSA sponsor are distributed by the ABA to participating stations. Stations run the announcements on an as available basis and send a monthly affidavit to ABA. Stations are requested to value the time provided based on their regular rates charged to advertisers buying the same time periods for cash. The association uses these figures to demonstrate to the NCSA sponsor the cash value of the spots delivered across the entire state by both radio and television participants.

The NCSA program provides a win-win result for ABA members whose association grows stronger and for the NCSA sponsor whose message is seen and heard statewide in all time periods and formats, reaching all demographic groups.

If you are a member station and have any questions about executing this program, please write to us at: mail@arkbroadcasters.org or call us at 501-227-7564.

What do we ask of our Member Stations?

While station participation is voluntary, stations have generally adopted the following as a “minimum contribution” as part of their membership. Again, we use the NCSA funds to provide services like complimentary convention registrations, free webinars, ABIP inspections, internships, and more. The ABA has no more than five full NCSA partnerships each year, so you can be assured we won’t come back and ask stations to do more than what you see below.

For Radio Stations – At least 30 – : 30-second announcements each month, all airing Monday-Sunday, 6 am-12 pm for each of our five partners. That’s only 1 per day for each partner.

For Television stations – at least 20 – : 30-second announcements each month, all airing Monday-Sunday, 6 am-12 m for each of our five partner stations. That’s only five per week for each partner.

Most member stations clear more than the requested minimum figures above. The ABA and our NCSA partners are truly grateful. Helping promote our partners also point out free, over the air radio and TV marketing is successful and helps promote their messages.

IMPORTANT – We request that our partner stations send us affidavits at the end of each month, just like you do for your commercial stations. You can send them electronically, email them as PDF’s or send them via the US Mail system.

Please don’t hesitate to call the ABA office or email us if you have any questions.

Current campaigns

The Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission and Staff inspires and educates individuals to improve their communities by educating, preventing litter, promoting recycling and keeping Arkansas beautiful. We encourage everyone to accept responsibility for maintaining Arkansas’s scenic beauty, environmental health and quality of life. These efforts positively impact civic pride, livability and economic growth – creating communities where people want to work, live and play. The Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission and Staff work with educators around the state to teach the children of Arkansas the importance of a clean, green and beautiful Arkansas. We strive to inspire and encourage children in Arkansas to do their part to help keep Arkansas beautiful.

The mission of the Arkansas State Police is to protect human life and property in the State of Arkansas by providing the highest quality of law enforcement services to the citizens of Arkansas. Goals The Arkansas State Police will manage and use its resources with an emphasis on criminal activity and unsafe driving practices that pose the greatest threat to the citizens of Arkansas. The Arkansas State Police will develop partnerships with other law enforcement agencies for the purpose of preventing and solving crimes, improving the safety of Arkansas highways and providing other services to the citizens of Arkansas. The Arkansas State Police will maintain the confidence and respect of the public by carrying out its mission and goals with integrity and professionalism.

Arkansas State Parks enhance the quality of life through exceptional outdoor experiences, connections to Arkansas heritage, and sound resource management. Your state parks are incredibly diverse with beautiful wetlands, rocky mountains, clear streams and lakes, and quiet hollows. Your parks have no entry fees, beautiful overnight facilities including grand lodges, cozy cabins, and a wide variety of campsites, historic battlefields, museums, and interpretive/visitor centers. Your state parks are home to a wide array of flora and fauna, much of it visible from iconic hiking, kayaking, and cycling trails. The well-trained staff of these 52 state parks is here for you. 

Methodist Family Health manages the Methodist Children’s Home, Methodist Behavioral Hospital, Methodist Counseling Clinics and Arkansas CARES (Center for Addictions Research, Education and Services). Methodist Family Health also offers levels of care ranging from the most restrictive service level (acute psychiatric hospital care) to the least restrictive service level (outpatient counseling) as well as all intermediate residential levels of care.

Continuity of care is provided through use of the proven Teaching-Family Model. The goal of this model is for the Methodist Family Health client to become proficient in social and independent living skills so she or he can reunite with family or move to the least restrictive residential treatment setting appropriate for her or him, such as a therapeutic foster home, or re-enter the community as an adult.

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock is the only health sciences university in the state of Arkansas. We are the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees in 73 of Arkansas’ 75 counties. UAMS and its clinical affiliates, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the VA Medical Center, are an economic engine for the state with an annual economic impact of $3.92 billion. UAMS offers 73 baccalaureate, master’s, doctoral, professional and specialist degree programs and certificates through our Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions, Public Health and graduate school. Students attend classes at the UAMS main campus in Little Rock and our regional campus in northwest Arkansas.