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Section V. Important Definitions
Commercial: Having to do with commerce - designed for profit or for mass appeal.
Logogram: Any aural or visual letters, words, symbols, or signs that are used for the exclusive
purpose of identifying a corporation, company, or other an organization.
Natural Break: A break inside of a program that follows or comes before a segment.
A break that is not forced or interrupts a program flow.
Underwriter: A third-party that voluntarily contributes cash or services (Ex. free tickets, free work
on car, interview with a big movie star, etc.), in whole or in part, the production of a program, and
that does not exercise influence over the content of the program being funded.
Underwriting Announcement: An on-air acknowledgment that "fully and fairly" discloses the "true
identity" of the underwriter.
Copyright: A series of rights granted to the creators of literary, artistic, musical, dramatic, and
audiovisual works.
Copyright Infringement: Using copyrighted material without the consent of the copyright holder, an
illegal act under U.S. copyright law.
Fairness Doctrine: A body of rules created by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to
ensure that broadcasters cover issues of public importance in a fair, balanced manner. Under this
doctrine, the broadcaster must devote a reasonable portion of its airtime to covering controversial
issues of public importance, and the coverage must be fair and balanced.
Performance Rights: The rights that allow the public display or distribution of a recording of a
copyrighted music piece that has been included in the soundtrack of a production. Performance
rights are licensed through a performing rights society such as the American Society of Composers,
Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) or Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI). This also assumes that
synchronization rights to the music piece have already been secured.
Release: The act of giving up a right or claim. Producers should obtain releases from all performers
and property owners whose images and property appear in a production and who are not covered
by some other contract.
Synchronization rights: In a media production, the right to add a copyrighted musical piece to a
production and to conform it to the video track.
