Producer Rates
Once you place and confirm an order for satellite services with NPR Distribution, any scheduling change made within 90 days of the event (including cancellation) will result in service charges. The only exceptions are for quarter-hour extensions to events already scheduled; you will simply be charged for the additional time. No service charge will be assessed for changes unrelated to scheduling, such as title changes and program ID updates.
Service charges are assessed on a program-by-program basis. In most cases, those charges are a percentage of the basic rates for both uplink and channel, and the amount of each charge is determined by how far in advance of each transmission you make a change. "No shows"—programs which fail to arrive at the uplink in time for the scheduled transmission—are treated as last minute cancellations and, consequently, are assessed the highest service charge.
Because of the potential for service charges, scheduling changes (especially for a series) can be quite costly. For this reason, we advise you to be reasonably certain of the schedule you want before placing an order. If you want to cancel or reschedule an order, notify your account representative immediately to minimize service charges.
Service Charges
| Service Charge Level |
Explanation |
Regular Orders |
|
| 0 |
Any change or cancellation made 90 days or more before event |
0% |
|
| 1 |
Any change or cancellation made less than 90 days and greater than, or equal to, 60 days before event |
15% |
|
| 2 |
Any change or cancellation made less than 60 days and greater than, or equal to, 21 days before event |
25% |
|
| 3 |
Any change or cancellation made less than 21 days and greater than, or equal to, 72 hours before event |
50% |
|
| 4 |
Any change or cancellation made less than 72 hours and greater than, or equal to, 2 hours before event |
75% |
|
| 5 |
Any change or cancellation made less than 2 hours before event |
100% |
Full-Time Channel Service
Twenty-four hour service is available to public radio program distributors on the standard public radio channels. The rate for this service is $11,000 per month for stereo, and $8,250 per month for mono. Commitments must be made by written agreement for at least six months, and can be made for up to one year. For more information, contact Distribution Business Affairs at 202.513.2618.
In-Kind Services
The PRSS makes available certain in-kind services to support the distribution of programming that targets unserved or under-served audiences from sources who can demonstrate financial need. Such support can consist of:
- Up to full-time distribution on a standard channel, or other appropriate technology to provide access similar to that of a standard channel
- Up to full-time uplinking from the Washington, DC uplink, along with related scheduling and technical support
At the present time, the PRSS extends in-kind support to American Indian Radio on Satellite (AIROS) and to Satélite Radio Bilingüe.
For further information on PRSS in-kind services, requirements, and application guidelines, please contact Laura Jensen, Deputy Director, Business Architecture, NPR Distribution, at 202.513.2630, or via email. | 
