47 USC 508 – Disclosure of payments to individuals connected with broadcasts
(a) Payments to station employees
Subject to subsection (d), any employee of a radio station who accepts or agrees to accept from any person (other than such station), or any person (other than such station) who pays or agrees to pay such employee, any money, service or other valuable consideration for the broadcast of any matter over such station shall, in advance of such broadcast, disclose the fact of such acceptance or agreement to such station.
(b) Production or preparation of programs
Terms Used In 47 USC 508
- broadcasting: means the dissemination of radio communications intended to be received by the public, directly or by the intermediary of relay stations. See 47 USC 153
- licensee: means the holder of a radio station license granted or continued in force under authority of this chapter. See 47 USC 153
- person: includes an individual, partnership, association, joint-stock company, trust, or corporation. See 47 USC 153
- station: means a station equipped to engage in radio communication or radio transmission of energy. See 47 USC 153
Subject to subsection (d), any person who, in connection with the production or preparation of any program or program matter which is intended for broadcasting over any radio station, accepts or agrees to accept, or pays or agrees to pay, any money, service or other valuable consideration for the inclusion of any matter as a part of such program or program matter, shall, in advance of such broadcast, disclose the fact of such acceptance or payment or agreement to the payee’s employer, or to the person for whom such program or program matter is being produced, or to the licensee of such station over which such program is broadcast.
(c) Supplying of program or program matter
Subject to subsection (d), any person who supplies to any other person any program or program matter which is intended for broadcasting over any radio station shall, in advance of such broadcast, disclose to such other person any information of which he has knowledge, or which has been disclosed to him, as to any money, service or other valuable consideration which any person has paid or accepted, or has agreed to pay or accept, for the inclusion of any matter as a part of such program or program matter.
(d) Waiver of announcements under section 317(d)
The provisions of this section requiring the disclosure of information shall not apply in any case where, because of a waiver made by the Commission under section 317(d) of this title, an announcement is not required to be made under section 317 of this title.
(e) Announcement under section 317 as sufficient disclosure
The inclusion in the program of the announcement required by section 317 of this title shall constitute the disclosure required by this section.
(f) “Service or other valuable consideration” defined
The term “service or other valuable consideration” as used in this section shall not include any service or property furnished without charge or at a nominal charge for use on, or in connection with, a broadcast, or for use on a program which is intended for broadcasting over any radio station, unless it is so furnished in consideration for an identification in such broadcast or in such program of any person, product, service, trademark, or brand name beyond an identification which is reasonably related to the use of such service or property in such broadcast or such program.
(g) Penalties
Any person who violates any provision of this section shall, for each such violation, be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.