Brokered programming

Brokered programming is programming where a show's producer pays for air time, rather than exchanging programming for the opportunity to play spot commercials. Such programming is typically not capable of garnering enough support from advertisements to pay for itself, and may be controversial, esoteric or an advertisement in itself. Common examples are religious and political programs and talk show-format informercials. Others are hobby programs or vanity programs paid for by the host, and may be intended to promote the host's personality, for instance in preparation for a political campaign.

Brokered infomercial programs promote products or services by scripting news-style shows that may even include calls from listeners (or supposed listeners), but focus on a topic related to the product and repeatedly steer listeners or callers to a particular vendor. Although presented in the style of live programs, these are typically recorded and sometimes supplied to stations on tape.

Such programming is most common on talk radio stations and used to fill non-prime time slots and to augment income from spot-advertisement sales during normal programs.

Although some syndicators of multi-topic, ad-supported talk shows may pay a fee to stations with very large listenership, the same syndicator will normally charge a fee to small stations and may charge nothing to stations with moderate listenership. Each arrangement depends on whether the station can deliver enough listeners to allow the syndicator to earn money from ad sales. Syndicated programs normally carry a number of their own advertisements that must be played during commercial breaks, but set aside time for local stations to play their own advertisements. This arrangement allows both the radio station and syndicator to earn revenue from their own ad sales.

Stations also frequently employ one or more of their own hosts, but at some small stations these hosts may be unpaid volunteers motivated by promoting a personal agenda.

Brokered programming typically has no breaks for unrelated advertisements, and informercial brokered programs are often recorded and aired in segments of half an hour or even 15 minutes.