PRODUCTION CREDITS

For questions regarding this section, contact PBS Program Management at (703) 739-5010

WHO CAN RECEIVE A PRODUCTION CREDIT?

Program funders and PBS staff may not be acknowledged or thanked in the production credit roll

Production credits should be comprised of individuals and organizations that have direct involvement in the production of the program. Any credit that is not directly related to the production of the program should not be included. Please make sure to clear any questionable/unusual production credits with the PBS Program Management department.

TOP-OF-SHOW CREDITS AND FREQUENCY OF CREDITS

Only individuals can be given artistic credit at the top of show

Maximum = 4 top-of-show credits

Up to four artistic cards may be placed at the beginning of program content. Crediting companies or production entities is prohibited in the top-of-show credits - only individuals may be credited.

Artistic credits that appear at the top of the program may not be repeated in the production credit sequence at the tail of the program.

Logos may not appear in text, graphic, or voice-over at the top of the show.

Prohibited types of top-of-show credits
1.	Any station or consortium identification or logo
2.	A production (or presentation) of XYZ Films (or station WXXX)
3.	Presented by Mike Smith Productions
4.	Distributed by XYZ

Acceptable top-of-show credits
1.	A film by Mike Smith
2.	Mike Smith, Producer (Director, Narrator, Writer)
3.	Produced (Directed, Narrated, Written) By Mike Smith

PRODUCTION CREDIT BED APPEARANCE

Production credit scrolls or cards over a static background are not acceptable

Credits must be engaging, cohere with the tail packaging sequence, and mirror the high production values of the program.

Producers must obtain approval from PBS for the treatment of the production credit bed in advance. PBS reserves the right to require a producer to restructure or redesign the production credit bed.

PBS recommends the use of split-screen production credits when products are offered

PBS strongly encourages the use of split-screens in the presence of additional packaging elements such as: Web Site Announcements, next episode teases, and On-Air Offers. Please see the sample split-screen treatment in the Format and Packaging section of Policies & Specifications.

In situations where there are no packaging elements to incorporate into the split-screen, or a split-screen cannot be accommodated, background beds must include continuing content, additional footage, outtakes, or other creative credit treatments. Please consult with PBS Program Management on specific design.

DURATION AND INCLUSION REQUIREMENTS

DURATION

Maximum production credit beds:
	Programs 60 minutes or longer = 45-second production credit bed
	Programs: 30 minutes = 30-second production credit bed

Special length extension: on programs of 60 minutes or longer with the production credits presented in a split screen with two or more elements (on-air offer, web tag or preview) included in the credit bed, credits may run up to a maximum of :60. On 30 minute programs that meet the above split-screen requirements, credits may run up to a maximum of :45.

All of the above timings include producer and presenter credits copyright and producer disclaimer. Also, any special thanks, original production funder and fiscal sponsor credits should be included in timings.

PRODUCER AND PRESENTER CREDITS

See the Producer and Presenter section of Policies & Specifications.”

ARTISTIC CREDITS

Artistic credits may credit the individual or entity, but not both.

COPYRIGHT

The copyright notice must appear at the end of the credit scroll and may not exceed 3 seconds

A copyright notice must be included on all PBS broadcast programs. The notice should consist of a copyright symbol, the year of copyright, followed by the name of the copyright holder.

Generally, the producer, co-producers and/or presenters hold copyright. If the copyright holder is a station, the legal licensee name is appropriate for copyright notice.

Underwriters cannot hold or share copyright to the program. If any other entity holds or shares copyright, Program Underwriting Policy must approve the arrangement.

The copyright notice in the production credit roll must be the same as the copyright holder indicated on the Program Acceptance Agreement (PAA). The video and the PAA must correspond.

PRODUCER DISCLAIMER

A producer disclaimer must be included on all News and Public Affairs programs and programs containing controversial content.

The producer disclaimer must appear directly before or after the copyright notice and can appear in font (hold for 3 seconds) or voice over. Both disclaimer and copyright must appear before the underwriting credit pod.

The disclaimer should read: "This program was produced by XXXX, which is solely responsible for its content."

Please consult your Editorial Management contact to determine if a disclaimer is required on your program.

STATION VOICE OVER OPPORTUNITY

First 17 seconds must be available for station voice-over opportunity

Individual public television stations may use up to :15 seconds of production credits to run voiceovers promoting the upcoming program. If non-editable audio appears within the production credit bed (next time promos, on-air offers, critical content, etc.) please be sure to leave the first :17 window for station voice over.

SPECIAL THANKS, ORIGINAL PRODUCTION FUNDERS, FISCAL SPONSORS AND CLOSED CAPTION FUNDERS

SPECIAL THANKS

In-kind goods and services, or general production assistance provided to the producer at no or nominal cost, may be acknowledged in the production credits when important and necessary to do so.

Special Thanks, Original Production Funders and Fiscal Sponsor credit all apply towards total time allotted for Production Credits

Special Thanks credits must:
1.	Acknowledge only those in-kind goods and services that were critical in the production of that program (as opposed to the series); may identify the actual product or service provided. "(item/service) provided by…" "Production assistance provided by…"
2.	Appear as text in video only.
3.	Appear within the normal production credits (limited to 30, 45, or 60 seconds total)
4.	Be consistent with all other production credits in timing, style, font, color and background
5.	Credit the individual or the entity, but not both.

No logos, website addresses, publishing houses or special fonts anywhere in the production credits (see Producer/Presenter Credits section for additional information).

Special Thanks credits must NOT:
1.	Incorporate or display the donor's corporate or brand logo(s) or any other identifying information, including URLs.
2.	Acknowledge in-kind goods and services of an underwriter of the program or series.
3.	Leave the impression that product placements were arranged. See Format and Packaging section of Policies & Specifications.
4.	Include a web address.
5.	Include names of publishing houses
6.	Include individuals given artistic credit already within credits.

UNDERWRITERS VS. ORIGINAL PRODUCTION FUNDERS

Restrictions listed under Special Thanks apply to Original Production Funders

If there are original production underwriters (in the case of an acquisition or for programs whose rights were re-upped), they may appear in the production credit roll under the heading: "Original production funding provided by…"

FISCAL SPONSOR

Acknowledgement of fiscal sponsors is NOT required

A fiscal sponsor is a nonprofit entity, which administers donations to the producer or production entity for a small fee or percentage.

If a fiscal sponsor provided assistance to the producer, the fiscal sponsor may be acknowledged in the production credits as follows:

"Fiscal Sponsor --- xxxx"

This acknowledgment is not required and is discouraged unless deemed necessary to do so. If the fiscal sponsor provided any other assistance including cash, outreach and promotion or station relations, please provide a mission/purpose statement to Program Underwriting Policy.

CLOSED CAPTION FUNDERS

Acknowledged in closed captions NOT production credits

Closed captioning services should be acknowledged in the closed captions and not in the production credit roll or underwriting sequence.

CREDITS FOR PROGRAMS WITH A TURNKEY BREAK

Production credits can only appear at the end of programs.

Production credits on two-hour programs with an intermission or a turnkey break may never appear at the end of the first hour. Production credits must be combined into a single sequence at the tail of the program. Please consult with PBS Program Management on specific treatment.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This manual is a set of "guidelines" and should be treated as such. PBS staff members will continue to consult with producers and provide direct guidance on issues concerning final delivery of programs. Please read through the Red Book carefully and make sure that the members of your production team familiarize themselves with the relevant sections. Updates to the Red Book will occur when information or policies change.

 
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