Public service announcements (PSAs) are broadcast by thousands of U.S. radio stations each day, providing information about local organizations, government, health, domestic issues, education, safety and the environment. PSAs provide a cost-effective vehicle for reaching listeners with community-oriented messages. While they do not need to originate from a not-for-profit organization, they should contain a message that provides some form of community benefit. For example: Radio station WXYZ airs a PSA that informs its community about an alert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggesting it's important for all seniors to get flu shots this year.
Some frequently-asked questions about PSAs:
What
exactly is a PSA... and why do stations air them?
Stations broadcast
PSAs free of charge as a public service to listeners, fulfilling FCC public
service requirements. Because stations receive numerous requests for public
service air time, not all PSAs are broadcast. That's why it's important
to produce a high-quality piece that's distinctive and perceived by a
station's Public Affairs Director as airworthy and important to listeners.
What
formats do PSAs come in?
PSAs can be produced
in :10, :15, :30, and :60 second versions, and are provided to stations
prerecorded or scripted for live airing. We recommend both, to provide
options for stations that use only in-house air personalities. Duplication
and delivery via CD.
What's
my lead time?
About two weeks.
Station Public Affairs Directors take the time to carefully scrutinize
all material submitted for airing. They determine if the PSA fits their
format and audience, and whether it addresses an issue important to their
community. They also listen to prerecorded PSAs to evaluate their quality.
Because of this process, most stations have a two-week lag time between
receipt of a PSA and when it begins to air.
Can
I target specific radio stations and markets?
Yes! MediaTracks
utilizes a database of every radio station in the country to help target
the stations most likely to air your client's message. When writing and
producing a PSA, special attention is paid to the demographic you wish
to reach. Multiple versions of a PSA can be scripted and produced to serve
various radio formats.
What's
in it for my client?
Substantial value.
Radio PSAs provide cost-effective outreach to communities throughout the
U.S. Your costs are limited to writing, production, distribution and tracking.
The air time stations provide is free. That's where the value comes in.
Advertisers pay anywhere from $15 to $1000 for 30 seconds of airtime on
radio stations. If a PSA is well-written and produced, it is likely to
receive repeated airings on the stations that use it.
Can
I track the response for my client?
Yes! We track the
usage of PSAs by including a postage-paid response card. Returned cards
along with our optional follow-up phone service to stations provide the
data needed to produce a comprehensive final report, included with every
PSA project. The report documents gross impressions, total stations airing
the message, total airings, and percent of response cards returned.
Summary:
What you get with our service.
Each PSA project
includes scripting, production, station targeting, distribution, tracking
and reporting. A cover letter to the station's Public Affairs Director
accompanies the mailing along with a scripted version of the PSA for live
reading. A postage-paid response card is also included. Telephone follow-up
is optional. Throughout the process we will advise you on radio formats
to help you match your message to the appropriate demographic group.
From concept
to completion, our staff of writers and producers provide expertise and
personalized service for your PSA project. Our goal is to maximize placement
for your message and deliver measurable, meaningful results.
Choose either QuickTime or MP3 to audition a sample PSA.