Classic and Not-So Classic PSAs from the past.....

[bk77]

Surprised nobody had mentioned the psa from around 1994 about AIDS that showed a group of little babies. When the camera showed a close-up of the baby across the screen in big letters were such words as "junkie", "whor*, "fa*got", "slut", "bastar*", and the like. Of course the purpose of this psa was to show the public that even babies can have AIDS. However despite the message I believe there were a small number of local television stations who refused to air this psa.

 

[RicoGregg]

I'd forgotten about the RFE PSA's.

The Radio Free Europe spot I remember most shows a man, apparently somewhere in Eastern Europe, sitting on his easy chair, smoking his pipe, and listening to the radio. The radio is broadcasting the news, and the story being read is about something that puts the Soviet Union in a bad light.

Suddenly, an ax comes down from out of nowhere and smashes the radio. The ax was swung by a man in a Red Army-type of uniform and he yells "NYET!"

A voice talent then emphasizes the importance of supporting Radio Free Europe.

 

[RicoGregg]

the one that comes to mind is the one the NAB used to run patting themselves on the back and crowing about their Television Code of Good Conduct. I think the background music was "This Old Man",

It might have been "This Old Man", but to my memory (this was around 1969) the song was "Bingo" (about the dog, not the Banana Split [that one was the gorilla] ).

ixnay

The voiceover/narrator in this PSA was Dick Cavett.

 

[RicoGregg]

...a radio PSA......about how the role of the local radio station is to provide "live and local" entertainment and information to the public 24/7...

I guess you don't hear those anymore on Cheap Channel stations,
especially in Minot and Grand Rapids. :

Don't blame the Clear Channels of this world. The FCC, especially during the time of Michael Powell's "leadership", kept relaxing and relaxing and relaxing regulations until there was virtually nothing left to relax. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 also put a big hurt on both the industry and the public.

The conglomerates are only playing by the rules of the game, which seem to change more and more often.

 

[Stanislav]

I'd forgotten about the RFE PSA's.

The Radio Free Europe spot I remember most shows a man, apparently somewhere in Eastern Europe, sitting on his easy chair, smoking his pipe, and listening to the radio. The radio is broadcasting the news, and the story being read is about something that puts the Soviet Union in a bad light.

Suddenly, an ax comes down from out of nowhere and smashes the radio. The ax was swung by a man in a Red Army-type of uniform and he yells "NYET!"

A voice talent then emphasizes the importance of supporting Radio Free Europe.

Never, ever saw that one! I only remember seeing (about a thousand times) the Hungarian DJ playing "On Bro-AD-vay." ;D

 

[LKellerIII]

Since non-smoking PSAs were mentioned, I feel duty-bound to bring up the William Talman (Hamilton Burger) anti-smoking PSAs from 1968.

Talman recorded the PSAs after he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and died a few weeks after filming the second one. Needless to say, the message had a big impact. A controversy ensued because CBS would not air the PSA. The network issued a lame statement saying they had a policy against airing PSAs by dead people. Then some clever critic pointed out that they had no problem airing movies and TV shows starring dead people, including Bea Benedaret's final episodes of Petticoat Junction. No doubt the real reason was the big money CBS was making from tobacco advertising.

Tobacco advertising was banned from television in 1971. Here's one of the Talman PSAs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmjRkpge-jk



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Talman_(actor)

 

[Tim L]

A PSA that used to be on YouTube-Not necessarily that special except for the star..Jim Jordan of Fibber McGee and Molly did a PSA in the 70's or 80's for the AARP..The basic plot was that they created a "Fibber McGee Closet" for him to open, whereupon he says his famous line "Gotta Straighten out that closet one of these days"..Then he goes into the AARP pitch..This spot is unusual in that Jordan did almost no television, except for very few guest spots..The only acting turn he did was on "Chico And The Man" on NBC in 1976..He had the talent to do more if he wanted to, In my opinion..

 

[quadraphonic]

"Words hit harder than fists." I think it was some individual people sitting on a stool on a stage, telling their stories about domestic violence and mental abuse.

I think it was from the 70s, maybe early 80s. Either way, it's been a long while, but it worked its way into my repertoire when people are mean to other people.