Do many stations air PSAs anymore?

[trackertalent]

Public Service Announcements (the agency-produced spots for charities and other usually non-profit organizations; not the local community bulletin board stuff) used to be heard frequently during the 60s and 70s.

Are stations still running them these days?

Just curious.

 

[Randy Lahey]

I don't know about the big corporate stations, but at my independant (4 stations), it's up to the PDs. Usually if it's something like Cancer, disaster relief (tsunami, Katrina etc), it'll get some spins.

They are very low priority though. Usually only evenings and overnights, and only when logs are light.

 

[Prais]

Stations with low inventory and satellite programs run them.

 

[yellowrose66]

I think it's mostly the small/indie stations that use them. At the station I worked at most recently (small independent in central TX) we used them to fill when we didn't have enough of the community calendar items. During live programming they wouldn't be used, but plugged into a PSA slot in the stopset that would have rotating calendar items. We usually had plenty of local items, but would throw in one of the produced national psa's as well. 30's are more likely to get used than 60's.

 

[Prais]

I think it's mostly the small/indie stations that use them.

WGN, WIND and WLS, Chicago use them.

 

[Mainedude2007]

Stations with low inventory and satellite programs run them.

i know with some programming providers they provide filler programming during local breaks, ABC, Radio America to name a few air per inquiry spots or rerun national commercials, ESPN Radio fills the breaks with promos for the radio and TV side, but last I knew Premiere didn't fill with commercials, instead it's music and a computerized countdown to when programming resumes

 

[johnbasalla]

College, and other non-commercial stations air them, often quite frequently.

 

[Nostalgia]

See page one of the "Operating a small AM station in a small town" handbook. We run one PSA per hour, usually some church, the Chamber of Commerce or Rotary, or some other local event.

 

[crainbebo]

Usually in Seattle I'll hear them on brokered AMs in the morning/afternoon, and AMs and some FMs late nights (midnight-5am).

-crainbebo

 

[davideduardo]

I think it's mostly the small/indie stations that use them.

WGN, WIND and WLS, Chicago use them.

A station in a large market I programmed for a group a number of years ago had a policy of running a local PSA 3 times an hour, live. They went ahead of the stopsets that did not open with the newscast's headline. And they ran 24/7. That is, until the legal and related folks started requiring documentation of non-profit status, a one month review period, etc. At that point, I stopped doing them as the only ones we could run were the wretched Ad Council things and stuff from the Red Cross that was oh so generic. We had sponsored a breast cancer marathon named after a cosmetic firm... and were told that we could not run it due to the commercialization of the name.

Our system had been to solicit community event notices by fax and email. We did church fund raisers. Car washes for the local service clubs. Health Fairs in city parts, the start of ESL classes, substance abuse programs, etc. Not every one connected to everybody, but if you listened, you heard something relevant to your lifestyle.

Now, it's Smokey the Bear and Just Say No, which get big yawns out of everybody.

 

[crainbebo]

Most common PSAs: Buzzed Driving, Smokey Bear, Childhelp (the one with the answering machine about "I'm not answering my phone because I'm abusing my children"), forests, School Nurse Association, some others.

-crainbebo

 

[butlerguy03]

One of the problems is the lack of quality PSA's sent to stations. I run a high school station and we have two breaks an hour, but our students are required to do the research, write and produce their own PSA's. Those run along with some AdCouncil and others, and often sound better.