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PSA Guide

 
 

 

PSA Reference Guide

If you've already read the information below, use the SUBMISSION FORM to send your Public Service Announcement to KINY. Otherwise, please take a few minutes to go over this, as it will significantly increase your chances of getting the most exposure for your event, meeting or issue. It only takes a couple of minutes, but will be well worth your time! Thank you.

 
This document is designed to assist you, your club, your agency or other organization in the preparation and distribution of Public Service Announcements (PSAs). While PSAs are often aired free by electronic media, many end up in the wastebasket before they're broadcast because they are hard to read, have basic information missing, or are sent too far in advance of the event. We'll give you a few pointers, followed by a simple form which can be filled out and submitted to us. (Please read "5." below before PSA submission.)

1. Include All Necessary Information While this may seem like a simple thing, you would be surprised to see the number of PSAs we receive which do not have a date for the event. They'll say "tonight," for example, but even if the PSA arrives via email or fax, we are uncertain of which night "tonight" it is. Include who is invited to attend, the date and hours of the event, the place where it will be held, the type of event, why it is taking place, and a contact number for both the public and the media. Keep it short. Long, full-page PSAs are rarely read due to time constraints.

2. Identify Yourself or Organization You should always identify yourself or organization clearly somewhere in your PSA. In many cases, this is evident from the information -- however, if is not, you should include it somewhere on the page.

3. Phonetic Pronunciations Many PSAs are skipped-over by broadcasters because names or places mentioned in them cannot be easily pronounced. Rather than sound illiterate or out-of-touch, announcers will often toss a PSA that does not include a phonetic pronunciation for easily confused proper names. Smith is Smith, for instance, but Smithe could be SMITH, SMYTH of SMITHEE. Without a guide, you'll either have a mispronounced name in your PSA when it's read on the air, or it won't get on the air at all. The proper way to show pronunciation is, for example, Smithee (pron: SMYTH'-EE).

4. Release Date It may seem like sending a PSA out to the electronic media as early as possible is the right way to go. But, much like sending out party invitations, "too early" can be detrimental. File folders fill up, events off the radar get pushed to the back, or the public loses interest before the event arrives. A good rule of thumb for electronic media is sending out your PSAs no sooner than a week before the event. And, do not include more than one date-specific event in each PSA! Multiple event PSAs are difficult to file chronologically and often get round-filed after information about the first event is broadcast. Also, TFNs (or ongoing PSAs) rarely if ever get broadcast because we can hardly keep up with the date-specific events. Always tie your PSA to a specific date.

5. Cost of broadcast As a general rule we are happy to broadcast -- at no charge -- meeting and event notices for civic and non-profit groups, or commercial organizations holding fundraising events for charitable causes. However, if you purchase advertising in other media we cannot air your announcements free of charge. (There is a misconception that because the FCC governs the technical aspects of radio, that we are somehow obligated to run free advertising for public service entities. The truth is, if you pay to put an ad in the paper or elsewhere, please don't ask us to run it for free. We're a business, too.)

6. Raffles Under Alaska state law, we are unable to promote raffles or other games of chance on the air, so please do not include them in your announcement. Also, avoid "door prizes" in your submission if you charge admission to an event (an admission fee constitutes "consideration," whereby a person must pay for the chance to win a prize). If your event is free to the public, this falls under the heading "no purchase necessary to win" and door (and other) prizes are allowed.

7. Submission Send your PSA to KINY using our SUBMISSION FORM.