Home / Buy View Slides Free Slides Links Contact  

PSAs

What is a Public Service Announcement?

A PSA is basically a free advertisement by a nonprofit organization. It can be broadcast on TV or radio, or run in print media. PSAs are normally thought of in terms of broadcasting.

A more long-winded definition comes from the FCC, which says a Public Service Announcement is "an announcement for which no charge is made and which promotes programs, activities, or services of federal, state, or local governments or the programs, activities, or services of non-profit organizations and other announcements regarded as serving community interests."

Requirements for PSAs

  • You must be tax exempt (not a problem for churches).
  • You can't mention sponsors or businesses.
  • The event must be open to the public, and should have a broad appeal.
  • The FCC requires that the name of the nonprofit sponsor be mentioned in the script or appear on the TV screen.

Submitting PSAs

  • Send a PSA to a TV or radio station in the same way you would submit a news release. However, a PSA script must be very short--enough to take a mere 10 or 15 seconds of air time.
  • Type one PSA per page, on just one side.
  • Double or triple space.
  • Use regular white paper.
  • Type in upper and lower case letters. Use all-caps only to emphasize words which, when spoken, should be emphasized.
  • Stations don't want to spend a lot of time producing PSAs. However, a staff announcer might record your announcement.
  • If it's a TV station, you can include a color slide that tells something about your church or the event. Slides can be designed on a computer in programs like PowerPoint. If your announcement is used, the script will be read while the slide is displayed on-screen.
  • Allow several weeks for the PSA to appear. It's got to go through several levels of evaluation and approval.
  • Remember: you don't have control over how the station words your PSA or when they use it. If you want control over the content and placement, buy an ad.

A PSA May Not Include Your Church

Stations give a certain amount of airtime to public service, but the station decides what form that public service takes. It could go toward promoting civic events, or take the form of a weekly issues-oriented show.

Some stations exclude churches altogether from PSAs--not because they're against churches, but because there are so many churches or for other reasons.

No Hint of Commercialism

You can't mention that McDonald's is donating lemonade. You can't mention any fees you'll charge to cover expenses (a dinner theatre for which you sell tickets won't qualify as a PSA). You can't even say, "The church is located one block east of McKinley Bank & Trust."

Sample PSA Format

 

 

Fountain Community Church
1234 East Walnut Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46804
555-2299

 

Contact: Jim Tucker (555-7724)

Time: 20 seconds
Words: 45

 

 

Start Date: March 7
End Date: March 14
A new singles group will hold its kickoff meeting Friday night, March 14, at Fountain Community Church. Come check out the group and enjoy some free refreshments and entertainment. The church is located at 1234 East Walnut Street in Huntington. For more information, call 555-2299.