1. Public Service
Announcements

2. What is a PSA?
• A message broadcast on radio, television, print
media, or the Internet.
• Intended to modify public attitudes by raising
awareness about specific issues.
• Part of a public awareness campaign to inform or
educate the public about an issue such as
smoking or compulsive gambling.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_service_announcement

3. As Defined by the FCC
• “Any announcement (including network) for which
no charge is made and which promotes programs,
activities, or services of federal, state, or local
governments (e.g., recruiting, sale of bonds, etc.)
or the programs, activities or services of non-profit
organizations (e.g., United Way, Red Cross blood
donations, etc.) and other announcements
regarded as serving community interests,
excluding time signals, routine weather
announcements and promotional
announcements."
http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=publicservic

4. A Short History of PSA’s

5. Came into being with the
entry of the United The Beginning of
States into World War II. PSA’s
Radio broadcasters and
advertising agencies
offered their skills and
facilities toward the war
effort and established
the War Advertising
Council which became
the official home front
propaganda arm of the
Office of War
Information. http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=publicservic

6. Rosie the
Riveter
According to the
Encyclopedia of
American Economic
History, the "Rosie the
Riveter" movement
increased the number
of working American
women to 20 million by
1944, a 57% increase
from 1940.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosie_the_Riveter

7. The Ad Council
• By the end of the war, the practice of volunteering free air
time had become institutionalized as had the renamed
Advertising Council, which now served as a facilitating
agency and clearing house for nationwide campaigns which
soon became a familiar part of daily life.
• "Smokey the Bear" was invented by the Ad Council to
personify its "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires" campaign
• "A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste" raised millions for the
United Negro College Fund
• The American Cancer Society's "Fight Cancer with a
Checkup and a Check" raised public awareness as well as
funds for research and patient services.
http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=publicservic

8. “Only YOU can prevent forest fires”

9. “A Mind is a Terrible Thing to
Waste.”

10. The Fairness Doctrine
• The ultimate demonstration of the effectiveness of public
service announcements came in 1969. Two years earlier, a
federal court upheld the FCC's application of the Fairness
Doctrine to cigarette advertising on radio and television, and
ordered stations to broadcast "a significant amount of time" for
anti-smoking messages.
• This effectively meant one PSA for every three tobacco
commercials. The PSAs proved so effective that smoking rates
began to decline for the first time in history, the tobacco
industry withdrew all cigarette advertising, and Congress made
such advertising illegal after 1971.
• Public health professionals credit the PSAs with having saved
many millions of lives by initiating the decline in American
smoking.
http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=publicservic

11. “This Is Your Brain on Drugs”
• The Advertising Media Partnership for a Drug-free America
was set up by a group of media and advertising agency
executives, spearheaded by Capital Cities Broadcasting
Company, then completing the take-over of ABC.
• Rallying unprecedented support, the organization mounted
the largest public service campaign ever. Indeed, at its
height, with more than S365 million a year worth of print
lineage and airtime, it rivaled the largest advertising
campaign.
• During the first years of the campaign, its research team
documented considerable difference in attitudinal and
behavioral change among young people.
http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=publicservic

12. The Goal of a PSA
The goal of a PSA is to get someone to ACT, or change their
BEHAVIOR.

13. Components of a PSA
• Target Audience
• Message
• Organization
• Tag Line

14. Target Audience
• It is important to think about the intended audience of your PSA.
• What elements you include, as well as how you present the information, will vary
based on your target audience.
• Demographics to think about:
• Age
• Gender
• Race
• Socioeconomic Class
• Education
• Sexuality
• Geographic Location
• Values and Morals
• Interests (sports, entertainment, etc.)
• Religion
• Politics

15. Message
• Without a clear message, the PSA is not useful to
the viewer.
• Examples of messages include:
• Don’t drink and drive
• Drugs are unhealthy and destructive
• Failing to put out a campfire can cause a forest fire

16. Organization
• At the end of a PSA, it’s important to put contact
information for a local or national organization.
This allows the viewer an opportunity to contact
someone for more information or help.

17. Tag Line
• A tag line is a catchy one-sentence slogan that is
stated toward the end of the PSA
• It should be easy to remember
• Keep it short and simple!
“Only YOU can prevent forest fires!”
“Got Milk?”
“This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Any
questions?”