PSAs

What are PSAs?

Public service announcements, or PSAs, are short messages* produced on film or audio files and given to radio and television stations.

• Generally, PSAs are sent as ready-to-air audio or video files, although radio stations sometimes prefer a script that their announcers can read live on the air. 

• PSAs can be done very simply with a single actor reading or performing a message, or they can be elaborate, slickly-produced messages with music, dramatic story-lines, and sound or visual effects.

• Broadcast media -- radio and television -- are required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to serve "in the public interest." Most stations use PSAs as one of the ways they meet this requirement. 

  • Because PSAs depend on donated time, they often run as "filler" in the middle of the night or during other times when only a few people are listening or watching.

* PSA segments usually are 10, 15, 20, or 30 seconds in length. They must be made this length so the producer can fit them together to add up to 60 (the number of seconds in a minute).