PSA Scripting

General Information about PSAs

• Public Service Messages, or “PSAs,” at KDHX are available at no cost, but are restricted to serving 501c(3) not-for-profit organizations who wish to inform members of our community about the service that the organization provides.

• PSAs are limited to informational announcements that feature ongoing services and hotlines, and are NOT produced for date specific one-time or short-run events. These are handled by our Arts, Events and Concert Calendar.

• Messages are scripted according to the guidelines below, and are based on the content provided by the press release and/or announcement request. We will not run pre-produced PSAs, nor use copy provided verbatim. We choose to write our own version of the message according to our template to keep coverage from favoring one organization over another.

• PSAs messages are written and produced by volunteers, will include an instrumental music bed, will be :30 seconds in length, and will run randomly on our schedule at a frequency of approximately 4 times per day. A particular PSA stays in rotation for approximately 30 days before being replaced.

Writing a Script

To begin go to https://kdhx.org/utilities/psa/psa.cgi You might want to right click this link, and open it in a new tab.

The opening line should include a mention of the organization, and of the service that they provide.

• ex. "Your friends at KDHX want you to know about the Educational Opportunity Center’s Talent Search Program."

Construct a paragraph of one or two brief sentences, describing the sponsoring company and the service(s) that they provide.

• ex. “Dedicated to giving adults a second chance at education, the EOC St. Louis students make the best educational choices they can. They offer the Educational Talent Search Program, designed to help at-risk students complete high school and enter an institution of higher learning after graduation. The Program includes career counseling and financial aid advice.”

The next line will include contact information, re-stating the title of the organization/program, phone number and website, if the URL easily stated, always in a "passive" tone. (ex. “For more info, you may…” is required, instead of “Visit EOC dot ORG for more information.”)

• ex. “For more information on The EOC and the Talent Search program, EOC dot ORG.“

The wrap line includes our tagline and legal ID (ex. ”...88 1 KDHX, St. Louis”), but preferably mentions the sponsoring organization again, or the event/service title, if it is significantly more appropriate.

• ex. “Tell a friend you heard about the Educational Opportunity Center’s Talent Search Program on 88 1, KDHX St. Louis”

Special Notes

Use Phonetics: if something is challenging to pronounce, it is best to write out "fo-NET-ick-lee".

Website addresses should be as basic as is possible, or omitted completely. Always exclude the “www” at the beginning.

• ex. "www.ymca.org/events/9734597" use "ymca.org/events" or "ymca.org."

Use our standard opening and wrap lines:

• ex. “Your friends at KDHX want you to know about...” & “Tell your friends you heard about__on 88 1, KDHX St. Louis.”