Public service announcements : an analysis of their use by selected Los Angeles area radio stations

Includes bibliographical references (pages 94-95)The purpose of this study was to provide objective data relevant to the use of public service announcements by selected radio stations in a major market during the mid-1970's.\ud Data were gathered from radio program logs at thirteen stations to determines (1) what percent of air time was devoted to public service announcements; (2) what was the length (in seconds) of most public service announcements aired; (3) what topic areas were aired most frequently; (4) whether public service announcements originated from local sources more often than from other sources; and (5) when public service announcements were aired.\ud Results of the study indicated that: (1) an average of about 1.2 percent of air time was devoted to public service announcements; (2) most public service announcements were less than thirty seconds in length; (3) the most popular topic areas were: social services, health and safety, government agency services, and education; (4) more public service announcements originated from local sources than from others; and (5) 44.1 percent of public service announcements were aired between midnight and 6 A.M.\ud The study also revealed that among the criteria used by public service directors to select public service announcements for airing were the followings: (1) was the information appropriate to that station's primary listening audience; (2) was the source serving the station's geographic coverage area; and (3) did the public service announcement meet a community need