Public Service / Town Crier / Community Calendar Announcement (PSA) Policy

[Download AMR’s PSA Policy as a PDF]

As a service to our community of listeners, Allegheny Mountain Radio (AMR) provides free on-air announcements about events, meetings, seminars, entertainment and arts activities. Public Service / Town Crier / Community Calendar Announcements (PSAs) are reserved for non-profit organizations and are considered on a first come, first served, space available basis. PSAs must be submitted by representatives of non-profit organizations and AMR reserves the right to request proof of non-profit status. AMR makes no guarantees concerning the time or frequency that any approved PSA will air.

All PSAs aired on AMR must meet strict federal rules, basically the same as underwriting announcements. PSAs that do not meet these guidelines will not be accepted. Among the elements that cannot be included in PSAs are:

  1. Prices
  2. Editorial Comments
  3. Claims or Comparisons
  4. Calls to Action

AMR does not air PSAs for events that are not open to the public or regularly scheduled events.

AMR does not air PSAs that promote openly partisan political events or issues. An event’s partisanship or lack thereof will be determined by AMR management.

AMR will not announce monthly meetings (except those associated with a governmental body), events for profit-making businesses, or events that may only affect a very small portion of the region.

AMR does not air PSAs for regularly scheduled religious services. We do promote concerts, recitals, classes, lectures, and other secular events presented by churches or religious organizations.

AMR does not air PSAs that are direct appeals for funds, even by non-profit organizations. We do air PSAs for fundraising events that benefit non-profit organizations but the name of the beneficiary must be limited to something like: “proceeds to benefit organization name”.

AMR does not allow the mention of an event’s sponsor(s) in a PSA, even if it is part of the official name of the event.

AMR reserves the right to reject any request for a Public Service / Town Crier / Community Calendar (PSA) announcement. No announcement will air as both a Public Service and a Town Crier / Community Calendar announcement.

The following list includes some of the words and phrases that are either comparative, price related, or calls to action, and that are not allowable on AMR.

Unacceptable words and phrases are in no particular order and should not be considered to be a complete list of all words and phrases that are not acceptable:

  • first (“…first annual…” is okay) best
  • finest
  • number one
  • discount or discounted
  • price
  • specially priced
  • free
  • call us
  • come and…
  • visit
  • buy purchase
  • don’t
  • better than
  • more interesting
  • your money
  • get your…
  • hurry and get…
  • fundraiser
  • auction
  • silent auction
  • sale
  • close out
  • bring
  • savings
  • dig in
  • stay for
  • your only…
  • flea market
  • sale
  • fee
  • low cost
  • raffle
  • any word preceded by “most”
  • fantastic

Non-Profit Announcement Options

Allegheny Mountain Radio provides three options for non-profit organizations wishing to promote events.

  1. PSAs / Town Crier – These are a free service of AMR. We have very strict guidelines about their content and we cannot offer any guarantee of time or frequency of broadcast.
  2. Traditional Underwriting – AMR offers special discounted pricing for non-profit organizations. Traditional underwriting can guarantee your organization a specific amount of on-air mentions during a specified period of time.
  3. Sponsored Underwriting – This allows a local business to sponsor your non-profit’s event promotion. We can provide your organization with information to provide a potential event promotion sponsor or AMR can do it for you. Your organization gets its information out over-the-air with each announcement ending with “this message underwritten by company, town”. Your organization receives a specific amount of on-air mentions during a specified period of time.

Federal underwriting regulations apply to all three options and each option can be no longer than 30 seconds in length.

How to submit a Town Crier / Community Calendar request:

Town Crier announcement requests can be in any format and may be submitted via email, fax or regular mail. Requests must include detailed contact information in case we need to contact you. AMR does not accept Town Crier requests over the telephone.

Your request for a Town Crier announcement should include the “who, what, when, where, why” basics:

  • Who is sponsoring the event?
  • What is the event?
  • When will the event be held (date/time)?
  • Where will the event be held?
  • Why is the event taking place?

AMR strongly suggests that Town Crier announcement requests be submitted a minimum of 10 days in advance of the event. Town Crier announcements will start one week prior to the date of the event. The more lead time we have the better chance of your Town Crier announcement getting air time.

How to Submit a Public Service Announcement (PSA) request:

PSAs may be submitted via email, fax or regular mail and must include detailed contact information in case we need to contact you. AMR does not accept PSAs requests over the telephone. AMR strongly suggests that PSAs be submitted a minimum of four weeks in advance of the event. We like to start PSAs two weeks before the event to give listeners plenty of chance to plan for the event. The more lead time we have the better chance of your PSA getting air time. PSAs submitted 10 days or less before the scheduled date of the event will not be considered.

PSAs must be as close as possible to but not longer than 30 seconds and should be submitted in finished written form, not as bullet points or a press release. This means roughly 30 seconds of written copy (70-85 words) or a passage of type-written text that would take 30 seconds to read aloud at a normal pace. All PSAs must be voiced by a representative of the non-profit organization, not a member of AMR Staff. Pre-produced PSAs are not accepted under any circumstances. AMR reserves the right to edit all PSAs for time and/or content.

When your final PSA script has been approved you will be given a choice of available recording times. AMR will then do the final editing and/or production to get your PSA ready to air.

Tips For Great PSAs:

Format your PSA with the “who, what, when, where, why” basics:

  • Who is sponsoring the event?
  • What is the event?
  • When will the event be held (date/time)?
  • Where will the event be held?
  • Why is the event taking place?

Be careful using e-mail addresses or telephone numbers, people don’t remember them. A web address is good if you have one. But do not list an e-mail address and a telephone number or multiple telephone numbers. They will get lost in the message.

While your PSA does not have to adhere to any particular order, if you make sure these basics are answered in a logical flow, your message will be communicated more clearly to the listeners.

Here is an example of a PSA that meets the guidelines:

“Hello, I’m Jane Doe from the XYZ organization. Our annual spring concert will be Saturday, April 23rd at 6 PM at the Highland County Fairgrounds. This year we are featuring the music of ABC Band. Lawn chairs, coolers and blankets will keep you comfortable under the night sky. Information at 555-555-1234.”
Here’s an example of the same one that is not allowable:

“Hello, I’m Jane Doe from the XYZ organization, one of the leading organizations of its kind. Our fantastic annual spring concert will be Saturday, April 23rd at 6 PM at the Highland County Fairgrounds. This year we are featuring the country’s favourite artist, the award winning, ABC Band. Lawn chairs, coolers and blankets will keep you comfortable under the night sky. Please call at 555-555-1234.

Submit your PSA / Town Crier requests to:

Pocahontas County – Sage Tanguay, c/o Allegheny Mountain Radio, 9836 Browns Creek Road, Dunmore, WV 24934 or email sage@amrmail.org or fax 304-799-7444

Bath County – Danny Cardwell, c/o Allegheny Mountain Radio, PO Drawer G, Hot Springs, VA 24445 or email danny@amrmail.org or fax 540-839-5403

Highland County – Scott Smith, c/o Allegheny Mountain Radio, PO Box 431, Monterey, VA 24465 or email scott@amrmail.org or fax 540-468-1233

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