TV Donates An Average Of 15 Seconds An Hour To Public Service Advertising.

A new national study on public service advertising finds that broadcast and cable television networks donate an average of 15 seconds an hour to air public service ads (PSAs), representing just under one-half of one percent (0.4%) of all airtime. By comparison, 25 percent of airtime is filled with paid advertising and promotions. A significant portion of the donated airtime (43%) is during the late night hours between midnight and 6 AM; nine percent is in prime time.

“Shouting to be Heard: Public Service Advertising in a New Media Age” was released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation at a forum of nonprofit groups, policymakers and media leaders brought together to discuss the future of public service advertising. The findings are based on one of the most comprehensive studies of PSAs ever conducted, including an analysis of a week’s worth of programming from each of ten broadcast and cable networks in seven different markets.

More than one in three (37%) PSAs that receive donated airtime address a child-related topic, such as children’s health care, parenting, education or mentoring. One out of every four donated PSAs (27%) is on a health-related topic.

The top four broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) donate an average of 17 seconds an hour to PSAs, including 5 seconds an hour during prime time (for a total of 15 seconds per network during the three hours of prime time). Cable networks donate an average of seven seconds per hour to PSAs, including eight seconds an hour in prime time. Univision, the dominant Spanish-language network, donates 48 seconds per hour, including 49 seconds an hour in prime time.

“PSAs have been critical to groups trying to reach the public on issues from putting on seatbelts to putting out cigarettes,” said Drew Altman, Ph.D., president of the Kaiser Family Foundation. “Whether you think the time donated to PSAs is a lot or a little to expect from the television industry, it’s definitely an uphill struggle to reach the public and have an impact with the amount of time available.”

In recent years, some groups have protested the use of network-sponsored campaigns featuring their own stars, calling them PSA-style promos, while others have defended this practice. The study found these PSAs account for 25% of all donated PSAs on the major broadcast networks. It also examined the length of PSAs and found that more than a third (37%) of the donated PSAs on the top four networks are 20 seconds or shorter in length.

When broadcasters are granted the use of public airwaves, they are legally required to “serve the public interest.” Although there is no mandate that PSAs be a part of this public interest requirement, they have long been considered one way to meet it. Cable networks have no legal obligation regarding the public interest.

BUYING AD TIME FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGES

Some public education campaigns are buying ad time rather than relying solely on donated airtime to get their messages heard. The study found that one in three (36%) TV spots that have public service messages are paid for (these paid ads are not included in the totals cited above). High profile campaigns that have turned to buying time include the “truth” antismoking campaign and that of the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy.

“As audiences scatter, TV and the Internet converge, and the use of paid PSAs grows, public service advertising may look very different in the future than it does today,” said Vicky Rideout, a vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “Opportunities to reach mass audiences may be more limited, but opportunities to target messages to particular groups may grow.”