How to Write Your Radio PSA and How to Get Your PSA On the Air

SAY WHAT?

Have an event, issue, accomplishment or cause to shout from the rooftops? Don't bother. Instead, ride the waves. The radio airwaves, that is.

Create a radio PSA (Public Service Announcement). There's less climbing involved, and you'll reach more people.

Download the COAHSi (Council on the Arts & Humanities for Staten Island) guide: "How to Write Your Radio PSA and How to Get Your PSA On the Air." That Assistance in Marketing guide, and other valuable content, are downloadable at StatenIslandArts.org >> Professional Development Resources. Although targeted to Staten Island artists, these resources are universally applicable.

WHAT ELSE?

COAHSi's guide is excellent, but I'll add these caveats:

• Airtime for non-profit PSAs is not always free; some radio stations and producers charge fees to air PSAs, although non-profits may qualify for discounts.


• PSAs are only means of getting broadcasat exposure. In fact, radio profiles, on-air interviews, infomercials, and regular, sponsored "tips" (such as those USPS sponsors on the Lisa Tolliver Show) garner more airtime than PSAs and may include interactions with listeners.

Want airtime on my radio shows? :

• First, visit - LisaTolliver.com to review the programming information and audience demographics.


• Then - Contact me:

Email - ltolliver AT 360meridian DOT com,

Telephone or fax - (01) 309 279 7528,

Or Send Mail to - 360 MERIDIAN, LLC, 648 Central Park Avenue, Scarsdale, NY 10583-2512 1 Wolfs Lane, Box 655, Pelham, NY 10803-9998 USA.

• Although I cannot guarantee airtime to everyone who requests it, I will review all pitches.

NOW WHAT?

If you like what you see at COHASi's website, StatenIslandArts.org, why not submit a contribution? COHASi (promounced "ko-see," like "go see" with a "k") is a non-profit organization with the mission "to develop, foster and promote the arts, cultural and humanities activities on Staten Island."

Similarly, if you like my work on air, online or on demand, why not support my creative, educational and cultural productions? They are made possible, in part, by support from The Field (dba Performance Zone: a non-profit arts service organization; they grow art!), USPS (they deliver!) and 360 MERIDIAN (they’re all around world class!).

IMPORTANT NOTES: Since I am a sponsored artist, contributions, donations and other support addressed to “The Field in care of Lisa Tolliver” are tax deductible. Sponsorship dollars qualify for matching funds, too, which can double, even triple, your money! Now THAT's worth shouting from the rooftops airwaves.

[See mini-podcast: "Give me a hand (or two)."]###

On May 6, many New Yorkers were caught between a run and some round places

Sunday, May 6 was a big day for many New Yorkers. Thousands of athletes, sports spectators and drivers within the New York metro area were affected. Whether picking from among the 35th annual Long Island Marathon, the 30th annual Five Boro Bike Tour, or the Yankees-Mariners Major League Baseball game to participate in or watch, or plotting a path of least resistance among the traffic-jammed down-state arteries, countless people were caught between a run and some round places.

The run, specifically the Long Island Marathon, started near and ended at one of my favorite sites in Nassau County (Eisenhower Park , formerly known as Salisbury Park). According to Wikipedia, the annual, 26.2-mile foot-race "was first run in 1970 as the "Earth Day Marathon" and was "renamed the Long Island Marathon in 1978." A half marathon (13.1 miles) was added in 1984 and a 10K run was added this year "to encourage greater participation in the event by providing a less vigorous run and one in which families can take part."

"2007 RexCorp Long Island Marathon Date Set for May 6" reports:

For the first time in its history, the marathon weekend will also incorporate a family-friendly "Kids’ Fun Run" at the Mitchel Athletic Complex as well as a "Museum Row Family Festival." Both activities are in the "Hub" area by the Nassau Coliseum.

Despite my fondness for Eisenhower Park, if I hadn't had to teach a course, and then go to bed to nurse a bug, I'd have made the rounds in the Five Boro Bike Tour. Bike New York says it's "the largest recreational cycling event in America." The proof is in the pedaling: 30,000 registered riders geared up to cyle around the 42-mile, traffic-free circuit around Manhattan, da Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island.

Northwest of Nassau County, the New York Yankees were hosting the Seattle Mariners at "the House that Ruth Built." The Yankees-Mariners Major League Baseball game at Yankee Stadium in da Bronx was probably the most-watched of the events, what with its capacity of 57,545 and international news and sports coverage, including MLB multimedia.

I didn't watch any of the events live, but was affected nonetheless - all the way up in Westchester County - by the resulting traffic tie-ups along the New York State Thruway System and its tributaries. I let radio traffic reports guide me and tried to be cool, calm and collected.

Traffic was not all that was congested. . Fortunately, my trusty tissue box and I reached our destination promptly and I kept my cool - and my voice - until class ended. Ironically, though, when I shut the books and doused the lights, my voice shut off, too.

Never fear, I'll lick the laryngitis by any means necessary; certainly no later than high noon on my next big day (Wednesday, May 9). That's when I'll interview dancer-teaching artist Tanya Calamoneri, Co-Director and Manager, Sponsored Artist Program and Co-Director of (Performance Zone, dba) The Field. Join us on the Lisa Tolliver Show on New York Radio WVOX 1460 AM and wvox.com.

PHOTO CREDITS:

Top Left: Commerce Bank Five Boro Bike Tour Logo.

Middle Right: Nassau County of Parks, Recreation and Museums. Caption: "The magnificent Veterans Memorial in Eisenhower Park pays tribute to those who have served the country."

Bottom Left: Yankee stadium exterior.jpg accessed at Yankee Stadium - Wikipedia.

Bottom Right: The Field logo.###