Radio is an extremely segmented medium; stations vary greatly in their appeals to different demographic audiences based on their format and content. For example, ads seeking financial support should be directed to stations with listeners in the highest income categories. For a recruitment campaign designed to attract Club members, PSAs should be sent only to stations that appeal to young listeners.

As with TV, get to know the public service director of each local radio station and ask what the station’s policies and preferences are regarding PSAs.

Find out the following:

• Does the station run PSA announcements? (Most do)
• If so, do they use pre-recorded spots? If yes, what types? (Narration/dialog? Musical? What kind of music?)
• Do they use scripts for announcers to read live?
• How long do they use a particular PSA spot, script or overall campaign?

Some stations will run general awareness campaigns, some prefer only dated announcements about specific events, and others will use both. Find out what stations in your area prefer in order to gain maximum exposure and avoid wasting time and money.