May 31, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
Many charity advertisements play during key viewing and listening hours, a study by West Glen Communications, in New York, found.
Only 32 percent of 120,048 television charity ads and 40 percent of 9,478 radio charity ads tracked in the study ran during the dead hours of the night.
Even so, television stations remain stingy with prized time slots: Only 2 percent of public-service announcements play from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. But radio stations play a quarter of their announcements during key driving times, 6 to 10 a.m and 3 to 7 p.m.
Misconceptions that public-service ads run mostly in the dead of night are understandable, says Annette I. Minkalis, senior vice president of broadcast services at West Glen.
“A PSA typically airs during unfilled commercial space, and most advertisers don’t want early-morning space,” she says. Therefore, charities can most easily get their messages out between infomercials and other soporifics.
But broadcasters can write off time they donate to nonprofit groups, giving them incentive to air announcements. And while charities cannot control exactly when ads appear, they can find stations willing to sneak in brief spots during more expensive daytime and evening slots — especially if charities provide both 15- and 30-second spots to give program directors choices, Ms. Minkalis says.
Charities should also send “dated” announcements (“It’s national dog month”) five weeks in advance and not look to pack the airwaves during months that are used to determine ratings, a time when many broadcasters promote their own programs. In addition, announcements for children are quite likely to play during the day. In fact, says Ms. Minkalis, “stations love kids’ PSA’s.”
For more information about the study, contact Annette Minkalis or Karen Crow at West Glen Communications, 1430 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10018; (800) 325-8677.
