How to get “On the Air”
Becoming
a PCM Local Contact…
Very
simply, it means that the members of the Presbyterian
Council for Media would like your help. In doing so,
you will be representing the Presbyterian Church and, more
importantly, The Church universal as you visit with radio
personnel in your own community. It is a local
missions and outreach opportunity with tremendous potential
to make a difference in the lives of many people in your
community! You will be offering radio stations some public
service announcements which are geared to the everyday
needs of members of their community. These materials
reflect the concepts of the reformed theology which the
Presbyterian community professes. And which is
offered in a gentle, caring method. Materials for use
by these stations will be provided to you free for use at
your discretion on the radio stations in your area.
What
to expect... How to respond!
Broadcasters are busy
people. They are sometimes inundated with requests
for public service announcements to be scheduled.
They are often wary of persons representing "religious"
groups.
Be sensitive to station
personnel as individuals. Try to dispel any
misconceptions and poor images which the person may have of
the "religious broadcaster." Realize that these are
professionals with whom you are speaking. Show an
active interest in their problems and concerns.
Indicate, by your actions, your high regard for their
work.
Some personnel may be totally
unreceptive to your proposals. If so, be accepting of
their position. Thank them for their time, and try to
keep the door open for future visits rather than base
everything on this one production. Ask for
suggestions that would be better for their
format.
Take them information about the
Presbyterian Council for Media (PCM)--the PCM website is
the best place to start. Point out past productions
and the artists who have appeared on these. Let them
know that the current catalog of PSA’s are available
for download from the PCM website (www.councilformedia.org).
Your personal contact with
each station is some of the best advertising the Church
can have! Thank you for your time and involvement!
How
it works!
Being
a PCM local contact is very easy! All it takes is for you
to give us your contact information and for us to give you
the materials needed to get started which include this
flyer and a copy of any CD collection you wish to have.
What
to do!
(Always
use your discretion as to the following guidelines.
Some of the stations will not respond well to every single
step. Feel your way, and use your intuition and
experience as to what is best for individual stations and
personnel).
1.
Become
knowledgeable about your station(s). Know what kinds
of programs it schedules and what kinds of audience it
serves--format and target audiences. (This is
available on the internet (www.radio-info.com).
The PCM office can also help you obtain this information).
2.
Listen to the PCM
spots and see if it is something you feel would benefit
your community. If your reaction is favorable, plan
when you feel this material would be most useful (time of
day, etc). The more thinking you can do for the
station the more likely you are to get the results you are
looking for.
3.
Make an appointment
with an official of the station to talk with him/her and to
play the material you have just reviewed.
4.
When you meet with
the station personnel, be sure to take the CD of spots with
you. This may sound obvious but just imagine going to a
meeting to play something for them and not having it with
you!
5.
Explain about PCM
and its passion for simply bringing a word of hope to a
hopeless world. Tell him/her that you feel these are
messages which would be helpful to this radio station's
listening audience.
6.
Play your CD for the station personnel. Be sure to
highlight specific messages within the spots which you feel
may be especially applicable to the listeners of that
station.
7.
Ask if the station will schedule these messages as public
service material. Because of changes in the Federal
Communication Commission regulations, the stations are no
longer required to carry a certain amount of public service
announcement material, but many stations still want to
carry those things of interest to their listeners.
Present your thoughts briefly and quickly. Permit the
broadcaster to react. Don't be defensive.
8.
If the station refuses to carry these as a public service,
check to see how much that station would charge to buy the
broadcast time. If you are so inclined, you may wish
to seek a church, Council of Churches or Ministerial Group
to purchase the time to broadcast the messages. (PCM can
produce specialized tags for local churches, etc. for a
modest donation.)
9.
Thank the station personnel for his/her time, interest and
cooperation and go on to another station to see what
arrangements can be made.
10.
Check back with the station as often as you are able to see
how the material is being used, what suggestions the
station has, and what their needs are for the future.
11.
Ask persons who
hear the spots on the air to call the station, mentioning
that they have heard the messages and thanking the station
for carrying them.