What topics do media gatekeepers find most helpful?
Local issues! Local issues! Local issues! Like politics, all PSAs should have a local angle. Think about this question the way a local broadcaster would. My interest as a TV public service director is to increase my station’s ratings because our advertising income depends on ratings. So, my challenge is to do whatever I can to reach my local viewers. To do that, I’ve got to interpret what local issues matter to my viewers and then use PSAs and other programming to serve these interests. Far too many producers miss this point, and focus upon great creative and national or international messages that don’t serve the gatekeeper’s local interest. That’s why they call them gatekeepers….you need to know what they want…how they think…what their boss wants them to do… in order to design campaigns with impact and relevance. There are many articles on the Broadcasters Cafe section of our site that speak to this issue, including one entitled Public Service Promotion: More Than Just Anothe
