Roland Via is a host at Ormond Beach-based radio station Goliath Radio 1380 AM. His show, the “Via Report”, airs Mondays through Fridays from 2 to 4:15 pm and Saturdays from 7 to 10 am. He gave Area 44 Governor Gene Kowalski, Assistant Area 44 Governor Christine Langley, and EduSpeakers' VP Education Lynn Kruse a few tips on how to promote Toastmasters International on local radio.
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| Roland Via's website - rolandvia.com - announcing "E. Kowalski + Toastmasters District 84" |
Roland Via: The best way for Toastmasters to get radio coverage is to submit a PSA (Public Service Announcement)*. Submit your PSA to any station you would like to broadcast your message. Also ask to see if there is a show you could be a guest on to promote Toastmasters and the event.
Toastmasters International offers our clubs a selection of PSAs we can use. What if we would like to specifically announce a certain local event?
Roland Via: In that case, call the station and ask for the station’s Public Information Assistant PIA). You can create your own PSA at the station under the PIA’s guidance. Make sure to have your script ready in advance. The message should be about 20 to 50 seconds in length so the station can add their aprox. 10-second tag. Ask the studio to put your recorded message on a CD for you. That way you'll be able to submit your PSA to any station, not just the one that you made the recording at.
What advice would you give us for live, on-air events?
Roland Via: Schedule to be on the show a week in advance of the event. If you announce the event too close to the event, it doesn't allow people to plan ahead. Then, as the event gets closer, call in during an “open mike” session and remind the audience that the event is coming.
Thanks a lot, Roland, for your tips!
More information on PSAs and Toastmasters International resources:
*What is a PSA?
A Public Service Announcement is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge. PSAs usually promote programs, activities or services provided by governments or non-profit organizations. For many non-profit organizations, PSAs are an important way to promote their messages via the media, as many of them do not have large media budgets to cover the costs of air time or ad space.
Where does Toastmasters International provide PSAs which I could use to promote our organization in my area?
Toastmasters International currently offers five audio PSA files in the Media Center on toastmasters.org. Under “Multimedia”, you'll find the “Audio and Video Gallery”, or simply click on this link: http://mediacenter.toastmasters.org/videos
The MP3 files titled “Brick Wall,” “Education,” “Success,” “Live Your Dreams,” and “Fear of Speaking” are from 25 to 28 seconds long. They cover different topics and target groups. You can view the scripts in the “PSA scripts” PDF file. The MP3s can be downloaded from the site and forwarded to your local radio station. The announcements promote Toastmasters International and invite the public to find a local club at toastmasters.org.
For TV or online media, you will also find a video PSA, which you can view online and download as FLV or MOV files.
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