Public Service Announcements
Marfa Public Radio airs public service announcements or PSAs as part of its mission to serve listeners in West Texas. These messages air on our livestream and on our radio stations.
Messages that have an affinity with our community, audience, and the common good are eligible to become a PSA, such as:
- Cultural, educational, environmental, civic engagement, pet, weather, recovery, and health-related messages.
- Fundraising events being held by and for non-profits (to the extent of FCC regulations) that do not have a cover charge.
If your message does not fit into either of these categories, Marfa Public Radio has underwriting opportunities available to spread the word of your event or business across West Texas. Learn more about Underwriting at Marfa Public Radio.
Unfortunately, Marfa Public Radio can not air PSAs that fall into some categories:
- Political announcements
- Promotion for commercial events or businesses, or other events where there is an emphasis on 'selling' or 'bidding'
- Promotion that includes a solicitation for funds, a solicitation for volunteers to solicit funds, or for promoting a "members only" event
- Messages that contain event sponsors
- Events with a cover charge
- Specific job postings
- Pre-recorded PSAs produced by other entities, community calendar announcements, and live-read scripts
Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have strict guidelines for PSAs airing on a station like ours. Please keep these guidelines in mind when you submit your announcement:
- PSAs can not include an inducement to buy, sell, rent or lease
- PSAs may not contain price information, including fees, or references including “free,” “sale,” “half-price” or “discount.” If an event is free, it’s permissible to indicate that it's “open to the public.”
- PSAs may not be for commercial purposes. If it involves money or measurable benefit, the recipient must have 501(c)(3) status. PSAs for fundraisers at commercial establishments will not be accepted, even if a portion of the funds are donated to charity
- PSAs can not contain comparative or qualitative language, like “the best in our area,” or “the most popular…"
- PSAs may not contain a call to action, such as “be sure to attend” or “hurry in today.”
Please proofread before submitting information for a PSA. We can not always check the details of an event and do not take responsibility for inaccurate information.
Marfa Public Radio reserves the right to determine which PSAs will be selected for broadcast.
Because PSAs are not underwriting spots, we cannot predict when or how many times they will be heard.
The FCC does allow us to provide specific air times and different language guidelines for underwriters. See our Underwriting Information Page.
Questions about a PSA? Email us at business@marfapublicradio.org
Underwriters of Marfa Public Radio can:
- Customize their messaging with our team.
- Underwrite specific programs heard in Marfa, Midland, Odessa, Alpine, Fort Davis, Marathon, and Presidio.
- Receive confirmation of what days and times their messages aired or will air.