Public service announcements on radio and television are a valuable source of promotion for many charities and non-profit organizations. But because the advertising time is provided free of charge, the stations can run the spots at their discretion, which means that the messages don't always reach the organization's target audience.

Faced with this fact, United Way of the Minneapolis decided for the first time to purchase additional time for its advertising on Mpls.-St. Paul-area TV and radio.

"Public service announcements that show at 2 in the morning don't get a lot of response," says Pam Carlson, director of advertising and promotion for United Way of the Minneapolis area. "One of the main reasons we went paid was to have some control over when the messages are aired so we can reach the audience we want to reach."

Jim Boyle, director of marketing, United Way of the Minneapolis area, says that his organization isn't alone in its decision to pay for time; many other United Ways and non-profit organizations have turned to paid advertising. The availability of public service time has diminished as the TV stations have increased their self-promotion, he says, and in addition, the United Way's major fund drive begins in the fall, just when television stations are kicking their fall season promotion into high gear.

"As stations do more and more promotion, there is less and less public service time available at the time needed to reach our target audience, so control over when the message is shown is becoming more and more important," Boyle says.

A radio and TV campaign developed by Campbell Mithun Esty, using a gospel-influenced theme song, "Trouble Don't Come 'Round My Door," aired during slots purchased in prime time and prime time fringe on television and during drive-time slots on radio during the fall of 1989.

The television commercial showed a variety of scenes of peop...