PSA Submissions

Please read these Public Service Announcement guidelines completely before submitting.

What is a public service announcement (PSA)? Marfa Public Radio airs Public Service Announcements as part of our mission to serve our listeners and community. PSAs submitted to Marfa Public Radio should have information that is of direct relevance and benefit to listeners in our broadcast area. PSAs are brief—only 30 seconds.

Marfa Public Radio welcomes PSAs that have an affinity with our community, audience, and the common good, such as: 1.) Concerts and other musical events; 2.) Cultural, educational, environmental, civic, pet, weather, recovery, and health-related events; 3.) Fundraising events (to the extent of FCC regulations) .

Marfa Public Radio will carefully consider, but may not accept, PSAs for the following: 1.) Events that have narrow appeal to a small or specialized constituency (e.g., high school reunions, meetings of astrophysicists); 2.) Religious events, excluding concerts and other non-religious events at churches, synagogues, and other religious venues, or temporary relocation of services. 3.) Routine or regular meetings of an organization.

Marfa Public Radio does not air: 1.) Political announcements 2.) PSAs for commercial events or businesses, or other events where there is an emphasis on 'selling' or 'bidding'; 3.) PSA's including a solicitation for funds, a solicitation for volunteers to solicit funds, or for promoting a "members only" event; 4.) Marfa Public Radio does not mention event sponsors within the script of any PSA.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have established strict guidelines for PSAs. These guidelines must be firmly adhered to. Please keep these guidelines in mind when you submit your announcement for consideration to Marfa Public Radio: 1.) Announcements may not include an inducement to buy, sell, rent or lease; 2.) Announcements 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.” If an event requires tickets, the PSA may tell listeners where tickets are available; 4.) Announcements may not be for commercial purposes. If it involves money or measurable benefit, the recipient must have 501(c)(3) status. Announcements for fundraisers at commercial establishments will not be accepted, even if a portion of the funds are donated to charity; 5.) Announcements may not contain comparative or qualitative language, like “the best in our area,” or “the most popular…"; 6.) Announcements may not contain a call to action, such as “be sure to attend” or “hurry in today.”

PSA requests must be self-submitted by entering the event information online at least two weeks before the event date. Timely submission makes it more likely for your PSA to be considered for broadcast. The station does not check the details of an event, and does not take responsibility for inaccurate information. Please proofread before submitting information for a PSA. Due to the volume of PSA information we receive, Marfa Public Radio cannot accept submissions via telephone, fax, or mail. Please do not send press releases, brochures, calendars, and posters for Marfa Public Radio to convert into PSAs.

PSA's are either read live by an on-air host or are run in the form of staff-produced pre-recorded announcements. PSA's are kept in rotation for no more than two weeks, and generally do not air during Marfa Public Radio’s on-air fund drives. Marfa Public Radio does not air pre-recorded PSAs produced by other entities, community calendar announcements, and live-read scripts.

Marfa Public Radio reserves the right to determine which PSAs will be selected for broadcast. We are unable to determine in advance how often, if, or when your PSA will air. Because PSAs are a free service, Marfa Public Radio fills orders for paid underwriting announcements first. To learn more about the community benefits of underwriting, or to establish guaranteed announcements during specified times, please see our Underwriting Information Page.