NAB Announces PSAs Focused on Mental Health Wellness

RADIO ONLINE | Monday, May 4, 2020

National Association of Broadcasters

The National Association of Broadcasters has announced new public service announcements are available for local radio and TV stations focused on a message of hope and encouragement for Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The PSAs direct people to WeAreBroadcasters.com/Hope, which provides mental health resources and tips for practicing wellness. The new PSAs for radio are available here.

The spots are part of NAB's Coronavirus Response Toolkit, an online resource launched in early March to help broadcast radio stations cover COVID-19 and prepare for the impact on their staff, community and business. The PSAs provide a message that it is normal to feel overwhelmed, sad, anxious and afraid, and encourages people to pay attention to their mental health in addition to their physical wellbeing. They are available in 15- and 30-second spots and in English and Spanish. The TV spots are closed captioned.

"The response by local broadcasters to NAB's PSA campaign educating the public about the dangers of COVID-19 has been truly overwhelming," said NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith. "During times of emergency, America's broadcasters have always provided critical information to keep families and communities safe. Now, as many Americans' struggle emotionally during these trying times, I encourage TV and radio stations to air these public service announcements that connect people with the help they need."

NAB previously launched a PSA campaign on March 12 with spots about how local communities can help prevent the spread of COVID-19. To date, broadcasters have aired the PSAs over 411,000 times for an estimated ad value of more than $90 million. In addition to NAB's PSA campaign, many radio outlets have produced and aired their own public service announcements, which are not included in these statistics.