Call
To Action • Service
By Mail/EMail • Twelve Concepts
PI Planner
At the 2005 World Service Business Conference, the Public Information (PI) Committee
developed a PI Planner to provide a monthly PI focus or theme along with three to five
suggestions for activities that might support each theme. See the explanatory letter for more details.
Click here for the PI Planner in Spanish
Click here for the PI Planner in French
Spreading the Word
Getting the word out in your community
about OA's program of recovery is critical for the OA Fellowship
to continue. The PI (Public Information) Suggestions page offers
guidance to OA groups and service bodies for educating their
communities about the existence of OA.
For guidance in publicizing your meetings, download
the PDF file Let
People Know About Your Meeting*.
One way to get the word out to professionals
in your community is to ask a professional who you know supports
OA to write an article for publication in the Courier, a newsletter sent annually to professionals worldwide. For extra
support in working with professionals in your community, see Appendix
1 of the Professional Outreach Manual, provided here as a PDF file for your convenience.
PDF files require Acrobat Reader. If you don't have Acrobat installed
on your computer, go to the Help page
for instructions on how to download this free tool.
Do you have a good idea about Public Information?
Did you have a successful PI event in your area? Submit your
ideas to the WSO for publication on this page, and check back
regularly for updates.
Would you like a pamphlet or booklet about
OA directed to the overweight child for distribution at a health
fair or conference? Click on Billy's
Story to download the pamphlet or The
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous: A
Kid's View to download
the booklet (PDF files).
Twelve Steps to Getting OA's Public Service Announcement
(PSA) Aired on Radio and TV Stations
OA's PSA, "It's
Not What You're Eating, It's What's Eating You," received
the 1996 Award of Distinction from the National Communicator
Awards. Here's how to get our PSA on the air:
- Call your local TV and radio stations
and ask to speak with the public service or public affairs
director at each station. When calling, don't forget about
cable TV stations;
many small communities have cable systems that run PSAs.
Large metropolitan areas will often have a local broadcasters
association.
Nonprofit groups may have to go through this association
to get a clearance — a special number assigned to each
organization — which
can be used at all area stations. In areas with few TV stations,
it is important that local meetings coordinate their approaches
to avoid confusion.
- Tell the public affairs director that
you are submitting a PSA on behalf of the nonprofit organization
Overeaters Anonymous.
- If the station requires further proof
of OA's nonprofit status, write to WSO and we will send you
a copy of our tax-exemption letter. (Note: Groups and intergroups
can't use this letter to establish their own tax-exempt status.)
- Ask which format the TV station uses.
(Radio stations use compact disks.) Network television and
most cable stations usually use BetaCam SP. TV stations in
countries
other than the USA often use the PAL format. Be sure to write
this information down when speaking to each station, since
formats often vary; you will need specific information when
ordering
your PSAs. Be aware that stations often don't want tapes "on
loan," which leaves them with the responsibility of returning
them to you. You have three options when purchasing the PSA:
(1) buy enough original tapes for all the TV stations on which
you want the PSA to air, and buy a VHS version for your own viewing;
(2) prearrange with a TV station to duplicate your tape for all
your uses, and give the duplicates to the TV stations; or (3)
find a private studio that will reproduce the PSA for you. You
will be expected to pay the TV station or private studio for
duplication services. Prices for this service can vary widely
and may be more than the cost to purchase originals from the
WSO. Copyright permission to duplicate the PSA for airing is
not required, as long as the copies are not intended for resale.
- Ask the public affairs director if
the station will accept a professionally produced PSA, or
if they would prefer to dub over our video (some stations insist
on using the voices of their own anchor-people). If this
is the
case, you can send the station our script (included with
the PSA) along with the tape. If any changes are made to the
PSA,
request to listen to or see it before it is aired.
- Ask if the station is equipped to add
your local intergroup's phone number instead of or in addition
to the WSO phone number provided on the tape. If the station
is unable to do so, the PSA will direct interested people
to call the World Service Office in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
- Use the order form included in the
OA literature catalog or call the WSO to order the PSAs your
local stations require.
- Send the PSA for copying, or send a
copy of the PSA, to the public affairs directors you have
spoken with. Enclose the script with the PSA, as well as a
letter on
why the station should air the PSA (see page IV-8 in the
PI Manual for a sample letter you can adapt). It would also
be a good idea
to send an informative pamphlet; we recommend About
OA.
- Ask the public affairs director to
let you know when the PSA will air. (PSAs are often aired
at night.)
- When the PSA has aired, send thank-you
notes to the public affairs directors you have worked with.
- Be prepared for newcomers to your
meetings by stocking up on OA literature. Be prepared for
calls to your local OA phone line by compiling a list of abstaining
members who can help callers with questions about OA.
- Report back to the WSO about your
results with the video and audio PSAs. Write an article about
your experience and send it to Lifeline magazine
or submit it for publication on this Web page.
From the Public
Information Service Manual, copyright 1991, 1994, 2000
by Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. All rights reserved.
For more PI suggestions, purchase the Public
Information Service Manual from our online literature
catalog.
*Click
here to see the PSA (In QuickTime): "It's Not What You're Eating."
*Requires QuickTime to view. Please go
to the help page for
downloading instructions.
*Click here to
see the PSA (In Real Player): "It's Not What You're Eating."
*Requires Real Player to view. Please
go to the help page
for downloading instructions.
*Click here
to see the PSA (In Windows Media Player): "It's Not What You're
Eating."
*Requires Windows Media Player to view.
Please go to the help page
for downloading instructions.
*PDF files require Acrobat Reader. If you don't
have Acrobat installed on your computer, go to the Help page
for instructions on how to download this free tool. |
