Success Story from Vero Beach, D/8

Vero Beach Power Squadron joins the local CC and gets the opportunity to do a PSA (Public Service Announcement) from Clear Channel Communications valued at $20,000.

Last month, Lt/C Bill Heimbaugh wrote that he had just finished recording a PSA that will run on five Treasure Coast (Florida) radio stations owned by Clear Channel Communications. This PSA will run on five stations, five times a day for 5 days. The production house that produced this segment told him that the air time for those five days is worth about $20,000. As we know stations are not required to do PSA’s anymore but Clear Channel does them any way.

Heimbaugh got this opportunity because VBPS joined the local Chamber of Commerce. At a recent Chamber meeting where Heimbaugh was extolling the virtues of his squadron, another chamber member approached him and asked if he would consider recording a segment on the squadron.

Heimbaugh recommends that other squadrons throughout the country contact Clear Channel Communications networks elsewhere and solicit the same opportunity. “This is a great PR & Marketing tool that will benefit membership in local squadrons,” reports Heimbaugh He plans to solicit another opportunity to have the PSA run before the next ABC course is offered in the fall. “That means contacting each radio station individually to obtain permission to run the PSA again. He plans to have the squadron PR person do that. “Don’t know if it will work but it’s worth a shot.”

VBPS Commander Ed Dreher accompanied Heimbaugh to the recording studio. To hear the PSA go to http://verobeachps.org/ and listen to it play in the background. Contact Lt/C Heimbaugh at dmancini@bellsouth.net if you have any questions.

R/C Roberta L. Dougherty, AP
rdougherty@simcare.net
Membership