NAB released a statement on January 24 in response to a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation, which shows that there has been no decrease in the amount of public service advertising provided by local television broadcasters over the last five years.

"We're pleased with Kaiser's findings that there has been no decrease in public service advertising over the last five years. NAB's own surveys reveal that local television and radio stations donate more than seven billion dollars in airtime for PSAs annually. Our survey, which does not include the value of network PSAs, further reveals the donated time is spread fairly evenly throughout all dayparts.

"Broadcasters' commitment to PSAs, coupled with our life-saving AMBER Alerts, emergency weather warnings, and the hundreds of millions of dollars raised for charity through on-air fundraising appeals, demonstrates that we indeed are dedicated to serving the public interest," said NAB Executive Vice President of Media Relations Dennis Wharton.

NAB's most recent survey, which showed that local radio and television stations generated a record $10.3 billion in public service in 2005, is available upon request. Please contact Public Service Initiatives at publicservice@nab.org or (202) 429-5448 for a free copy of the report.