Announcements related to the Silver Spring Arts & Entertainment District and Urban District are a priority for Jumbotron PSAs. Photo by Mike Diegel
Not everything you see on the Ellsworth Place Jumbotrons is a paid commercial message.
When owner Petrie Richardson Ventures and Lamar, the advertising company, went to the county’s Sign Review Board to win approval of the remodeled development’s new signs, they offered to reserve 5 percent of the time (3 minutes per hour) for public service announcements.
The PSA process is being administered by the Silver Spring Urban District, similar to the process for approving and installing ads on buses.
“Some are of the nonprofit nature, some are of public safety nature,” said Reemberto Rodriguez, director of the Silver Spring Regional Center.
In choosing what PSAs go on the Jumbotrons, Rodriguez explained, “We are looking at a protocol that calls for maximum impact, Silver Spring-centric . . . something that’s relevant to Silver Spring’s Urban District and Arts & Entertainment District is a priority.”
Recent examples include AFI’s promotion of upcoming film festivals, the Silver Spring Jazz Festival and other county-produced events, Veteran’s Plaza events and a notice of Levine Music coming to the Silver Spring Library, he added. There are also safety messages and other traditional public service announcements.
The time and space is also available for items of community interest and activities of groups that focus on downtown Silver Spring.
Anyone interested in submitting a PSA for consideration can produce a PowerPoint slide and save it as a .jpeg file. Good design is important, such as using large fonts and avoiding white backgrounds. Rodriguez recommends including a simple URL for interested viewers to visit.
For more information about the PSA program, contact Rodriguez at 240.777.5307 or [email protected]