City Communications Department Produces All PSA’s…Except for TAPP

The City of Tallahassee public records department has informed Tallahassee Reports that since January 1, 2011 the City of Tallahassee has not paid outside vendors for the production of any Pubic Service Announcement (PSA) TV commercials except for the TAPP program.

The City’s statement came in response to a public records request by Tallahassee Reports.

Tallahassee Reports has previously reported that the City Manager Anita Favors selected the highest bid to produce a Public Service Announcement (PSA) commercial for the Think About Personal Pollution (TAPP) program in 2012.

The City Manager selected The Big Production, Inc. who submitted a bid for $27,000 over MVP, Inc. that submitted a bid for $6,000. Both bids were submitted in January, 2012. Tallahassee Reports has also learned that the rationale used to select the highest bidder was based on the fact that The Big Production “has a successful track record with the program.”

Further research and discussions with City staff indicates that since 2011 most City PSA’s are produced using the City’s Communications Department.

According to budget documents, the City’s Communications Department has a budget of $1.3 million and  “is highly regarded throughout the country as a recognized leader in local government marketing and communications. Over the past year, the DOC has won 27 national, regional and statewide awards.”

The City of Tallahassee is a member of the City-County Communications Marketing Association that was founded in 1988 by government professionals who realized that times were changing and governments would need to become more competitive with the private sector.

The Association has an annual awards contest among its members for various communication categories. In 2011 the City of Tallahassee won six Savvy Awards, the highest award given by the CCCA.

The awards included a Savvy for the ‘Ready. Set. STOP!” outreach campaign which included the production of  a 30 second spot.

Tallahassee Reports is seeking an answer to why the City’s Communications Department was not used for the TAPP program.

  City Manager, Communications, TAPP