Getting the word out to inform the public about what to do after experiencing a suspected encounter and who to report it to would cost as little as producing and distributing a public service announcement for radio. Write up a script for one or more announcements, get the announcements recorded, post copies of the recordings on a web site as an *.mp3 file and publicize it. The better (more informative, more entertaining, whatever) the announcement, the greater its chance of being picked up and played. Some local radio stations might play the announcements for curiousity sake, some seriously and others as a joke-- but any publicity is good publicity.

When I worked as Traffic and Logs Director at the campus radio station while I attended university, we got public service announcements [PSAs] sent to us all the time. The most entertaining ones got recorded on carts and were played along with any commercials spots on the radio. Of course, back then these PSAs were on 45 rpm disks or cassette tapes and whatever organizations sending them to us had paid for duplication costs, printing and mailing. Nowadays, a local radio station can download anything it wants from a web site and put it on the air. That wipes out the costs for duplication, printing and mass mailing the media. The primary investment for a "bigfoot" research organization such as BFRO, NESRA or anyone else would be creating and recording a professional quality announcement with enough "infotainment" value to get airplay.

After such PSAs are posted on a web site, anytime a "bigfoot" encounter is experienced in an area then it would be up to each of us to alert our local radio stations (by email, phone call or in person) and ask them to download the PSA and add it to their broadcast playlist.

Now the big question is-- which "bigfoot" research association is going to take this idea and run with it? Will it be someone like "he who should not be named" or Tom Biscardi or another hoaxer or kook? Or would it be some serious "flesh and blood" investigative organization like BFRO or NESRA or some other good group of people?

If some such organization is willing to launch a PSA/public information campaign, please get the word out and let those of us interested in helping the cause make donations for this purpose.

Grand total for one 30 second spot on my little itty-bitty syndicated radio show, 100 dollars. I don't do PSA's for the most part. The thing is now a days most large format stations don't play PSA's. The advertisements you hear from non-profits are paid ads. The first step in getting your PSA on is to have a good working relationship with the management, whether it be the station manager or the traffic manager or the program director and actually get on the program log if not good luck. Small format stations may give it a spin but most of the PSA's they play will involve local interests.

While I am not saying it can't or won't happen I think a person should realize what is involved.

If someone out there is willing to push it I would supply the finished PSA's no charge and in whatever format you want. From reel to reel to mp3.

Exactly - a small format station will play the PSA when it involves a local interest.

The next time someone here in central Illinois sees one of these animals-- it would be in the better interest of all investigators if the public was being informed by PSAs played on a local radio station to contact BFRO, NESRA or someone else who would do serious followup investigation work here.

Last week we had Tom Biscardi and his "traveling bigfoot circus" arrive in town for a publicity stunt because the Vielhaks didn't know who else to contact after their sightings near Funks Grove last summer (the first person they called was a zoologist at the local state university, some guy from the Pacific northwest who knew a little about bigfoot and authoritatively told them such animals didn't have enough vegetation to eat to live around here in the Midwest). So the Vielhaks went searching on the Internet for an explanation for what they had seen-- and as worst luck would have it they sent an email to "www dot searching for bigfoot dot com" which went to Tom Biscardi's organization.

Imagine instead how things could have worked out better if someone like Stan Courtney, the field investigator for BFRO who lives about an hour's drive south of Funks Grove, was contacted last summer instead of Tom Biscardi? Some real field investigation work might have been accomplished last summer while the animals were still present in the area (instead of now in February during the midst of the annual maple syrup harvest in the woods around Funks Grove).

Talk shows on small format radio stations in local markets absolutely thrive on any airplay content involving local interest so they can keep their local listeners tuned in. The next time the buzz at the local watering hole is about some upright walking animal seen in the woods-- give the local radio market a PSA it can play as part of a news report or call-in segment about the report. Either BFRO or NESRA should provide such a PSA for radio airplay. And if the PSA is entertaining or weird or amusing enough, it may even be picked up and played at other times and by shows with larger market areas.

Imagine a short radio spot that sounds like a 911 call being made during one of the Class A sightings posted on BFRO's web site. It doesn't necessarily have to be scary. It could be something goofy with 'cousin Eddie' in the background repeatedly saying "What the heck is that?" while the caller talks with the 911 operator. The spot would end with a toll-free number or a web site address for submitting a sighting report along with the name of the sponsoring research organization.

Can anyone suggest another script idea for a public service announcement [PSA]?

Has anyone seen the community awareness notice developed by David Thomas King at NESRA (The North East Sasquatch Researchers Association)? Go to http://www.nesra.net/SquatchWatch.htm and check it out.

This seems to be a step in the right direction when active encounters with such animals are happening in your area. Just print out the poster and thumbtack it on a public bulletin board (such as at a coffee shop, gas station or truck stop).

[I wonder how long it would remain posted before someone defaces it or tears it down? Some people regard "bigfoot" sightings about the same as if someone says they saw Elvis or aliens...]

I hope I didn't just insult someone who saw Elvis earlier today.

Nice to give a description of exactly what they are supposed to see . Talk about leading the witness.

Hopefully with the Malaysian government acknowledging the reports of some villagers having seen sasquatch like creatures, maybe there might begin to be some acceptance from people more then there used to be.

Honestly given the general publics view of bigfoot and the people who see him I would say save yourself the time and trouble of being labled crazy and don't bother trying to inform the general public. Also guys if these public service accouncements that smaller stations do are things of interest to general public bigfoot sightings wouldn't qualify since to most bigfoot is a myth and the people reporting him are either pulling a hoax or crazy.

I'll concede that point-- providing an artist's rendition of the animal is one fault of the community awareness circular posted on NESRA's web site. (From the physical descriptions provided in other sightings, I suspect there is a wide range of sizes, colors, hair length and physical build of these animals-- perhaps due to sub-species, gender or age differences).

But the overall objective is not to solicit a different eyewitness's sketch description; rather we would want to educate the next member of the general public lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to see one or more of these animals with contact information so they can alert a serious "bigfoot" organization and target field investigators to an area with recent activity.

Learning about and investigating a sighting area months or years after the fact (once the report is posted on BFRO or here at BFF) is unproductive-- it is following up on a stale lead.

I’ve lived in Illinois all my life and seen most of the state. There is no place a bigfoot could exist undetected. Even southern Illinois, the only place with any hint of wilderness, is a very populated area. If anyone has driven from St. Louis to Chicago you’ve seen what 95% of Illinois looks like... flat flat flat land with corn. There is no way a bigfoot would be able to hide in Funks Grove... an area you can see while driving on interstate 55. I just find it hard to believe, anyone would believe there’s a bigfoot anywhere in Illinois.

Also heres a link to the BFRO report related to the Funks Grove sighting mentioned above
http://www.bfro.net/GDB/show_article.asp?id=474

aaa-

Thanks for reviving this thread and providing BFRO's link to the Peoria Journal Star article. Similar articles were published by the Bloomington Pantagraph and Kewanee Star.

I'm agreeing with both you and the BFRO that Tom Biscardi used his appearance at Funks Grove as a publicity stunt. No real investigative work was accomplished and the local media did everyone in Sasquatch research a disservice by providing the TV/radio/newspaper platform to Biscardi's travelling circus.

I will respectfully disagree with you however on whether Illinois provides suitable habitat for a population of Sasquatch. The least these animals need is a secluded place to hide and sleep during daylight hours-- a ravine, swamp or wetland inaccessible to human traffic would be sufficient. They can move about and forage anywhere they need to go under cover of darkness. The working theory I subscribe to is that these animals seem to follow waterways up and down the Illinois River valley the same way we use highways to get from place to place-- but nothing would keep them from crossing open fields at night.

In addition to the article you've linked to, let me supply links to published reports of recent activity in Illinois:

November 2005 - Saline County, Illinois

October 2005 - Tazewell County, Illinois

June 2005 - Grundy County (Seneca, IL - Class A report)

September 1999 - Henry County (Kewanee, IL - Class A report)

As a resident of Tazewell County, Illinois, I continue to monitor the woods in my portion of the Illinois River valley (so far this spring, all I've found is coyote scat). Illinois investigators in different parts of the state are currently monitoring other areas of interest with reports of footprints, wood-knocking and vocalizations. These areas are actively under investigation and I won't divulge their locations.

Since sightings of Sasquatch are a matter of being at the right place at the right time, I can only hope that whoever is fortunate to catch glimpses of these animals makes a report that receives appropriate and timely investigation. In lieu of a widespread Public Service Announcement campaign, perhaps the best advice to tell people is to report any sighting to the local law enforcement agency saying you saw a "prowler" or "fugitive" in a particular area. This is what law enforcement agencies are trained, ready and equipped to investigate. Let the police discover and document any further physical evidence (such as footprints, bedding areas, hair or scat) when they investigate the scene.

I think annoucements like this would keep the teenagers & thus the police busy all summer long, and possibly get someone shot in their monkey suit.