In public service advertising in Turkey historically the main themes used determination and comparison

Public service announcements, which are effective in informing, educating and guiding individuals, can be defined as short-term visual and audio forms. These publications, which are based on public interest, are occasionally seen in countries around the world. Public service announcements, especially prepared by non-profit institutions, are prepared on various themes. These themes include many topics such as drawing attention to the problems existing in society, providing information and warnings on various issues, protecting the society from negative behaviors, and encouraging positive behaviors. This study aims to historically determine and compare the main themes used in public service announcements in Turkey. In order to analyze public service announcements effectively, the content analysis technique, in which quantitative and qualitative analysis can be used together, was used. The data used in the research consists of public service announcements that received broadcast approval by the Radio and Television Supreme Council between 1980 and March 31, 2023. These data were accessed from RTÜK's archive records, official websites of institutions/organizations, YouTube and Google. Among 1,564 public service announcements, 250 public service advertisements selected using the proportional stratified sampling technique were analyzed. The study was analyzed around ten research questions. Within the scope of these questions; The main themes of the public service announcements, their distribution according to years, the distribution of the organizing institutions/organizations, the elements used, the types of films used, the types of music used, the types of voice-overs used, the selection of the main characters, the selection of the main location and how long they last were determined. As a result, the public service advertisements broadcast in Turkey show that every institution of the state and NGOs inform the society, raise awareness and give the necessary warnings and warnings with public service advertisements in solving the problems occurring in society. For this reason, this study is important in terms of revealing the richness and functionality of public service announcements prepared in Turkey. Key Words: Public service announcements, public interest, theme.