Last month in this space I announced that your association is beginning a national radio advertising campaign to increase consumer recognition of ASA and ASA member shops. One of our goals is to bring new customers to your shop. The commercials began airing in January and will run through June.

I also wrote that the commercials are just the first step in ASA's efforts to increase customer awareness of your ASA member shop. Let me tell you about the next step.

ASA has agreed to underwrite a short documentary that will air on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television stations nationwide.

The documentary will be approximately five minutes long. It will focus on what constitutes quality automotive service. The format for the program will be that of a public service, educating car owners on how to find a good shop and how to effectively communicate with a service writer or technician.

As the underwriter, ASA will have complete approval of the script and program to ensure technical accuracy and to make certain ASA's message is communicated. We will even pick a shop for filming the program and we will select who appears in it.

The program is not a commercial; PBS does not broadcast commercials. It is a public service that will run in open time slots between regularly scheduled shows. ASA will be represented as a professional organization whose members provide quality service in a courteous environment.

Work has already begun on the script. The program will be filmed in early spring and broadcasts will begin in late spring. ASA has been guaranteed a minimum of 500 broadcasts within the first three months. These broadcasts will reach more than 3 million people. Overall, the mini-documentary will likely air more than 1,000 times, reaching millions.

A benefit of being on PBS is that it lends instant credibility. And, because the program is in the form of a short documentary rather than a commercial, ASA can present itself as the professional organization that it is. We will have the ability to communicate much more about automotive service and the association in this five-minute program than we could in a 30-second commercial.

For you to get the greatest benefit from this program, make certain your ASA sign is highly visible. Post the ASA Code of Ethics in your customer area for all to read. Let your customers know that you're dedicated to fulfilling the message of the forthcoming PBS documentary- providing quality service in a courteous environment.

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