Confusing Media Strategy

NASA JSC Solicitation: Media Rating Services

“NASA/JSC has a requirement for media tracking services. NASA will produce multiple Public Service Announcements (PSA) to promote science and math education to America’s youth and inform the general public about the space program. NASA/JSC is seeking a firm that is capable of tracking the PSAs and providing detail information about the PSAs.”

Editor’s note: “NASA/JSC has a requirement”? Why is a NASA field center issuing a solicitation like this? Don’t get me wrong, PSAs to promote science and education are certainly a wonderful thing and NASA should be heartily encouraged to do many, many more of them. But why is this not being done for all of the agency’s educational and outreach activities so as to understand their market penetration, response rate, etc. on a national scale? Should this not be done by NASA’s Office of Strategic Communications and other entities at NASA HQ? Otherwise, all of the field centers could just go off and do this – each with different metrics, messages, local priorities etc. All you get from a balkanized approach like this is a bunch of partial pictures instead of a cohesive, broad understanding of how the public is receiving NASA’s messages – and how they need to be improved. Just curious.