Frequently Asked Underwriting or Sponsorship Questions

1. Could we barter our goods or services in exchange for underwriting or sponsorship? A: In some cases, yes! If your business provides a service the station needs as part of our existing budget, such as printing or design work, we are open to bartering.

2. Does underwriting or sponsorship really work to bring in customers or supporters? Yup! 70% of public (or community) radio listeners say that underwriting has a positive impact on their purchase decisions or actions. 80% of listeners say they have positive impressions of a company or organization that supports a station. Our live stream for online listeners gets hundreds of unique listeners a day and thousands a month. We have a large listening base who is ready to support those who support the station.

3. Do I have to produce my message? No! We will help write the script and record it for you. Most underwriting announcements heard on WGDR/WGDH are read live by a programmer or recorded by members of the station.

4. What can be included in a message and how long are they? Run time is between about 20 seconds, which is about two sentences of content. We run this message twice during a show. They can contain general information about your business or organization. They can’t include calls to action, costs, or qualitivie comparisons (“we’re the best!”). Here is an example script: "The following program is underwritten by Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation. CVEDC helps businesses and local organizations of all sizes work toward sustainability by offering loans, help with business plans, workforce training, and job fairs. Learn more at CVEDC.org."

5. Why do businesses or organizations underwrite or sponsor the station? What is the value?

   This is a great way to get in front of a very loyal audience of thousands of Vermonters in the central and northern listening area. By supporting the station, listeners are more likely to patronize your services. And you get to write it off as a business or outreach expenses.

6. Are you really the most affordable place to get the word out? Yup, we checked! We share these for comparison, not competition. We fully support the range of independent and non-profit media outlets in our state.

   • Weekly free Central Vermont newspaper: $65-$245 per issue.

   • Online community email forum: $900/week to reach our listening area.

   • Monthly free Central Vermont newspaper: $200-$1,450 per issue.

   • Public radio, $67/per mention vs. WGDR/WGDH’s $10.50 per spot. *They are statewide (200,000 listeners compared to our 18,000, but we cover a huge portion of the same central and northern part of the state they do!).

Underwriting & Sponsorship

Underwriting is a 20 second message about your business or organization, airing two times during a show. There are two rates: drive time 7am-9am or 5pm-7pm or regular time, 9am-4pm and after 7pm. You could be heard by over 45,000 listeners across a year for as little as $5.25 per mention. There isn’t any other return on outreach rates you will find like that in Vermont!

UNDERWRITING RATES

·      Regular Show, 9am-4pm, 6 months for $273 or $5.25 per message

·      Drive Time Show, 7am-9am or 5pm-7pm, 6 months for $546 or $11.37 per message

·      Daily Weather, at 7am or 7pm daily, twice a day, once a week, for a month for $300

·      Community Calendar, read throughout each day, across most programs, one month of daily community events, multiple mentions for $500

Sponsorship is a 20 second message that plays before our livestream connects or a we have traditional event sponsorship, where your business name is listed as a supporter while we talk about our events.

SPONSORSHIP RATES

·     Livestream sponsorship at WGDR.org. Start at 3 months, at $625, increase to 6 months for $1,250, or a year at $2,500. Your message is played all day, once a week, per month, and then rotates.  Your message will be heard by 31K of our online listeners!

·       Event or Fundrive On Air Matching Sponsorship at $530. We produce quarterly community events, one larger birthday party to kick off summer, and hold two, two-week on air fundrives a year. Having your business name as part of our event hype will have you heard by all of our 45K listeners.

·       Digital Sponsorship. Get your logo and link in front of our 7K online users on our website, in our monthly e-newsletter, and social media following. This is available at a 6-month rate of $250 or annual at $500.

CUSTOM RATES

Often our supporters find that mixing some underwriting and sponsorship reaches our listenership in the most effective way. We are happy to create custom packages for shorter-term deals that meet a minimum of a $500 total buy and can help you figure out what is the best fit for who you want to reach.

PSAs & Event Listings Free to Non-Profits

As part of our mission to center the community, we offer free 30 or 60 second public service announcements (PSAs) for any nonprofit to explain their work and how listeners can get more information. We will even help you record it. We also offer free listings for any nonprofit event in our community events calendar. More info at WGDR.org.

Fine print: Please note, that due to FCC federal regulation, underwriting is not available to cannabis businesses, though all other options are. The FCC also limits how we can talk about your work in the message. Don’t worry, we are pros at this and will help your message rock. Also, there is a limited number of underwriting and sponsorship opportunities across our schedule and stream time. It is a first buy, first placement policy. As with all types of outreach, the more folks hear your message, the more they will remember you. 

For any questions about underwriting, sponsorships, or bartering options, please contact CVCR Executive Director, Llu Mulvaney-Stanak, Llu@WGDR.org or call 802-276-0365.  More info about the station, as well as our schedule, can be found at WGDR.org.