Become An Underwriter
Promote your work while supporting KBOO’s superior mission and programming
While KBOO is a non-commercial station, we do look for program sponsors, or "underwriters." Underwriters sponsor specific programs in exchange for an announcement during the program. Every day, retail stores, restaurants, promoters, service providers, labor unions, and many more reach out to KBOO’s progressive, diverse, and dedicated audience.
Who you will reach
Recent Arbitron ratings reveal that we are reaching over 50,000 listeners every week, and that our listeners are faithful; over one third listen for several hours each day and about half make KBOO their first or second choice of radio stations.
Far less than a penny per listener
Underwriting generally ranges from $27-$35 per acknowledgment; remember, we only do one acknowledgment per program, so the number of programs and the number of acknowledgments is the same.
That is, less than 12 spots would be $35 each, 12 to 25 spots would be $30 each, and once a week for 6 months or more would be $27 each ($1,404 annually ~ one of my most common deals).
| Number of Spots | Spot Price |
|---|---|
| 1-11 | $35.00 |
| 12 - 25 | $30.00 |
| 26 or more | $27.00 |
Your Underwriting Acknowledgment
An underwriting acknowledgment always begins with the same lead-in: “This program is made possible in part by KBOO Foundation members and a grant from…” After that, we can go as long as 15 seconds, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but we fit quite a bit in.
What we cannot say is any statement that is qualitative (“the best…”), solicitory (a call to action, as in “call now!”), comparative (that is, language specifically intended to distinguish one's business from one's competitors), or includes price information. Nor can we use music beds (that is, theme music behind the acknowledgment). I generally encourage people to think of the three main things they want to get across, and that works as a good starting point. The acknowledgement must be approved by both the underwriter and the station manager, and is likely to look something like the following:
Sample Underwriting Acknowledgment
This program is made possible in part by KBOO Foundation members and a grant from:
[your business name here], specializing in [your product or service]. [your business] is located at [your location]. For more information the number is [your phone number] or [your web address]
Additional Exposure
We list our underwriters in our quarterly listener’s guide. We also list our underwriters at our website.
Contact us to become an underwriter
Please contact our underwriting coordinator, Justin Miller, by calling 503 231 8032 x209 or by email.
- are involved in weapons manufacturing;
- make investments in repressive governments (other than the United States);
- have been shown to discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual preference, national origin, age, religion, marital status, or physical or mental disability;
- have been shown to tolerate sexual harassment;
- have been shown to use unfair labor practices;
- have been shown to be environmentally irresponsible;
- produce or distribute materials deemed offensive on the grounds listed above; or
- KBOO’s Board of Directors determines would be detrimental to the social responsibilities of the station.
- Additionally, KBOO shall not accept underwriting from religious organizations or political candidates.
Underwriter agrees that Underwriter’s support of Station, regardless of level or duration, shall not give Underwriter any right to directly or indirectly influence program selection or content or Station policy on any matter. Any attempt by Underwriter to influence programming based on advertiser’s financial support shall be grounds for terminating underwriting agreement.
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