Be an Underwriter

The WKMS underwriting staff can help you design a schedule of underwriting announcements that meets your financial, marketing and philanthropic goals. E-mail or call Promotion/Development Director Ronda Gibson at 800/599-4737 for more.

See a list of our current underwriters

Reach An Exclusive Audience
WKMS entertains and informs over 20,000 listeners* with a world of music and news, while providing its underwriting clients with an unrivaled reach to the influential, well positioned, highly educated public radio listeners. Every underwriting announcement reaches into the homes, automobiles and offices of consumer and business decision makers who listen to WKMS.

Break Through The Clutter
88% of listeners agree that the companies they hear in underwriting credits are more credible than those they hear advertising on commercial radio stations.**  Underwriting credits are not commercials, they are acknowledgements of support for WKMS.  Your credits are integrated into our programming, lessening the chance of listener tune-out.

Complement Your Marketing Plan
As an integral part of your media mix, public radio is a highly targeted and effective complement to your promotional plan. Our listeners are loyal supporters who appreciate public radio. They listen to be entertained by our music, informed by our news reports, and to be kept up-to-date with information about public affairs. 

Enhance Your Corporate Image
Over 80% of public radio listeners say that their opinion of a company is more positive when they find out it supports public radio.**  Your underwriting investment signifies that you are a civic and community-minded business instead of merely trying to sell a product or service.

*Source: Arbitron-Radio Research Consortium, Inc., MSA Persons 18+, Mon.-Fri., 6-12 Mid, Spring '07. Arbitron data are estimated only.

**Source:  NPR/Jacobs Media Underwriting Study, Summer 2007.  Dial Testing conducted by FMR Associates, Inc.

NPR listeners are your best customers!

83% of NPR listeners agree that their opinion of a company is more positive when they find out it supports public radio

64% of NPR listeners agree that public radio is selective about the products and services that can sponsor its programming

62% of NPR listeners disagree with the statement “there is no difference between the quality of companies that sponsor public radio and the quality of companies that advertise on commercial radio”.

77% of NPR listeners agree that when price and quality are equal, they prefer to buy products from companies that support public radio

88% of NPR listeners agree that there are too many advertisements on commercial radio these days

75% of NPR listeners agree that the social and cultural values of public radio sponsors usually fit closely with their own values

94% of NPR listeners agree that the programming on public radio is personally important to them. If it went away, they would miss it.

Source: NPR and Jacobs Media. Telephone study of core listeners conducted by Edison Media Research in May-June 2007