Partnering with Purpose: The Community Alliance Program

Each year, the stations of Northern Public Radio dedicate thousands of minutes of airtime to uplifting the work of community organizations across northern Illinois.

Through public service announcements (PSAs), online event listings, and collaborative sponsorships, we help connect our engaged listeners to the causes, events, and activities that shape our region.

This is more than promotion - it’s partnership.

Our Mission is Clear:

"To enrich, inspire, and inform adults in northern Illinois through programs and services that share ideas, encourage thought, give pleasure, and create community."

If your organization is hosting an event, launching a campaign, or simply wants to reach a wider audience, we invite you to explore how the Community Alliance Program can support your goals.

A typical collaborative sponsorship through our Community Alliance Program can include:

A maximum of 2 weeks of on-air promotion on either Classical WNIU or WNIJ, including our repeater stations
“Featured Event” status, including a section header under our events tab and top billing on our Community Events Calendar feed
Other marketing strategies customized to your needs

Northern Public Radio also offers the following:

Public Service Announcements

WNIJ (89.5 FM – NPR News) and WNIU (90.5/105.7 FM – Classical Music) broadcast no-charge public service announcements in limited rotation at unspecific, non-guaranteed times. Materials may be submitted anytime by emailing gstephens@niu.edu.

Community Calendar

Ensure your event is seen by our listeners. All submissions will be reviewed and approved by an editor at Northern Public Radio before appearing on the site.

Submit An Event

And for further, more in-depth partnership opportunities, click the button below.

Ready to Connect?

Let's work together to share your mission with northern Illinois.

Submit your Community Alliance Request Here

Please note: we require at least 2 weeks to review and approve Alliance opportunities.

Frequently Asked Questions

The non-profit I work for is launching a new program in the community. We don’t have a large marketing budget for it though. Do we need to pay to participate in this program?

There is no cost associated with the Community Alliance Program. We are happy to partner with your non-profit or community organization to spread the news about your new program, initiative, or event at no cost to your organization! If you would like a more robust or long-term marketing strategy, you can contact Bill Braksick for paid underwriting opportunities with the station.

My organization is hosting a fundraiser; can we use a CAP collaboration for that event?

No. We are happy to help your organization with new initiatives, programs, and events, but we cannot market your fundraising efforts.

My event is next week, is there enough time to submit a Community Alliance request?

We generally require a submission at least 2 weeks before your event to give us time to develop a marketing strategy and work within the necessary timeframes to get your promotion on-air.

We would love to have one of your reporters interview one of our staff members as part of this Community Alliance collaboration. Can we do that?

No, our Community Alliance is specifically to help promote events, programs, and initiatives following FCC guidelines. We do not include our newsroom in the Community Alliance Program.

I own a for-profit company in a community WNIJ-Classical WNIU serves. This sounds like a great way to get my message out there! Can I submit a request?

This program is for non-profit and other community organizations, not for-profit companies. Instead, we recommend reaching out to Bill Braksick, our corporate support representative, to discuss underwriting opportunities with our stations.