Civic Media Donating One Million Dollars in Ads to Wisconsin Small Businesses

January 11, 2023 3:37 AM CDT

(Madison, Wis.) Civic Media, a new state-wide radio network and digital media company, is donating $1 million dollars worth of advertising to provide economic assistance to the Wisconsin business community. The one-day giveaway will take place on Thursday, January 26th when owners can submit their business for consideration via a designated website.

“One of Civic Media’s core values is community,” said Sage Weil, Co-Owner and CEO. “We celebrate local communities as the glue that binds us together as a state and as a nation, and our small businesses are at the heart of our communities.”

When Weil, along with business partner Mike Crute, launched Civic Media last year, they did so with a goal of helping restore community radio and integrating themselves in the communities which they serve.

The two have been small business owners most of their lives, so they get it. Weil and Crute said trying to make payroll, keep the lights on, and getting a business name out there can be tough, so they thought what better way to show people they’re serious about helping communities than by giving away a million dollars of ads.

On January 26th, beginning at 9:00 a.m., business owners can go to civicmedia.us/million to enter their business for consideration on a first come, first served basis. Entries will be reviewed and approved in real time until the million dollars are gone. The short entry form will ask for contact information, the business category, company size, advertising goals, the company’s mission and annual revenue. The million dollars of advertising will be divided between businesses of different sizes.

“We’re making sure we divide the advertising dollars between all sizes of businesses,” said Weil. “From mom and pops to larger companies, everyone is welcome to enter, and there’s no catch. Just fill out the form, and if you’re chosen, you’re in!”

Weil said helping local small businesses thrive is vital to keeping our communities healthy and vibrant.

“We see it in radio where a national conglomerate comes in, buys a station, fires the staff, and all of the programming comes from a satellite,” Weil said. “Restoring local community-focused radio and advancing the understanding of local, regional and state issues in the communities we service is literally part of our mission statement, so lending a hand to fellow local small businesses fits that mission.”

Civic Media understands that one of the biggest challenges small businesses face is simply getting noticed and getting their message out.

“A lot of folks struggle trying to figure out how they get the word out they’re open and what they offer,” Weil said. “That’s where we come in. We have the platform, the professionals to write the ads, and the kilowatts to get your message out locally and across the state. And all of that is going to be free to those chosen in the giveaway.”

Civic Media is as growing radio network with stations in Madison/Columbus, Green Bay, Oshkosh, Waukesha/Milwaukee, Richland Center, Wausau, Wisconsin Rapids, Nekoosa, Amery, Baldwin and Hayward. and continues to expand across the state. Find out more about the hometown radio mission from the Civic Media website.

For more details about the Civic Media Million Dollar Advertising Giveaway, go to civicmedia.us/million.