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Aspen to Rifle ‘shop local’ campaign to hit radio airwaves

CARBONDALE, Colorado ” The town of Carbondale will pony up to help businesses from Aspen to Rifle through the economic recession with a year-long shop locally radio advertising campaign.

The town’s board of trustees on Tuesday OK’d a $1,620 request from the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce to pay its share of 30 spots per month for a year on three different area radio stations, KSPN, KNFO and Jack FM.

The chambers of commerce in Glenwood Springs, Aspen, Basalt and Rifle are each putting up the same amount for the $8,100 ad campaign.



“All of the chambers are participating … that, in and of itself, is amazing,” said Carbondale Chamber Executive Director Randi Lowenthal.

The idea grew out of the Carbondale Chamber’s “community conversation on the economy,” a two-day event in early December that focused on how local businesses can weather the current economic downturn.



“Businesses in all these different towns depend on each other,” Lowenthal said. “We need to work together to get people off the Internet (online shopping) and into the local stores.”

Chris Harrison from KSPN attended the chamber’s economy discussions, and put together a radio advertising proposal. The radio spots will not be exclusive to any one of the communities or businesses, but would promote a blanket shop-local message.

“It was generally agreed that during this difficult period of time it is very important to help support the local businesses we currently have to prevent them from going under and potentially furthering our problems as a community,” Harrison wrote in a proposal that was presented to the various chambers.

Lowenthal said that Carbondale Trustee John Foulkrod, who serves as the town’s liaison to the Chamber’s board of directors, suggested that the town, instead of the chamber, put up the money for the ad campaign as part of its economic development efforts.

The town agreed to fund the project out of its “community partnership” line item in this year’s budget.

“The other thing we were all excited about is this is not just a one-shot deal,” Lowenthal said. “It will be spaced over the course of the year, so it’s a long-term proposal and not just something we’ll try for a couple of weeks.”

Harrison wrote in his proposal that the recorded 30-second spots will be changed periodically. An additional 15 free public service announcements will also be part of the package.

Contact John Stroud: 384-9160

jstroud@postindependent.com


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