Salt Pond Community Broadcasting Co

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
222513428
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
East Orland, ME, USA
Phone
2074696600
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$711,560
Expenses
$728,040
Assets
$534,231
Liabilities
$64,045

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Pat Pugh (President)
  • Brian Conklin-Powers (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Matt Murphy (General Manager): $64,223 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

WERU Community Radio is an independent, listener-supported and volunteer-powered media organization, whose mission is to provide diverse programming and community engagement to lift spirits, raise awareness and make connections. WERU is a "voice of many voices" that shares a wide variety of music, information, and perspectives with the community over the airwaves, internet, and mobile app.

What it reported doing in 2025

Salt Pond Community Broadcasting operates WERU-FM Community Radio, which provides music, news and public affairs, and other cultural content. Programming ranges from diverse music (50 genres) to national headline news (5 prime time hours per week) to local public affairs programs. WERU meets a need in our region for an independent, community-based source of entertainment and information. The key to these diverse offerings is the importance of 125 volunteers, who are committed to both on-the-air and behind-the-scenes activities that give WERU its unique sound and local connection that reflects the community it serves. Volunteers receive free training, and no prior experience is needed.WERU's highly respected local and national news and public affairs provides a wide variety of topics and people. Topics associated with economic development, education, maritime issues, Native American issues, and public health are just a few examples of the width and depth of our local public affairs.2,100 individual and household members and 200 local businesses support WERU, amounting to over 87% of annual income.WERU's broadcast signal reaches a potential audience of 140,000 people in Midcoast, Downeast and Central Maine. WERU broadcasts 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, over the airwaves, internet, and on its mobile app. The radio station was founded in 1988.

Operating model

Revenue model
Membership-supported. 70% of the money available for current operations came from membership dues.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 50
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 30
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 54%; rating input score 54
  • Program expense ratio: 52.6%; rating input score 53
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.36 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -2.3%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.73; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.8%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.1% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 54% of revenue deployed · 52.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $383K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $64K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 54/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 53/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 24/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Audit committee oversight not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 34/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 32/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 41/100.