Marketplace Radio Show

What Marketplace Radio Show does

Marketplace is a nonprofit public media news organization founded in 1989 and produced by American Public Media (APM), headquartered in Minneapolis. The organization produces a portfolio of business, economics, and personal-finance programs including the flagship 'Marketplace' (hosted by Kai Ryssdal), 'Marketplace Morning Report' (Kimberly Adams), 'Marketplace Tech', 'Make Me Smart', 'Million Bazillion' (children ages 5-12), 'How We Survive' (climate), 'This Is Uncomfortable', 'Financially Inclined' (teens), 'Must Be The Money', and 'The Uncertain Hour'. Content is distributed free of charge across more than 800 public radio stations nationwide and on major podcast platforms (Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, TuneIn), YouTube, and email newsletters, reaching over 10 million weekly broadcast listeners and 1.6 million podcast listeners.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform; its product is editorial content (audio, video, newsletters) produced by an in-house team of roughly 51-100 staff including hosts, senior producers, and technical directors. Marketplace does not charge consumers for access — it operates on a donation-based, nonprofit model funded by four streams: individual listener donations starting at $5 through the 'Marketplace Investor' program, corporate underwriting and sponsorship, foundation grants (Kendeda Fund, Henry Luce Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation), and revenue-sharing through the public radio station network. The go-to-market motion is hybrid: broadcast distribution via a public-radio channel network, community-building through donor and educational programs (including the Million Bazillion national school tour), and owned-channel engagement via newsletters and social/video platforms.

Sponsorship research indicates 85% of listeners are more likely to use Marketplace sponsors and 83% say the brand lends credibility to sponsoring businesses — metrics the organization uses to attract brand-safe advertisers in a public-media environment. Marketplace competes in the business-news and financial-literacy categories against TV business networks (Fox Business, CNBC, Bloomberg) and digital-native outlets, and maintains an explicit editorial-independence firewall from its funders.

Name

Marketplace Radio Show

Legal name

Marketplace

Website

https://marketplace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Listener Donations/Individual Giving: Marketplace receives funding from individual listeners who become 'Marketplace Investors' through donations. The minimum contribution starts at $5. Donors receive thank-you gifts and are part of a growing community of supporters.
2. Corporate Sponsorship & Underwriting: Corporate underwriters aligned with Marketplace's mission can partner through sponsorship, underwriting, and event partnership. The organization reaches 10 million weekly broadcast listeners and 1.6 million podcast listeners, offering brand-safe advertising in a public media environment.
3. Foundation Grants: Marketplace receives funding from foundations including the Kendeda Fund (Sustainability Desk) and Henry Luce Foundation (Asia coverage). Funders have no editorial influence over reporting.
4. Public Radio Station Partnerships: Marketplace is distributed through over 800 public radio stations nationwide, with revenue shared through the public radio system.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Marketplace is a nonprofit public media news organization that produces and distributes economic and business news content through daily radio broadcasts, a portfolio of branded podcasts, video podcasts, email newsletters, and educational programs. Programming covers the economy, technology, climate solutions, personal finance, and financial literacy for kids and teens, reaching over 10 million weekly broadcast listeners and 1.6 million podcast listeners through 800+ public radio stations and major podcast platforms.

Product overview

Marketplace is a nonprofit public radio news organization that operates as a multi-platform news operation rather than a single unified product. The organization offers a portfolio of distinct branded podcasts and programs including the flagship 'Marketplace' show (hosted by Kai Ryssdal), 'Marketplace Morning Report' (hosted by Kimberly Adams), 'Marketplace Tech', 'Make Me Smart', 'Million Bazillion' (financial literacy for kids aged 5-12), 'How We Survive' (climate solutions), 'This Is Uncomfortable', 'Financially Inclined' (video podcast for teens), 'Must Be The Money', and 'The Uncertain Hour'. These products are distributed through podcast platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, TuneIn, RSS) and broadcast radio, reaching over 10 million weekly broadcast listeners and 1.6 million podcast listeners. The organization also offers educational newsletter products like 'Econ 101' crash courses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marketplace The flagship daily program hosted by Kai Ryssdal, providing context on the economic news of the day through stories, conversations and newsworthy numbers to help listeners understand the economic world around them. Aimed at general adult listeners and professionals seeking economic and business news.
• Marketplace Morning Report A daily radio show and podcast hosted by Kimberly Adams that delivers concise economic news coverage in the amount of time it takes to brew a cup of coffee. Targeted at busy adult listeners who want quick, daily economic updates.
• Marketplace Tech A daily show that demystifies the digital economy, uncovering how tech influences lives in unexpected ways and providing context on the impact of tech, business and the digital world. Targeted at listeners interested in technology and its economic effects.
• Make Me Smart A podcast about the economy, technology, society, and culture hosted by Kimberly Adams, unpacking complex topics with new episodes on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Aimed at listeners seeking conversational takes on current issues.
• Million Bazillion A podcast about money for kids and their families, answering awkward, uncomfortable, and sometimes surprising questions that kids have about money. Target audience: kids aged 5-12 and their parents/teachers.
• How We Survive An award-winning podcast hosted by Amy Scott exploring the messy business of climate solutions, covering technologies, legislation, and activism. Aimed at listeners interested in climate and economic policy.
• This Is Uncomfortable An award-winning show hosted by Reema Khrais exploring how money shapes decisions, relationships, and sense of self through intimate and human conversations. Aimed at adult listeners interested in personal finance and human stories.
• Financially Inclined Marketplace's first video podcast and first show for teens, featuring conversations with influencers, high school students and financial experts to help make learning about money fun and simple. Targeted at young adults aged 15-25.
• Must Be The Money A video and audio series hosted by journalist and author Lee Hawkins exploring economic empowerment, entrepreneurship, and wealth building through candid conversations about money, opportunity, and power. Aimed at adult audiences interested in personal finance and entrepreneurship.
• The Uncertain Hour A podcast hosted by Krissy Clark that dives into one controversial topic each season to reveal surprising origin stories of our economy, explaining obscure policies and forgotten histories. Aimed at adult listeners interested in economic history and policy.
• Econ 101 (Crash Courses) Evergreen course-style newsletter products based on David Brancaccio's 'Econ Extra Credit' newsletter and broadcast series; readers can subscribe at any time and receive sequential weekly lessons. Targeted at adult learners seeking structured economic education.

Quantifiable outcome

• Marketplace reach exceeds the largest TV audience for business content including Fox News, MSNBC and CNN
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Public Media (APM)coreOthersMarketplace is produced by American Public Media (APM), a major public media organization. APM provides brand sales, administrative services, and organizational infrastructure for Marketplace operations.
• Public Radio Stations (800+)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMarketplace distributes its broadcast content through over 800 public radio stations nationwide. Stations carry Marketplace programming and share revenue through the public radio system.
• Next Generation Personal FinanceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner that helps distribute Financially Inclined videos and teaching guides to teachers for financial literacy education.
• Apple PodcastscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPodcast distribution platform for all Marketplace shows including Marketplace, Marketplace Morning Report, Marketplace Tech, and others.
• SpotifycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPodcast distribution platform for all Marketplace shows including flagship Marketplace podcast and specialized shows.
• Amazon MusiccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPodcast distribution platform for Marketplace content across all shows.
• iHeart RadiocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPodcast distribution platform for Marketplace content including flagship and specialized shows.
• For The Culture and All The Smoke ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction partners for 'Must Be The Money' series, exploring economic empowerment, entrepreneurship, and wealth building.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bloomberg News / Bloomberg Radio: Larger global business news organization with radio programming. Competes for business news listeners and underwriter attention with a much broader, commercially funded portfolio.
• NPR Throughline: Award-winning NPR narrative podcast; comparable distribution model (public radio + major podcast platforms), nonprofit funding, and audience engagement approach.
• The Daily (The New York Times): Leading daily news podcast. Competes for the same daily news consumption occasions and advertiser budgets, but operates under a subscription-funded commercial model rather than nonprofit.
• WSJ The Journal: Wall Street Journal's flagship podcast covering business and economic news; competes for professional decision-makers and upper-manager listener segment that Marketplace also targets.

Direct peers

• NPR (National Public Radio): Largest U.S. public media news organization. Both operate as nonprofit public media news brands distributed through member stations, with mixed donation/corporate underwriting/grant funding models and shared digital audio distribution.
• NPR Planet Money: NPR's flagship economics podcast, directly competing for the same economic-news and personal-finance audience through podcast platforms and broadcast radio.
• The Indicator from Planet Money (NPR): Short-form daily economics podcast from NPR, directly competing with Marketplace Morning Report in the daily economic-news format.
• Freakonomics Radio: Long-running economics/personal-economics podcast distributed on Apple, Spotify, and public radio stations, targeting the same economic-literate listener and competing for similar sponsorship dollars.

Emerging players

• TED Talks Daily / TED Radio Hour: NPR-distributed educational podcast built on TED content; overlaps with Marketplace's educational/curiosity-driven audience and is distributed through the same 800+ station public radio network.

Others

• Stitcher / SiriusXM Podcast Network: Major podcast distribution and advertising platform; relevant as both a distribution channel and an indirect competitor for ad-supported business and economics podcast audiences.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/marketplacevideos/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/apmmarketplace
• Instagraminstagram.com/marketplaceapm
• TikToktiktok.com/@marketplace.apm
• Xx.com/Marketplace
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/10402399

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Marketplace Radio Show