Nine PBS

Public Broadcastingninepbs.org

Nine PBS is a nonprofit public broadcasting station serving the St. Louis region for over 70 years, delivering local and national PBS content via broadcast, streaming, and digital platforms. It funds operations primarily through community memberships, donations, and corporate sponsorships across viewer, educator, and family segments.

Company typePrivate
Founded1954
HeadquartersSt Louis, United States
Headcount51–100
GTM typeB2C
OfferingDigital Commerce or Content

What Nine PBS does

Nine PBS (legally St. Louis Regional Public Media, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public broadcasting station headquartered at 3655 Olive Street in St. Louis's Grand Center Arts District. Founded in 1954 as KETC, it has served the St. Louis metropolitan area for over 70 years as the local PBS affiliate, operating over-the-air channels 9.1 (Nine PBS), Nine World, Nine Create, and NHK World TV, alongside 24/7 livestream, video-on-demand, and the PBS App for digital distribution. Nine PBS also operates a dedicated 24/7 children's channel (Nine PBS KIDS) and produces local programming including Donnybrook, Living St. Louis, Listen St. Louis with Carol Daniel, Teaching in Room 9, and Drawn In.

The station generates revenue primarily through community support: nearly 85% of its budget comes from viewer contributions across membership tiers ($60/year basic, $5/month sustaining, $75–$240 one-time donations), with additional revenue from corporate sponsorships, major gifts and foundation support, and planned giving/estate planning. Federal funding for local public media has been eliminated, increasing dependence on regional donations. In November 2025, Nine PBS raised $17 million from the Taylor family and other donors to fund a transformation initiative. The station serves three primary segments: general public viewers (trusted local news and entertainment), educators and caregivers (Teaching in Room 9, Educator Toolkit, PBS LearningMedia), and children and families (PBS KIDS channel, Drawn In, Family Club, Bright by Text).

Beyond broadcasting, Nine PBS operates strategic initiatives including the Learning League (unified education brand), Pathways to Work (workforce development in partnership with St. Louis Community College and Gateway Global), and community events such as Be My Neighbor Day and Playdate on the Pitch (with St. Louis CITY SC). The organization has 51-100 employees and is governed by a Board of Directors. Its go-to-market motion is community-led, leveraging 70+ years of regional presence, local partnerships, and grassroots membership drives.

Nine PBS firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Nine PBS
Legal name: St. Louis Regional Public Media, Inc.
Website: https://ninepbs.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1954
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 51–100 employees
Short description: Nine PBS is a nonprofit public broadcasting station serving the St. Louis region for over 70 years, delivering local and national PBS content via broadcast, streaming, and digital platforms. It funds operations primarily through community memberships, donations, and corporate sponsorships across viewer, educator, and family segments.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Nine PBS industry classification

Industry

Product category: Public Broadcasting
NAICS: Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161), Educational Support Services (6117)
SIC: Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)
akta.pro primary industry: Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM) (MPABACAG)
akta.pro secondary industries: Educational/Instructional Public Media Services (Schools, Distance Learning) (MPABADAH), Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

Keywords

Public broadcasting services
Educational television programming
Local journalism media
Community engagement broadcasting
Children's educational content

Where Nine PBS is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: St Louis
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Nine PBS business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Digital Commerce or Content
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Membership and Donations: Nearly 85% of Nine PBS's budget comes from viewer support and donations in the St. Louis region. Members contribute at various levels with benefits including PBS Passport access for extended on-demand content.
Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors support the station through various sponsorship tiers and promotional partnerships on programming.
Major Gifts and Foundation Support: The station receives significant financial backing from prominent donors and families, including a $17M raise from the Taylor family and other donors for transformation initiatives.
Planned Giving and Estate Planning: Wills and estate planning donations provide long-term sustainable revenue support.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Annual	Basic Membership - $60/year
Subscription	Monthly	Sustaining Membership - $5/month or higher
Subscription	Pay-as-you-go	One-time Donation Tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Nine PBS product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Nine PBS operates as the St. Louis region's primary public broadcasting television station, delivering local and national PBS programming through over-the-air broadcast, digital livestreaming, the PBS App, and video on demand. The station produces original local content including Donnybrook, Living St. Louis, and Listen St. Louis with Carol Daniel, along with educational programming such as Teaching in Room 9 and Drawn In, supported by membership donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants.

Product overview

Nine PBS operates as a public broadcasting television station serving the St. Louis region through a multi-platform offering. The core product is broadcast and streaming television (Nine PBS, World, Create, NHK World TV channels). Key add-on services include Nine PBS Passport (extended on-demand access at $60/year membership) and Nine PBS KIDS (24/7 children's programming). The station produces local programming including Donnybrook, Living St. Louis, Listen St. Louis with Carol Daniel, Teaching in Room 9, and Drawn In. Educational initiatives include the Educator and Caregiver Toolkit, Learning League, and Pathways to Work workforce development. Nine PBS also distributes national PBS programming through the PBS App and offers membership programs including Family Club and Young Neighbors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

Nine PBS KIDS: A 24/7 channel providing high-quality educational content for children with local and national resources.
Nine PBS Passport
Pathways to Work
Learning League

Products and services

Nine PBS Broadcast Channel The primary public broadcasting television station serving the St. Louis region, offering live TV streaming, on-demand programming, and local content across multiple channels (9.1, World, Create, NHK World TV).
Nine PBS Passport A member benefit providing extended on-demand access to PBS programming and select local productions, allowing members to watch past seasons and binge-watch favorite shows.
Nine PBS KIDS A 24/7 children's channel providing high-quality educational content anytime, anywhere, featuring local and national PBS KIDS programming.
Donnybrook A local debate show featuring five quick-witted St. Louis journalists discussing tough topics with Charlie Brennan moderating.
Living St. Louis A local documentary-style program exploring St. Louis culture, history, and community stories.
Listen, St. Louis with Carol Daniel A podcast and interview program featuring in-depth conversations with local people and organizations about St. Louis community issues.
Teaching in Room 9 An on-air weekday classroom series providing quality instruction taught by local educators for preschool-aged learners in the region.
Drawn In An animated series of epic adventure stories featuring four kids who love comic books, with resources for educators and families.
PBS App Mobile and streaming application for watching PBS content, including local Nine PBS programming and national PBS shows.
Nine PBS Livestream 24/7 live streaming of Nine PBS primary channel (9.1), plus World, Create and NHK World TV channels, accessible via web browser.
Nine PBS Family Club A membership program offering families opportunities to meet PBS KIDS characters, attend exclusive kids events, and access special benefits.
Pathways to Work A workforce development initiative engaging community partners to understand career pathways for youth and upskilling opportunities in manufacturing, construction, healthcare, and IT sectors.
Nine PBS Educator and Caregiver Toolkit Educational resources created with guidance from regional education leaders, including broadcast, online, and mobile resources for teaching.
Learning League An education initiative uniting efforts to help kids, caregivers, and educators learn, connect, and thrive together, representing Nine PBS's broader educational mission.
Bright by Text A family engagement initiative providing subscribing parents and caregivers with text messages containing quality information and trusted resources to support children's learning and development.

Quantifiable outcome

Nearly 85% of budget funded by regional viewer support, demonstrating strong community connection
+1 more outcomes

Companies that use Nine PBS

Customer profile

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Nine PBS technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Nine PBS partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

St. Louis Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNine PBS partners with St. Louis Community College on the Pathways to Work initiative, co-producing content around workforce development topics including the annual State of the St. Louis Workforce Report.
Gateway GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTEM-based apprenticeship and workforce development program helping prepare young people for careers in the geospatial sector, featured in Living St. Louis: Pathways to Work programming.
St. Louis Internship ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram helping young people develop soft skills needed for workplace success, featured in Nine PBS workforce development content.
St. Louis CITY SCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional soccer team partnership for community events. The Nine PBS: Playdate on the Pitch event at Energizer Park attracted over 1,000 attendees as part of the Summer of Soccer celebration.
Bright by TextminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNine PBS participates in an innovative family engagement initiative providing parents and caregivers with text messages containing quality information and links to trusted resources for children's learning and development.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Nine PBS competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

WETA: Washington, D.C. area PBS station producing local and national content (e.g., PBS NewsHour) under a similar nonprofit, member-supported public-broadcasting model.
WNET: New York metro PBS station (Thirteen/WNET) operating comparable local journalism, cultural, and educational programming with member-supported funding.
WGBH: Boston PBS member station with a deep local production slate, multi-channel distribution, and educational initiatives analogous to Nine PBS's Pathways to Work and Learning League.
Oregon Public Broadcasting: Oregon statewide public broadcaster combining TV/radio, digital news, and educational programming with a viewer-funded revenue model closely resembling Nine PBS's structure.
WTTW: Chicago's primary PBS member station offering local programming, kids' educational content, and multi-channel broadcast/streaming distribution funded largely by viewer contributions.
KQED: San Francisco Bay Area PBS/NPR member station operating a comparable model of over-the-air broadcast, digital streaming, local news/documentary, and member-supported educational programming.
WKAR: Michigan State University-licensed public broadcasting station offering educational TV/radio, PBS Kids content, and community programming under a public-media nonprofit structure.
Milwaukee PBS: Mid-size regional PBS member station in Wisconsin with local programming, educational outreach, and member-driven funding akin to Nine PBS's St. Louis operations.

Others

Corporation for Public Broadcasting: Federal funding entity for U.S. public media; relevant as the upstream funder whose elimination of station grants materially affects Nine PBS's operating model.

Broad incumbents

PBS (national network): National PBS network whose content library, app infrastructure, and brand Nine PBS leverages; not a direct competitor but the platform backbone for Passport, PBS Kids, and LearningMedia.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Nine PBS financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Nine PBS leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Nine PBS funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

Nine PBS M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Nine PBS

What does Nine PBS do?

Is Nine PBS a public or private company?

Nine PBS is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was Nine PBS founded?

Nine PBS was founded in 1954. It employs 51 to 100 people.

Where is Nine PBS based?

Nine PBS is headquartered in St Louis, United States, in the North America region.

How does Nine PBS make money?

Four revenue lines are on record. Membership and Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorship, major Gifts and Foundation Support and planned Giving and Estate Planning.

Who are Nine PBS's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are WETA, WNET, WGBH, Oregon Public Broadcasting, WTTW, KQED, WKAR and Milwaukee PBS. Corporation for Public Broadcasting is listed as an others. PBS (national network) is listed as a broad incumbent.

Does Nine PBS have an API?

No public API is recorded for Nine PBS.

What industry is Nine PBS in?

Nine PBS's product category is Public Broadcasting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABACAG, Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM), with a secondary code of MPABADAH, Educational/Instructional Public Media Services (Schools, Distance Learning). Its NAICS code is 516120 and its SIC code is 4833.