KALW
KALW is a nonprofit NPR-affiliate public radio station (91.7 FM) serving the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area with local news, music, cultural programming, and podcasts, funded through listener donations, membership programs, and corporate underwriting.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1945
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What KALW does
KALW Public Media Inc. operates KALW 91.7 FM, a community-supported nonprofit public radio station serving the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area under the FCC-licensed 91.7 FM frequency. Founded in 1941 (with one source citing 1945), the station functions as an NPR affiliate and combines nationally-syndicated programming from NPR, BBC World Service, and CBC with extensive locally-produced content across news, music, and culture. Headquartered at Warfield Commons (988 Market Street, San Francisco), KALW maintains an FCC public inspection file and is organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (legal entity: KALW Public Media Inc., DBA 'Bay Area Public Media').
KALW firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- KALW
- Legal name
- KALW PUBLIC MEDIA INC.
- Website
- https://kalw.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1945
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- KALW is a nonprofit NPR-affiliate public radio station (91.7 FM) serving the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area with local news, music, cultural programming, and podcasts, funded through listener donations, membership programs, and corporate underwriting.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
KALW industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Radio Broadcasting
- NAICS
- Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)
- SIC
- Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Network-Affiliated Local Radio Stations (News/Talk/Sports Syndication Affiliates) (MPABACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- National Public Radio Networks & Member Stations (NPR-style) (MPABADAB), News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations (MPABAIAI), Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)
Keywords
Where KALW is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
KALW business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Membership: Individual donor contributions including one-time donations, monthly memberships, and sustaining member programs. The station operates a Producers Circle and Catalyst Society annual sponsorship program for major donors.
- Underwriting and Sponsorship: Business sponsorship packages that allow companies to align with KALW programming. Contact-based pricing with personalized quotes for marketing needs.
- Stock and Securities Donations: Accepts publicly-traded stocks and securities as donations, processed through Morgan Stanley broker with DTC transfer capabilities.
- Employer Matching: Corporate matching gift programs where Bay Area companies match employee donations to KALW, often doubling or tripling contribution values.
- Catalyst Society Annual Sponsorship: Annual sponsorship program spotlighting local businesses and organizations that support the Bay Area community, with founding sponsor Marines' Memorial Association & Foundation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Producers Circle |
| Subscription | Annual | Catalyst Society Sponsorship |
| Other | Annual | Business Sponsorship Packages |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
KALW product offering
Product offeringCore offering
KALW 91.7 FM is a nonprofit public radio station serving the San Francisco Bay Area, broadcasting local news, music, cultural programming, and original podcasts over the airwaves and via digital streaming. The station produces award-winning investigative journalism (e.g., Crosscurrents news magazine), diverse music programming across multiple genres, and cultural content that reflects Bay Area communities, while also airing NPR, BBC, and CBC programming.
Product overview
KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area Public Media operates as a multi-platform public radio station offering a unified portfolio of radio broadcasting, news programming, music shows, podcasts, and cultural content. The core products include Crosscurrents (the award-winning news magazine), KALW News (breaking local coverage), KALW Music Programming (featuring dozens of music shows including KALW Music Player), and KALW Podcasts (on-demand content). Additional programs span Your Call, State of the Bay, Your Legal Rights, Bay Made, and extensive culture programming. Revenue is generated through membership/donations, business sponsorship/underwriting, and the Catalyst Society corporate sponsorship program. The station also operates KALW's Audio Academy, a training program for audio journalists.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- KALW News Local Bay Area news coverage including breaking news, politics, health, environment, and community stories for Bay Area listeners.
- Crosscurrents Award-winning radio news magazine broadcasting Mondays through Thursdays at 11 a.m. on 91.7 FM, featuring joyful and informative stories that engage people across economic, social, and cultural divides.
- Your Call Interactive call-in program covering Bay Area news and community issues, allowing listeners to participate in public discourse.
- State of the Bay In-depth coverage and analysis of Bay Area issues and developments for local audiences.
- KALW Music Programming Extensive music programming spanning dozens of shows including KALW Music Player, Africa Mix, Bluegrass Signal, Fog City Blues, Folk Music & Beyond, Hearts of Space, Heavy Rotation, and many more across multiple genres.
- KALW Podcasts On-demand podcast versions of radio shows and exclusive podcast content including Crosscurrents, Notes from the Edge with Jeff Chang, BOUNCE, tbh, The Spiritual Edge, Uncuffed, How Wild, and many others.
- Bay Made Cultural programming showcasing Bay Area creators, makers, and cultural contributors.
- Business Sponsorship / Underwriting Business sponsorship opportunities allowing Bay Area companies to align with KALW programming and reach audiences across nine Bay Area counties via news, music, and public affairs programming.
- Membership and Donor Programs Monthly membership and donation programs including the Producers Circle, The People's Studio, and The Catalyst Society for business sponsors, plus employer matching gift and stock donation options.
- Audio Academy Training program for aspiring audio journalists and producers, with graduates going on to work in public radio.
Quantifiable outcome
- Award-winning investigative series 'Without a Voice' won Northern California Society of Professional Journalists award for Investigative Reporting in audio
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use KALW
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
KALW technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature1 record
KALW partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, founding and support.
- Warfield CommonscoreWarfield Commons at 988 Market Street houses KALW's People's Studio - a dedicated space for collaboration, creativity, and connection. This venue partnership is central to the station's community engagement strategy.
- Marines' Memorial Association & FoundationfoundingMarines' Memorial Association & Foundation is a Catalyst Society Founding Sponsor, supporting KALW's annual business sponsorship program that celebrates local businesses and organizations.
- Microsoft ClaritysupportKALW uses Microsoft Clarity for website analytics, capturing behavioral metrics, heatmaps, and session replay to improve and market its digital products/services.
- Microsoft AdvertisingsupportKALW uses Microsoft Advertising for site optimization, fraud/security purposes, and advertising alongside Microsoft Clarity for website analytics.
- UC Berkeley California Local News FellowshipcoreKALW partners with UC Berkeley's California Local News Fellowship program, hosting fellows who bring journalism talent to the station and strengthen local news coverage.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
KALW competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- KQED: KQED is the dominant Bay Area public broadcaster (radio + TV) and the most direct comparable to KALW — same geography, same NPR/PBS affiliate model, same donor-supported nonprofit economics, and overlapping audience for local news and culture.
- KCRW: KCRW (Santa Monica) is a flagship community-supported public radio station known for music programming, locally-produced podcasts, and event-based sponsorship — a near-perfect operational mirror to KALW, just in Los Angeles rather than the Bay Area.
- WNYC (New York Public Radio): WNYC is the largest US public radio station with a comparable donor-supported nonprofit model, locally-produced podcast slate, and signature news magazine programming — a scaled-up version of KALW's Crosscurrents-style content.
- WBEZ Chicago: WBEZ is a major-market NPR-member public radio station producing flagship local news, podcasts, and cultural programming under a community-supported nonprofit model highly analogous to KALW.
- LAist / KPCC: LAist (formerly KPCC) is Southern California's NPR-member public radio station with a strong local-news and podcast identity (e.g., 'The Big Takeaway'), a structurally similar listener-supported nonprofit to KALW.
- WBUR (Boston): WBUR is a flagship Boston-area public radio station operating NPR-member programming and locally-produced journalism under a comparable donor model to KALW, with overlapping podcast investment strategy.
- PRX (Public Radio Exchange): PRX is a public radio content distribution and podcast network that many stations (including KALW-adjacent producers) rely on for syndication and on-demand reach — a comparable producer/distributor within the public-radio ecosystem.
Broad incumbents
- NPR (National Public Radio): NPR is the national content network that KALW is affiliated with; it both supplies programming to KALW and sets the broader system economics (membership dues, underwriting standards) within which KALW operates.
- iHeartMedia: iHeartMedia is the largest US commercial radio broadcaster and a key competitor for Bay Area advertising dollars and listener attention that KALW competes against for underwriting revenue and audience share.
- Spotify: Spotify (and adjacent podcast/audio streamers) competes with KALW for listener time-on-ear and offers an alternative platform for the same news/talk/music content the station produces — a structural incumbent in the broader audio market KALW operates in.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
KALW social profiles
Digital presenceKALW compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
KALW financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
KALW leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
KALW funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
KALW M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about KALW
What does KALW do?
KALW 91.7 FM is a nonprofit public radio station serving the San Francisco Bay Area, broadcasting local news, music, cultural programming, and original podcasts over the airwaves and via digital streaming. The station produces award-winning investigative journalism (e.g., Crosscurrents news magazine), diverse music programming across multiple genres, and cultural content that reflects Bay Area communities, while also airing NPR, BBC, and CBC programming.
Is KALW a public or private company?
KALW is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was KALW founded?
KALW was founded in 1945. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is KALW based?
KALW is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does KALW make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Donations and Membership is the primary driver. The others are underwriting and Sponsorship, stock and Securities Donations, employer Matching and catalyst Society Annual Sponsorship.
Who are KALW's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are KQED, KCRW, WNYC (New York Public Radio), WBEZ Chicago, LAist / KPCC, WBUR (Boston) and PRX (Public Radio Exchange). Broad incumbents are NPR (National Public Radio), iHeartMedia and Spotify.
Does KALW have an API?
No public API is recorded for KALW.
What industry is KALW in?
KALW's product category is Public Radio Broadcasting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABACAF, Network-Affiliated Local Radio Stations (News/Talk/Sports Syndication Affiliates), with a secondary code of MPABADAB, National Public Radio Networks & Member Stations (NPR-style). Its NAICS code is 51611 and its SIC code is 4832.