KCBX
KCBX is a 501(c)(3) NPR-affiliate public radio station serving California's Central Coast across five FM frequencies, live streaming, and podcasts, funded by listener donations, underwriting, and an endowment fund.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersSan Luis Obispo, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What KCBX does
KCBX is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public radio station (Tax ID: 23-7292203) operating as an NPR affiliate that serves California's Central Coast, with headquarters and primary broadcast facilities in San Luis Obispo. The station transmits across five FM frequencies — 90.1 FM San Luis Obispo, 91.7 FM Paso Robles, 91.1 FM Cayucos, 95.1 FM Lompoc, and 90.9 FM Avila — and supplements over-the-air broadcast with live internet streaming via kcbx.org and podcast distribution through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, NPR Podcast Directory, and RSS feeds.
Its core product portfolio combines local journalism (KCBX News covering government, environment, business, and community), rebroadcast NPR national programming, and original on-air and podcast content including Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer (a six-time Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel podcast), Central Coast Voices (community affairs talk), A Conversation with the Reluctant Therapist (mental health), and Playing With Food (culinary). Technology infrastructure is conventional broadcast and digital media — FM transmission, web streaming, RSS-based podcast syndication — without proprietary technical differentiation.
KCBX generates revenue through a diversified non-profit fundraising model: individual listener donations and sustaining-member pledges, business underwriting and foundation grants, vehicle donations, and an endowment fund / legacy giving program. Distribution is community-led, with marketing channels spanning social media, an email newsletter (Constant Contact), community events including the Live Oak Music Festival, and NPR network promotions. The station has held a 4-star Charity Navigator rating since 2019.
KCBX firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- KCBX
- Legal name
- KCBX
- Website
- https://kcbx.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- KCBX is a 501(c)(3) NPR-affiliate public radio station serving California's Central Coast across five FM frequencies, live streaming, and podcasts, funded by listener donations, underwriting, and an endowment fund.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
KCBX industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Radio Broadcasting
- NAICS
- Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)
- SIC
- Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Network-Affiliated Local Radio Stations (News/Talk/Sports Syndication Affiliates) (MPABACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Local Radio Station Groups (Owned & Operated/Station Chains) (MPABACAC), National Public Radio Networks & Member Stations (NPR-style) (MPABADAB)
Keywords
Where KCBX is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Luis Obispo
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
KCBX business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Listener Donations and Pledges: As a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, KCBX relies heavily on listener donations and pledge campaigns. The station promotes 'Donate Now' options, vehicle donations, and endowment fund contributions.
- Business Underwriting and Sponsorships: KCBX generates revenue through business sponsors and foundation support, offering underwriter recognition opportunities for companies.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
KCBX product offering
Product offeringCore offering
KCBX is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit public radio station and NPR affiliate that broadcasts local and national news, talk, and music programming across five FM frequencies serving California's Central Coast (90.1 FM San Luis Obispo, 91.7 FM Paso Robles, 91.1 FM Cayucos, 95.1 FM Lompoc, 90.9 FM Avila). The station produces original local news, talk shows, and podcasts, and distributes content via live internet streaming and on-demand podcast platforms.
Product overview
KCBX is a public radio station (NPR affiliate) operating as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves California's Central Coast. The station offers a multi-platform content distribution strategy centered on over-the-air FM radio broadcasting across five frequencies (90.1 FM San Luis Obispo, 91.7 FM Paso Robles, 91.1 FM Cayucos, 95.1 FM Lompoc, 90.9 FM Avila), live online streaming, and on-demand podcast content. The core product portfolio includes KCBX News (local Central Coast journalism), KCBX FM Radio Broadcasting, and KCBX Online Streaming. Podcast offerings include Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer (award-winning travel podcast), Central Coast Voices (community affairs talk show), A Conversation with the Reluctant Therapist (mental health podcast), and Playing With Food (culinary podcast). Content is distributed through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, RSS feeds, and rebroadcasts NPR national programming. The station operates as a unified platform combining local news, original talk programming, and syndicated public radio content delivered across broadcast, streaming, and podcast channels.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- KCBX FM Radio Broadcasting Over-the-air FM radio broadcasting on five frequencies serving California's Central Coast: 90.1 FM San Luis Obispo, 91.7 FM Paso Robles, 91.1 FM Cayucos, 95.1 FM Lompoc, and 90.9 FM Avila, delivering news, talk, and music programming to local listeners.
- KCBX Online Streaming Live internet radio streaming available globally via kcbx.org, offering KCBX and KCBX 2 streams so listeners can tune in online from any location.
- On-Demand Content Library Web-based on-demand audio library of archived shows, individual segments, and full episodes available for streaming on the KCBX website.
- KCBX News Original local journalism focused on California's Central Coast, covering government and politics, environment and energy, immigration, business and economy, and community stories.
- Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer Six-time Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel podcast featuring arts, culture, music, nature, history, science, wine and spirits, and culinary arts coverage; distributed via the NPR Podcast Directory, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.
- Central Coast Voices Weekly talk show on KCBX addressing community change and how choices affect tomorrow's community, produced in partnership with Action for Healthy Communities and covering local issues, health, social services, and cultural topics relevant to San Luis Obispo County.
- A Conversation with the Reluctant Therapist Podcast hosted by Elizabeth Barrett exploring collective mental health, helping professions, and well-being topics through conversations with experts and researchers on psychology, relationships, and personal development.
- Playing With Food Culinary-focused podcast exploring food culture, recipes, and culinary topics relevant to California's Central Coast.
- NPR News Programming Rebroadcast National and international news content from NPR redistributed on KCBX's broadcast streams and integrated into the station's programming schedule.
Companies that use KCBX
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
KCBX technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
KCBX partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NPR (National Public Radio)coreKCBX is an NPR affiliate station, receiving and redistributing NPR national news programming and podcasts. This partnership provides access to nationally recognized journalism and content that complements KCBX's local programming.
- PRX (Public Radio Exchange)corePRX provides programming distribution and exchange services for public radio stations. KCBX displays the PRX logo indicating content partnership and access to their programming library.
- APM (American Public Media)coreAPM is a national public radio producer and distributor. KCBX displays the APM logo indicating programming affiliation and access to APM-produced content.
- Charity NavigatorminorIndependent charity evaluator that has awarded KCBX a 4-star rating since 2019, demonstrating transparency and accountability.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights4 records
KCBX competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- KCRW: Santa Monica-based NPR affiliate public radio station producing original music, news, and culture programming with multi-platform distribution (FM, streaming, podcast). Comparable in content mix and California-market focus, larger in scale.
- KUSC: USC-owned Southern California public radio station with multi-transmitter FM footprint, donor-supported 501(c)(3) structure, and streaming/podcast distribution. Operates a directly comparable nonprofit public radio model.
- KCLU (California Lutheran University): Southern California NPR affiliate public radio station with a comparable mix of local news, NPR rebroadcasts, and underwriting/donation revenue model. Highly comparable in scale and operating structure to KCBX.
- WNYC: New York Public Radio's flagship NPR member station producing original podcasts and local journalism under a 501(c)(3) donor-funded model. Larger and more nationally visible, but structurally analogous.
- KQED: San Francisco Bay Area public media organization combining NPR radio with local news, podcasts, and events under a 501(c)(3) donor-funded model. Larger and more diversified than KCBX, but directly analogous in mission and revenue mechanics.
- WBUR: Boston-based NPR member station with significant original local news and programming, donor underwriting model, and multi-platform distribution. Comparable in operating structure though larger in scale.
- CapRadio (Sacramento): Sacramento-area NPR affiliate public radio station with multi-frequency coverage, original local journalism, and donation/underwriting revenue. Highly comparable in station structure and content mix to KCBX.
- LAist / KPCC: Southern California NPR member station operating a local newsroom alongside NPR programming, supported by listener donations and underwriting. Operates a comparable nonprofit public-media model in a larger California market.
Broad incumbents
- NPR: National content originator and distributor that supplies KCBX with news programming and acts as an upstream affiliate network. Comparable in mission and partial content overlap, but operates nationally rather than as a single-market station.
Others
- PRX (Public Radio Exchange): Public radio content exchange and distribution platform that supplies KCBX with programming and infrastructure. An ecosystem enabler rather than a competitor, but materially relevant to how KCBX sources and distributes content.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
KCBX social profiles
Digital presenceKCBX compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
KCBX financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
KCBX leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
KCBX funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
KCBX 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 KCBX
What does KCBX do?
KCBX is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit public radio station and NPR affiliate that broadcasts local and national news, talk, and music programming across five FM frequencies serving California's Central Coast (90.1 FM San Luis Obispo, 91.7 FM Paso Robles, 91.1 FM Cayucos, 95.1 FM Lompoc, 90.9 FM Avila). The station produces original local news, talk shows, and podcasts, and distributes content via live internet streaming and on-demand podcast platforms.
Is KCBX a public or private company?
KCBX is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was KCBX founded?
KCBX was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is KCBX based?
KCBX is headquartered in San Luis Obispo, United States, in the North America region.
How does KCBX make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Listener Donations and Pledges are the primary driver. The others are business Underwriting and Sponsorships.
Who are KCBX's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are KCRW, KUSC, KCLU (California Lutheran University), WNYC, KQED, WBUR, CapRadio (Sacramento) and LAist / KPCC. NPR is listed as a broad incumbent. PRX (Public Radio Exchange) is listed as an others.
Does KCBX have an API?
No public API is recorded for KCBX.
What industry is KCBX in?
KCBX'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 MPABACAC, Local Radio Station Groups (Owned & Operated/Station Chains). Its NAICS code is 51611 and its SIC code is 4832.