KCBX

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.

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

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

• Public radio broadcasting
• Community news programming
• NPR affiliate station
• Podcast distribution
• Nonprofit media organization

Headquarters

HQ city

San Luis Obispo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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

Core 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.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NPR (National Public Radio)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerKCBX 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)coreTechnology or IntegrationPRX 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)coreTechnology or IntegrationAPM is a national public radio producer and distributor. KCBX displays the APM logo indicating programming affiliation and access to APM-produced content.
• Charity NavigatorminorOthersIndependent 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/kcbxnews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/https://www.youtube.com/@kcbxfm
• Facebookfacebook.com/kcbxfm
• Instagraminstagram.com/kcbxfm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kcbx-inc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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 KCBX