KZIA

What KZIA does

KZIA, Inc. operates Z102.9, a privately held, women-owned broadcast radio station headquartered at 1110 26th Ave SW in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, founded in 1974 and serving the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City corridor in Eastern Iowa. The station runs a Contemporary Hit Radio format branded as 'Today's Hit Music' and distributes content through FM 102.9, HD Radio multi-casting with four sub-channels (Z102.9 HD-1, Smart FM HD-2, 1600 ESPN HD-3, X107.5 HD-4), iOS and Android mobile applications, Amazon Alexa and Google Home voice integrations via TuneIn, and the TuneIn streaming platform. Its flagship programming is The Morning Scramble (launched September 2018 with co-hosts Clare Duffy and Eric Hanson and producer Ben), complemented by a podcast, the bi-weekly ZMail newsletter, and branded features such as Z Finds, Jury in a Hurry, Throwback Four Pack/Throwback 2K, Sound Bites, and live remote broadcasts.

KZIA's revenue model is advertising-led: the primary revenue stream is selling radio advertising spots to local and regional small and mid-size businesses in the Eastern Iowa market through an outside sales force. Since 2024, the company has extended this offering into a bundled multimedia advertising stack via a partnership with CI Digital Group, adding SEO, geo-fencing, Facebook/Instagram ads, YouTube video ads, and website development services to the traditional radio spot buy. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; no subscription or listener-pay model exists. Customer concentration is distributed across a long tail of SMB advertisers, with no publicly named enterprise accounts. The company operates without institutional ownership, venture capital, or private equity backing, and reports no parent company, subsidiaries, funding rounds, M&A activity, or pending regulatory actions.

Name

KZIA

Legal name

KZIA, Inc.

Website

https://kzia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KZIA, Inc. (Z102.9) is a privately held, women-owned broadcast radio station in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, operating since 1974. It serves Eastern Iowa listeners with a CHR format and sells multimedia advertising to local SMBs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Radio Station Groups (Owned & Operated/Station Chains) (MPABACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Radio Streaming & Catch-Up Audio Platforms (MPAIADAJ)

Keywords

• Radio broadcasting
• Radio advertising
• Digital marketing services
• Local media
• Podcast production

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Radio Advertising: The primary revenue stream comes from selling radio advertising spots and multimedia marketing services to local and regional businesses within the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City markets. The company offers a comprehensive line of marketing services including radio spots and digital solutions.
2. Digital Services: CI Digital Group offers full digital services including SEO, geo-fencing, local listing optimization, Facebook/Instagram ads, YouTube video ads, website development and optimization, which complement the radio advertising offerings.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KZIA, Inc. (operating as Z102.9) is a locally owned broadcast radio station based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that transmits a Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR) format branded as 'Today's Hit Music' across Eastern Iowa via 102.9 FM, HD Radio multi-casting, mobile apps, and smart speakers. The company monetizes its listener audience primarily by selling radio advertising spots and bundled digital marketing services (SEO, geo-fencing, social media advertising, website development) through its CI Digital Group partnership to local and regional businesses in the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City corridor.

Product overview

KZIA (Z102.9) is a traditional broadcast radio station based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, operating as a music radio station playing 'Today's Hit Music.' The station operates as a single unified offering centered on its broadcast radio product, supplemented by digital extensions including The Morning Scramble morning show (debuting September 2018), on-demand podcast content, the ZMail bi-weekly newsletter, and community-focused features like Z Finds (garage sale mapping) and Jury in a Hurry (listener dispute arbitration). The station distributes content through its own mobile app (iOS/Android), streaming on third-party platforms (TuneIn, Alexa, Google Nest), and HD Radio multi-casting with four sub-channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Morning Scramble: Morning radio show/podcast featuring Clare Duffy and Dancin' Eric Hanson, one of the top radio morning shows in Eastern Iowa.
• The Throwback Four Pack
• Jury in a Hurry
• Community Spotlight
• Z Finds
• Sound Bites

Quantifiable outcome

• One of the top radio morning shows in Eastern Iowa

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CI Digital GroupcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024CI Digital Group is an integrated digital agency offering full digital services including SEO, geo-fencing, local listing optimization, Facebook/Instagram ads, YouTube video ads, website development and optimization. This partnership extends KZIA's multimedia advertising capabilities beyond traditional radio into comprehensive digital marketing solutions for local and regional businesses.
• UnitedHealthcareminorOthersUnitedHealthcare creates and publishes Machine-Readable Files on behalf of KZIA, Inc. as part of transparency-in-coverage requirements. This is a regulatory compliance relationship.
• Herteen & Stocker JewelersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHerteen & Stocker Jewelers sponsors the Morning Scramble Santa Line program, where children can record messages for Santa through the Z102.9 app, creating a community engagement initiative for the holiday season.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Alpha Media: US radio broadcasting company operating stations in mid-sized markets across multiple formats. Compares to KZIA in operating CHR and similar format stations, local ad sales, and digital extensions, but across many markets rather than one.
• Townsquare Media: Operator of local radio stations in small and mid-sized US markets with integrated digital marketing services. Closely comparable to KZIA in operating local-market radio stations and bundling digital advertising solutions to local SMBs, though at much greater geographic scale.
• Saga Communications: Radio broadcasting company operating local FM and AM stations in mid-sized US markets. Closely comparable to KZIA as a local-market radio broadcaster monetizing spot advertising and digital services for regional advertisers.
• Bonneville International: Family-owned US radio broadcaster operating stations in select markets with focus on local content. Compares to KZIA as a privately-owned local radio operator emphasizing community programming and multi-format FM stations.

Broad incumbents

• Audacy: Major US radio operator with significant digital, podcasting, and streaming assets including the Audacy app. Compares to KZIA in operating CHR-format radio stations and pursuing podcast/digital extensions, though at national scale with very different capital structure.
• iHeartMedia: National radio broadcaster with extensive station portfolio and the iHeartRadio streaming platform. Compares to KZIA as a radio broadcaster operating across broadcast, streaming, digital, and podcasting — though at vastly larger scale and with a national footprint that KZIA lacks.
• Cumulus Media: Multi-market US radio operator with stations across formats including CHR. Compares to KZIA as a CHR-format radio broadcaster monetizing local ad inventory; Cumulus operates at scale across many mid-sized US markets where KZIA competes only in Cedar Rapids.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/z1029
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/theofficialz1029
• Facebookfacebook.com/Z102.9
• Instagraminstagram.com/z102.9
• TikToktiktok.com/@z102.9
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kzia-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 KZIA