KUOW

What KUOW does

KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public media organization and one of the nation's founding NPR member stations, broadcasting continuously from Seattle since 1952. It operates as a self-sustaining service of the University of Washington and serves as the primary NPR news affiliate for the Seattle and Western Washington market. The station distributes content through five broadcast channels (94.9 FM, plus KUOW AM and KQOW), the kuow.org website, and streaming apps, with global reach achieved via podcast distribution on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pocket Cast, Overcast, NPR One, and RSS feeds.

The product portfolio comprises award-winning local journalism spanning environment, economy, education, immigration, politics, policing, health, and culture; a stable of branded podcasts including Soundside (midday news), Sound Politics, Seattle Eats (co-produced with The Seattle Times), Booming (economy), Seattle Now, and the Peabody-nominated investigative series Lost Patients; seven distinct email newsletter products (KUOW News, Best of KUOW, The Rain Shadow, KUOW Politics, Book Club, Events, and the Newcomer's Guide to Seattle); and community events including the Soundside Listener Network and Town Hall Seattle programming. Distribution is reinforced by active accounts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, and BlueSky.

Revenue is generated almost entirely (more than 90%) from individual contributors and local business supporters via annual gifts and monthly 'Evergreen' recurring contributions, supplemented by corporate underwriting, planned giving (gifts of stock, donor-advised funds, IRA charitable distributions, wills and trusts), vehicle donations, and ticketed live events. Payments are processed through Authorize.net, PayPal, Amazon Pay, and Facebook Pay, with event ticketing via EventBrite. Pricing is not applicable — content is free to access, with membership/donation being the funding mechanism rather than a paywalled subscription. Customer concentration is diffuse across a large base of individual donors, with a secondary underwriting segment of local Seattle businesses seeking to reach an educated, affluent audience.

Name

KUOW

Legal name

KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio

Website

https://kuow.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

KUOW is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public radio station and founding NPR member, broadcasting from Seattle since 1952 and producing local journalism, podcasts, newsletters, and community events funded primarily by individual member donations and local business support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Public radio broadcasting
• News journalism
• Podcast production
• Community engagement
• Nonprofit media

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Contributions and Membership: More than 90% of funding comes from individual contributors and local business supporters. Listeners become members through annual gifts or monthly 'Evergreen' recurring contributions.
2. Business/Corporate Sponsorship: Business support program raises awareness among the region's educated and discerning consumers, potential donors, and community leaders. Corporate sponsors can advertise with the station.
3. Vehicle Donations: Donors can contribute used cars, trucks, or boats to the station through the vehicle donation program.
4. Planned Giving: Legacy giving options including gifts of stock, Donor Advised Fund gifts, wills and trusts, and IRA charitable distributions for long-term supporter engagement.
5. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from KUOW live events, including the KUOW Book Club and other community engagement events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

KUOW is a nonprofit public radio station that produces, curates, and broadcasts news, talk, and music programming for the Puget Sound region. It distributes content via over-the-air radio, online streaming, podcasts, and digital newsletters, serving as the local NPR affiliate for its coverage area.

Product overview

KUOW is an independent, nonprofit public media organization and NPR member station serving Seattle and Western Washington since 1952. The organization operates a multi-platform news and entertainment network consisting of broadcast radio (94.9 FM), multiple branded podcasts (Soundside, Seattle Eats, Sound Politics, Booming, Seattle Now), email newsletters (7+ titles), and community events. The core offering is local journalism covering environment, economy, education, immigration, politics, health, and culture, supplemented by specialized vertical podcasts focused on food, politics, and the local economy. Funding comes from listener memberships, donations, and business supporters. The organization is part of the NPR Network and a self-sustaining service of the University of Washington.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Soundside: A podcast about getting to know the PNW and each other, airing Monday through Thursday at 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. on KUOW.
• Sound Politics
• Seattle Eats

Products and services

• KUOW News and Talk Programming
• KUOW Podcasts
• KUOW Live Online Streaming
• KUOW Newsletters

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NPR NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKUOW is a founding member of the NPR Network, one of the nation's oldest public radio stations. As an NPR member station, KUOW distributes NPR national content while also contributing local Pacific Northwest journalism to the network. This partnership provides national content reach and establishes credibility through association with the NPR brand.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vermont Public: Statewide noncommercial public radio network with deep local journalism, member contributions, and podcast/audio extension. Comparable structure though smaller scale.
• OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting): Pacific Northwest regional public radio/TV operator serving Oregon/southern Washington with similar editorial coverage and member-funding model. Adjacent-market peer with direct topical overlap.
• WAMU 88.5 (DC): Washington DC-area NPR member station operated by American University with comparable news/talk format, member-supported funding, multi-platform distribution, and a similar large-market public radio footprint.
• LAist / KPCC 89.3 (Los Angeles): Southern California NPR member station serving a major metro with news/talk format, member contributions, and digital expansion. Comparable large-market news station peer.
• KQED (San Francisco): Major-market Bay Area NPR/PBS member station with listener-supported model, in-depth local journalism, podcasts, and newsletters. Closest peer in scale and editorial ambition to KUOW.
• KEXP: Seattle-based noncommercial radio station (90.3 FM) with a parallel listener-supported model, digital streaming, podcasts, and community event programming. Most geographically and operationally analogous public radio peer to KUOW.
• WNYC (New York Public Radio): Largest US public radio station group; comparable member-supported NPR affiliate with podcasts (Radiolab, On the Media), newsletters, and live events operated at major-market scale.

Broad incumbents

• WGBH (Boston): Boston-based NPR/PBS member station with a broader broadcast/media portfolio including flagship shows distributed nationally. Same member-supported model but wider scope than KUOW.

Others

• The Seattle Times: Primary Seattle-area print/digital news outlet and existing collaboration partner on the Seattle Eats podcast. Adjacent ecosystem participant covering the same geography and overlapping beat coverage.

Emerging players

• Marketplace (APM): Public-radio business/economy news program distributed nationally with podcast and live-event presence; overlaps with KUOW's economy podcast Booming on business journalism for a national audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/KUOW949
• Facebookfacebook.com/kuowpublicradio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kuow-public-radio
• Instagraminstagram.com/kuow
• TikToktiktok.com/@kuow949
• Xx.com/kuow

Compliance4 records

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 KUOW